Winter Coat Review

I have my first Product Review for you today!  This is a winter coat review of the “1 Madison Ladies’ Anorak Jacket” sold for $59.99 at Costco.com.  I also made a YouTube video to better outline all the awesome features of this coat!  If you would prefer to watch than read, just skip down to the video at the bottom of this post ;o).

For the past few winters, I have been on the lookout for two new winter coats to replace ones that no longer fit following a 90lb weight loss.  Of my coat wardrobe, the first post weight loss coat I chose to replace was my peacoat.  It was stylish, had a figure flattering cut, could be dressed up or down and was warm enough for my usual errands where I run from car into _______ then back again.  I still had the other two, more weather functional, coats in the closet and I told myself it didn’t matter that they were several sizes too large because I could layer them!  I’m talking about a yellow anorak rain coat good for the typical, chilly (temps in the 30-50’s), Pacific Northwest rainy days we have.  And a red puffy snow jacket, good for those drier cold snaps (30’s and below) and snowy days that we get a few weeks each winter.  So, for the past 4 Falls/Winters I would begin my winter coat hunt, not be able to find exactly what I was looking for, then triage it back to the bottom of my wishlist, shrugging it off and wearing my too large coats on the days when function trumped fashion.  Until last year.  Last year, I started subbing for my kids’ school, usually working Lunch/Recess duty for 3 hours, outside, in all weather. That’s when I learned that my oversized coats resulted in the cold and wind blowing right up the hem and up the cuffs!  So, I switched to my properly fitted peacoat.  From which I learned that a peacoat, while it certainly seems warm, is NOT WATER-RESISTANT, no matter how thick, and after 3 hrs of rain it will become quite damp.  And cold.  I never noticed the dampness issue when I wore it in heavy rain down pours dashing to and from my car.  Aren’t peacoats part of the Navy uniform? (I say the last two in complete sarcasm over my naivete that a wool coat would be a good water resistant choice.)  I should mention I grew up wearing wool London Fog trench coats, in California.  It worked there. =o)

This year’s Mission was to find properly fitting replacements for these oversized Rain and Snow coats, once and for all!  I found what I thought was the perfect solution on a recent visit to Costco. Costco often comes through for me when it comes to winter coats.  In fact, it happens to be where I found the two I am replacing now, about 12 years ago!  This year, at our local warehouse they had various versions of the super popular, lightweight down puffer coat. The style I liked most was available in a short, hip length and a longer, above the knee length.  I was going to get the short one in black and the longer one in a beautiful Aubergine (not posted online).   As I was trying them on, another woman was trying the long coat, in silver and I HAD to tell her how fantastic it looked on her!  We started chit chatting, I mentioned I was buying the coat for recess duty and it turned out she was a teacher, has tons of recess duty experience and let me know that the lightweight down coats are perfect for traveling or quick errands but were HORRIBLE recess duty choices because they didn’t offer enough warmth in really cold temps, wind blows through them, and they are NOT water resistant.  BUMMER!  I loved those coats!

Back at home, I went to Costco.com and found this beautiful anorak that just might serve as BOTH coats, in ONE!  I was so excited when the package came just a few days later and in it, my new coat in red and one in black!  I am trying to choose the one I like most and will return the other… only I love BOTH for different reasons and can easily talk myself into keeping them both.  (sigh)  I like the red color most, so I am keeping the red and will, sadly, return the black.  ….probably.  (update:  Nope, I kept BOTH!)

This coat is quite heavy and has excellent details.  It has a thick, quilted interior with a super soft, faux fur (reminds me of a chinchilla) interior lining around the zipper area and in the hood, plus it has the faux fox-like fur removable trim around the hood.  It has the interior draw string cord at the waist to adjust fit.

The hood is very versatile with snaps that allow you to adjust how much coverage and visibility you can have (It can extend past the face for about 5 inches, keeping rain out) and the fur trim is removable for those wetter weather days.  It has 5 exterior pockets and two small interior pockets sized for mobile devices or perhaps a wallet.  If you didn’t want to carry a purse you wouldn’t have to with all these pockets!

It also has really thick, warm, inset knit cuffs at the wrists which will be excellent in keeping the weather from going up my arm!  Worn alone, I don’t think it would be a good snow coat (it MIGHT, I just have to test it out).  However, I tried it on layered over a fitted fleece jacket and puffy vest, and it seems it might actually be a perfect snow choice!  If we get snow this winter, I will update my review ;o).  The red is a really beautiful deep garnet.  The black is… well, black!  Not much to be said about that ;o) though I think black is always lovely as it allows other colors to POP against it.

According to their size chart, I would be a Small (I’m a size 6), however, I rarely believe size charts and ordered a Medium.  I am very glad I ordered the Medium!  This coat feels a bit snug across the back of my shoulders.  I usually find the opposite problem when I size up, as my shoulders are proportionally narrow. It isn’t too tight, just a snugger fit than I am accustomed to.  After I wore my coat for a while the sensation went away and it hasn’t been a problem.

This coat is incredible and has all the features of high-end coats but at an amazingly budget friendly price!  I am SO Happy with my purchase!  Costco, you’ve done it again!

I will be linking up this week with Turning Heads, at Elegantly Dressed and Stylish and with What I Wore, at The Pleated Poppy.