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Looking for Insight on handling body changes and Winter Coat Purchase

Thistle

Veteran

I live in the frozen tundra of Wisconsin near Lake Michigan. It is cold, wet and snowy here for a big chunk of the winter with harsh winds coming off of the lake. And I need a new winter coat. Partially because I have just been getting by for a few years, and partially because we are expecting our second baby in May. Which means I will be pregnant all winter long. I simply cannot go without a coat that fits.

I did look into maternity coats, and I was not impressed with their quality, pricing, or ability to keep me warm. I was thinking a non-maternity A line or swing winter coat might be more ideal as I could wear it later. A swing coat tends to be pretty large to start, and the A line perhaps I could undo the bottom button or something? I have no idea how practical this would really be.

I live in suburbia and work in suburbia. I drive DD to daycare then drive into work, where I have to cross a sizable parking lot to get into the building (but in no way is this anything like a public commute or walk to a bus station!) But I am still slushing through snow and muck.

Any winter coat in my part of the world is a big and important purchase, so I would love any guidance you have!

Shopping

24 replies

Latest reply was from goldenpig

Nicole D

Veteran

Interesting dilemna! And congratulations! I have never been really big in the winter (Despite four pregnancies, all summer or fall babes). I would NOT buy a mat coat, seems like a big outlay.... I wonder if the pus size stores would have anything? I know their clothes are bigger all over, but they might have styles that are more forgiving in the belly area and that might suit. Sounds like you might be able to get away with wearing a warm fleece or sweater and leaving your coat open, as long as you have really warm footwear. I am afraid that you MAY have to sacrifice style for practicality! Another thought is men's parkas?

Eliza

Veteran

So many wool coats are a bit oversized and/or cocoon style now that you may luck out. Even with your suburban lifestyle, I would want to be able to button as much as possible on a cold day- you need your hands for your toddler, not pulling the coat together. I have also seen swing style coats that are more like lined trench alternatives that hang from the shoulder freely and have interesting hardware clasps instead of buttons (Michael Kors had some last year). With room for layering, that could keep you warm and dry. I ran warm when pregnant, but still needed a winter coat that worked. Good luck!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

A swing coat is a great idea. It might only take you so far though, and not through the final stages of pregnancy - unless you purchase a maternity swing coat.

I do think you should go the Maternity route though. Swing coats are not in fashion at the moment and they will be hard to find - if at all.

You're looking for something like this:

http://us.asos.com/countryid/2.....3&

I vote let this be your purchase of the season - spend the money. It is extremely important that you find a maternity coat.

How about thermals? Those will keep you warm too.

kkards

Veteran

thistle -- could this be something that you get second hand? that way go get something that will work, but are not spending tons of money on.

Glory

Veteran

I'm with Angie on this one Thistle. A great coat is critical in our types of winters. The swing coat is fab but I think it will need to be maternity. You can always consign.
Also wondering about ebay and secondhand given these coats get very little wear.

Sarah A

Veteran

I think you will need a coat that fits. I do wonder the weight though? When pregnant I ran much hotter than normal and only could tolerate the lightest layers even in Nov and Dec. Did you feel your internal thermostat ran differently with DD? Just something to consider in your purchasing decision....

Scarlet

Veteran

I don't think you can buy a truly great coat that is going to do the trick during and post-pregnancy. Having said that I had a wool swing/trench hybrid with a belt that could be worn lower or higher. I wore that before and it worked really well for pregnancy, but as it was only wool, it's probably not warm enough for you. Try to find something used that you can wear just for now, and get a great new coat next year. Congratulations on your bun in the oven!

Thistle

Veteran

Maybe more will come out as the season progresses. With DD, I did run warm, actually.

I love the one Angie linked to, and I would snap it up, but they are either out of it in my size or it never came in my size.

I am terrible at buying second hand. I just don't know my size, so I have to try things on. And I want to touch the fabric and all of that. I know they do a maternity resale event sometime in the fall (hopefull I haven't missed it already!). I will give that a look.

Sara L.

