Happy New Year, YLF-ers!I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday season, no matter where and how you spent it.

Some of you may recall the adventures of the Pufferless Canuck, i.e. the Canadian resident cracked enough to contemplate braving a northern winter without a down coat. To tell the truth the prospect wasn't quite as daunting as it sounds when you consider that I run unusually warm and the season has been considerably milder than usual thus far, but the lunacy of it all never fully left my brain. A single snowstorm that drenched my poor boysenberry wool coat finally convinced me - it was time to bite the bullet and get a puffer.

But still I demurred. The idea of shelling out multiple hundreds of dollars for a purchase I wasn't even keen on making wasn't my idea of a good time, either sartorially or fiscally. So I decided to take my chances and wait for the post-Christmas sales.

Not too surprisingly, mainstays like LandsEnd were largely sold out of the styles I'd been considering. Which turned out to be ok as I decided that the popular Chalet Long Coat, which had been recommended for me, was just too long and warm for my needs. I couldn't wrap my head around being swathed in down all the way to my mid calves , so I let it ride and moved onto other options.

Angie had flagged some beauties in her Puffer Coat Roundup, but my risky strategy wasn't paying dividends there as the selection was thoroughly picked over.

So on a whim, I popped into a local store to see what they had on sale...and came away with what I devoutly hope is a winner!

http://www.additionelle.com/en.....32694.html

Apart from the fact that the coat is about an inch and a half shorter than my ideal length, this one had so many of the features I look for. The blue colour sounded lovely, and I loved the idea of the faux-fur trim being black instead of brown. I loved the fact that it was streamlined and used a combination of square and vertical quilting to keep things something resembling flattering, at least under my hands. I thought the diagonal zipper was a fun touch, especially since it allowed me to maintain a deep v-neck to stay cooler or to show off a scarf as the case may be. And although I know some people find belted puffers to be too fussy-looking, this one struck me as easy and versatile. In the pics below I'm modelling it with the belt fastened normally and also closed at the back to resemble one of those decorative half-belts. I've also shown you how it looks both from the front and the back. Oh, and did I mention I got this for 40 per cent off and didn't have to pay any absurd Canadian shipping/duty charges?

All this being said, it's not too late to take it back if you don't think this is up to parr. The store has a 30-day return policy, and I'll definitely make use of it if you guys think it's for the best. I'd rather stick to the original plan and go without a puffer altogether than wear a substandard one, so please tell me if this needs to go back.

Thanks for all the help with this and all the other Pufferless Canuck threads, ladies!

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