I’ve been getting a ton of reader questions about warm winter coats. I loved Jennifer’s especially since MI will always have a special place in my heart:
I need your help! We’ve recently relocated from Central NJ to Ann Arbor (which means I won’t likely run into you at Clay – what a gem! – wearing a copycat outfit) and it is November 1st and I desperately need advice on what I will need to keep warm. I have an old J Crew car coat that needs to be replaced and I’m unsure of what I will actually need to keep warm here.
Sooooo….how to keep warm in MI? It is not easy. Every Christmas we go home to Marquette and it’s always a shock to the system. It gets SO. SERIOUSLY. Cold. Like forty below. No exaggeration, the actual temperature (without windchill) will read -40F. Last year, Raines learned not to play outside without wrapping his entire face (ninja style) in a scarf, else he’d end up with severely windburned cheeks. (Not that it would stop him. So I learned that First Aid Beauty’s Ultra Repair Cream – bought for post-chemo – ALSO worked wonders on his red, chapped cheeks. In case any of you have little snowplaying lunatics like R.)
But let’s talk coats!! The first thing I did was call Scotti, my MI-dwelling sister to discuss. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t going overboard. NOPE. We were in violent agreement. If you really need to be warm in a MI-like winter, you’ve basically got three options: Puffers, Parkas or Ski/Snowboard Jackets (these typically require layers).
Vince | S13/NYC Mogel | Lands End
The good news is that there are some seriously amazing options, at all price points. So we rounded up a bunch (my personal favs are above). I tend to like the shorter jackets or the ones that juuust cover the bum (the long parkas look ridiculous on me, especially with snowpants – I look like a short, wide, man)…and Scotti prefers belted coats (show off her waist, balance the bass). Here’s what caught our eye:
Stay warm!
xo,
S