Veteran

I feel like I should be more help here since my first two kids were born in Feb, but I never bought a maternity coat. I just wore my usual winter coat without buttoning up the bottom one or two buttons. While it does get cold in the winter here, we don't have the same arctic-type temps as you do so I could also get away with no coat at all by just layering and naturally running warm.

I would give the local thrift shops a look also. I bought some nice maternity things at a thrift shop that I've worn quite a bit this time.

ironkurtin

Veteran

Eileen Fisher. You may *have* to buy one used, I don't know what her current collection will be.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EILEEN.....2582e0fc62

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Eileen.....4611720b69

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Eileen.....3385a3c0a1

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Eileen.....33856529ce

The other thing you can do is look at vintage and thrift stores for vintage cashmere coats. I wore one from the 60s all through my pregnancy; it was so soft and warm, a fabulous kermit green, and it buttoned over my belly to the very end. If you get one that is 100% cashmere, it's just fine to throw it into the washing machine with some shampoo. Just hang it to dry, then throw it into the drier on high for half an hour to fluff it.

K. Period.

Veteran

Eeeeeeaaaaahhhhh! Dana! I almost passed out when I read you last few lines. That could be a disaster! Some coats could tolerate that, but lots more will felt into nothing if you give them high heat, especially if they aren't bone dry, and more importantly lots of linings aren't meant to be washed and will shrink and leave the coat itself distorted! Danger! Danger! (Sorry! Trying to come down from my freak out. Will try to wean off of exclamation points now.)

Thistle, I wish I had better advice for you. And by better advice, I mean a link to a good swing coat. A swing coat is a great idea. That's what I wore for my pregnancies. Neither were in the deep cold, but I had a shorter swing cut trench that I used. One tip: it can get a little chilly if the swing coat isn't cut as a full length one. A hip length one would let a lot of cold air up on the underbelly. Brrrr!

ETA: Dana, I totally completely without a doubt believe you. I'm a very bold washer. I've just shrunk a few things. Okay, a lot of things. Even cashmere. Luckily, my mom is about 6" shorter than me. Anymore, I don't take any chances with anything that is lined. I have a few micro mini dresses and a short swing coatish thing (franken-midget-quasimodo-coat) in my past, haunting my closet.... ((shudders)).... Plus I just faded one of my favorite blouses the other day. I'm gun shy. Sorry for the freak out. As you can imagine, these things haunt me.

unfrumped

Veteran

Not a lot of help.
As a Wisconsonite, you may already be the Queen of layers, but I expect you will need that and might not find the one coat to rule them all, during the height of pregnancy. You may trudge, and then indoors need to start throwing layers off. I do like the idea of maternity, with the idea that styles have improved a lot over the years in other items, and so hopefully coats have, also.. Also checking on non-maternity lines --love IK's EF suggestion--that have perfected the fluid fit. I understand the idea of cocoon being loose, but they seem to be more IT and may not have the ease where needed.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Feeling your frustration. I have no good advice except maybe second hand with a return policy or possibly a big shopping expedition someplace where there will be a selection of sorts. It might even be worth splurging on an overnight near bricks and mortar stores.

ironkurtin

Veteran

K, that is just not true. I have owned literally dozens of vintage cashmere items and all of them were treated this way. Cashmere is not like wool and does not shrink like wool, either. It is true that to use high heat the item must be dry, but that is what I said.

Gaylene

Veteran

Maybe consider this raincoat with a zip-in wool liner from LL Bean?
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/65931?feat=pprv

I had this model a few years ago and wore it during our Canadian winters as a commuter coat when I was mostly driving, not walking, to work. The outer shell was quite soft and drapery, not stiff, and I found the coat layered nicely over my suit jackets. It comes in plus sizes and a couple of different colors. The back has a good sized pleat that could accommodate a changing size. You could use the money you save for a nice cashmere sweater if you thought you needed the extra warmth.

ETA: If you read some of the reviews, the biggest complain seems to be that the coat fits too large--like a maternity coat! The fit is definitely more like a swing coat so, I'd suggest sizing to fit your shoulders and bust if you give it a try.

