I came across this J.Crew puffer (made with eco-friendly PrimaLoft) in my search for good alternatives to the “Amazon Coat”. The Orolay Puffer Jacket — “The Coat” — has been so ridiculously popular, but as some of you may know from my original post on the Amazon Coat, there are plusses and minuses, and I ultimately decided it wasn’t for me.

I’ve been searching for a good alternative, and this search has taken me in two directions:

Search #1: Looking for an amazingly bold, in-your-face statement coat that screams “I feel BOLD” and “I’m totally ALIVE even though I’m freezing my tush off” (think this bright green Boden puffer or this ridiculously fun purple coat from Mango). This search will have to wait for another post.

Search #2: Looking for a more basic black puffer, but with interesting details (an interesting cut, cool zippers, special details, etc.,). I rounded up 12 of these guys here.

The J.Crew Chateau Puffer Jacket: My Review

The second search took me straight to the J. Crew Chateau Puffer Jacket. It’s reasonably priced (especially right now…it’s 40% off with code WHYWAIT and a whopping 50% off for Rewards Members with code SHOPFIRST ), comes in black, and has some interesting details. Seems like an easy win.

The Look

The look is good. Not blow-you-away-amazing, but good. I’m not usually a huge fan of draw-string waists, but this coat looks GREAT on Julieta here with the waist cinched. I like it better on me completely un-cinched. I’m definitely drawn more to the oversized boxy coats right now, so this fits the bill without completely overwhelming my 5’2 frame.

Coat | Hat

The Fit

Woohoo for lots of fit options in this coat! The Chateau comes in petite, regular, tall, and plus sizing! Gotta love that! I tried the extra small (my usual size in tops, jackets, sweaters), but it’s too snug. The small definitely gives me more room to be comfortable with a layer or two underneath. Sleeves aren’t too short or too long. I think the petite would have been too short for me even though I’m only 5’2. I was happy with the length of the regular size.

Coat | Hat | Tee | Jeans | Boots | Hair Clip

Colors

The color options are fantastic. The more I look at the different colors, the more I think I made a mistake bringing home the black. I am not a pink person, but this pink (especially with light-wash jeans) is pretty good. I, of course, love the yellow and the red, but the one I’m really drawn to surprisingly is the muslin (cream color). White accessories and outerwear have been feeling super-fresh to me, especially when paired with all the browns and even the dark blacks and grays. Or…I could easily pop on one of my wild pom pom hats with the muslin as well, if I wanted a pop of color.

Sustainability

The J. Crew Chateau Puffer Jacket is filled with eco-friendly PrimaLoft. J. Crew states that for every coat they make, they keep 15 plastic bottles out of oceans and landfills with the use of PrimaLoft. Additionally, the coat has a recycled poly shell. Read more about J.Crew’s sustainability goals here.

Warmth

It hasn’t gotten below freezing in Philly yet, so I haven’t had a chance to test this puffer out in the REAL cold, but walking around in 30-40 degree temps with a lightweight long sleeve tee underneath has been fine.

The Hood

The hood is sherpa-lined (so nice and toasty), but with the black coat, the sherpa lining is also black. Some of the colors have a white sherpa lining hood, which appeals to be me a bit more. The hood is detachable…always nice to have options.

The Zippers & Pockets

The black version of this coat has cool gold (not the usual silver) zippers that feel higher quality than the “Amazon Coat” (not a ton higher quality, but enough that I noticed right away). It has multiple pockets with ample room for your wallet, phone, keys, lipstick, etc., It also has interesting zippered side vents that are a welcomed added detail.

Overall Opinion: The J.Crew Chateau Puffer Coat

This is a great coat. The black didn’t knock me over with amazingness in terms of style/look, but then again…it IS a fairly basic black puffer. I think there are 2 reasons I didn’t immediately fall in love:

1. I keep looking at this AllSaints Coat and this Lole coat, and comparing the J.Crew one to them. They’re in a totally different price range, though, and not one that I’m interested in right now. So…it’s not really a fair comparison.

2. I keep going back and looking at the other colors. I like the crazy bright yellow one a lot, but I think I’m going to try the muslin as well and see how it looks. Also very interested in trying Everlane’s ReNew Puffer (made entirely from recycled water bottles…so cool!), so the search continues…

Shop Other J.Crew Coats I Like
40% Off With Code WHYWAIT & 50% Off For Rewards Members With Code SHOPFIRST

What other coat brands would you like the TME team to look at? It’s that time of year…bundle up, folks and try to stay warm!

-Linzi