Warm Coats for Cold Weather - My Life While Shopping

This is definitely the winter that just keeps on giving.

If you live in the midwest or the northeast you may go so far as to say this is the winter from hell.

Really, I don’t remember anything like it in my almost 47 years. It’s like we’re set on some vicious cycle of bitter cold… snow…repeat.

Here’s what we’re waking up to in Chicagoland this morning:

Just peachy, isn’t it? “Why do I live in Chicago…? Why do I live in Chicago…?”

We’re talking no school for the next two days. And it’s the second time it’s happened this winter. It’s seriously crazy folks!

To me, having a down coat is a necessity to make it through a winter like this. Here I was walking the dog in mine yesterday:

Can you believe this stuff??

Seriously though, I love owning a down coat for weather like this. It keeps me so warm and toasty when I have to venture out. I actually own a short and a mid-length one.

A down coat is an investment. I’ve had both of mine for seven years now and they still look great. And I love that they’ve made down coats now that actually give you a shape. No more looking like the Michelin Man!

Here are a few things I considered when buying mine:

1) A hood: Neither of my down coats have a hood, and I wish they did. But I found them on sale (right about this time of year, actually), and they fit great and looked good, so I went for it.

2) The collar: I love that both my coats have high collars that double as face masks and neck warmers. When I’m walking the dog and round a corner into the wind, I can bury my face in the tall collar and keep warm.

3) Pockets: Pockets are essential for stowing your gloves. I love having pockets that zip so I don’t have worry about losing things.

Nordstrom still has an awesome selection of down coats. Here are a few that I like. I chose styles that I thought were stylish, functional, still had a great size selection left AND were under $200. Click the links below for detail.