JAileen

Veteran

If it were me, I would go to a thrift store and get something really warm for a good price and if it doesn't work later then I would redonate it. Of course, since I don't live in Siberia, I see lots of nice super warm coats at Goodwill all the time. In your area this may be different. Also, I remember when I was pregnant that I was too warm all the time, so maybe it only needs to be pretty warm?

Echo

Veteran

Hmm. I was pregnant through a WI winter twice, but I never purchased a maternity coat. I didn't just run warm during pregnancy; I could serve as a space heater for small rooms. Additionally, I found it hard to justify the outlay of money considering that I didn't walk any distance in the cold. Walking across parking lots - even large ones - just wasn't enough for me to buy a coat I would only be able to wear for 4 - 6 months. A lot depends on how large your belly gets and how early or late you start to show, too.

But I would definitely check around to see if there are pregnancy consignment shops. Otherwise, I would layer and wear a regular coat over the top.

Mochi

Veteran

Thistle, two years ago I bought an Ellen Tracy winter coat that was a kind of A-line. I was not pregnant but I'm around your size and this coat seems like it could function very well to take you through most of your pregnancy if you buy it large enough. My coat was roomy yet seemed fitted, if that makes sense--it didn't swamp me but had a nice drape to it, and it is warm and stylish. I don't see my exact coat style (I bought it at Lord and Taylor's in December '11) but here are some similar examples:

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/el.....#038;cm_it

http://www1.macys.com/shop/pro.....?CategoryI

http://www1.macys.com/shop/pro.....ker?ID=839

That was just a quick search, but I'm thinking you might be lucky with this brand.

unfrumped

Veteran

I like Gaylene's find of a style with a back pleat--in the swing coat mood. You might need a longer coat for severe winter. But that pleat deal is something that you might look for, as it might have a higher yield, on fit.

cobaltblue

Veteran

Definitely get a good winter coat! I just made do last time around, and I was FREEZING. I ran extra cold while pregnant, though.

Jjsloane

Veteran

I got by with a swing coat for my winter pregnancy, but it doesn't get as cold as Wisconsin here in VA and I definitely ran hot. I would invest but please check out a baby/kid consignment sale for some options. I would think if you have a need then other Wisconsin women do. I've been working my local Just Between Friends event and we have tons of great maternity (in addition to the kid and baby items). There are several in WI
http://www.jbfsale.com/findAnEvent.jsp

I have been working with the owner of the Dane County West event and she's fantastic (if that's anywhere near you)

H&M has decent maternity (not dressy, but practical):
http://www.hm.com/us/product/16122?article=16122-C
http://www.hm.com/us/product/16123?article=16123-B

Suz

(website)

Veteran

It's amazing that some women run hot and others cold while pregnant! I wonder if it is the same with each pregnancy or whether that changes.

I was also wondering if Land's End might have something reasonably priced.

They do have a swing jacket and it comes in a lot of colours, plus size and regular (not sure which you might want for this purpose.)

Scarlet

Veteran

Wow, I didn't know anyone ran cold during pregnancy either. I ran about 10 degrees celsius hot, which is no doubt the only way I got by with a not even 100% wool coat in November.

goldenpig

(website)

Veteran

Congrats Thistle! So excited for you! I would definitely look for a warm maternity coat given where you live. I was able to get by with just leaving my regular coats open, but you may not be able to do that in your climate. Have you seen the "mama coats"? I didn't buy one but it's a coat with a zip in/out panel that you can use while you are pregnant and also use to carry the baby in a sling inside the coat with you, and then zip it out and have a "normal" jacket when you are done with the maternity part. Japanese Weekend makes one, but I also found some on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Front-bo.....038;sr=1-1
http://www.japaneseweekend.com.....-coats.htm
Best wishes for a happy and healthy pregnancy!

ETA: I love this oxblood maternity swing coat from ASOS!

http://us.asos.com/ASOS-Matern.....;Rf900=371.

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