Note: I'm reviewing the "winered" red satin coat, which has no fur or fleece on the hood.
A lot of people claim that these coats don't contain down, this is NOT true. They are looking at the cardboard swing tag and not the label on the inside of the jacket near the bottom. That label lists the contents of the jacket including the down and feather content. The coat contains a mix of polyester fibres, duck down and feathers. Another way I know is that I had to sew a small hole in one of the seams. Some of the down fibers were pulled out by the needle and thread, which is normal with down items.
Pros: I love the look of this coat, it's different from the usual boring parkas which come in dull colours and all look the same. The design is unique and practical. The hood is loosely filled with down. The edge rolls back and is held with snaps. This allows you to unroll the hood and protect your face from wind if it's cold. The pockets are big enough that you can leave your purse at home. The handwarmer cuffs are a nice touch. There are hidden side handwarmer pockets which are filled with down. If you require extra room in the pockets (for example, to carry hat/mitts/scarf while wearing it in the store) there are snaps on the sides of the coat behind the pockets which you can open to make more room. The side zippers also give you some extra room in the coat, to allow for thick warm clothes to be worn. The side zippers have satin flaps behind them, they don't open to the air. The fit of the jacket is "true to size". Some people say the shoulders and back of the coat are too tight, but I don't notice that. If you're concerned about that, pick the next size up.
Cons: I tested this jacket by wearing it for an hour on a very windy day, the temperature was +4C and the windchill was -8. I only wore a T-shirt and jeans under it. Overall it was warm and I was comfortable, however, I noticed the warmth is uneven. The arms were warmer than the body of the jacket. But the big problem was the front zipper. The wind and cold came right through it. This is because for some reason the designers of this jacket didn't think to include a storm flap behind the front zipper to keep wind from entering - even though they did for the side zippers! So a nice warm down coat becomes a coat that you have to wear a heavy sweater under to keep from freezing.
These coats don't have an inside pocket, which many people use to keep their phone so it won't freeze. You could use the handwarmer pockets.
If you buy these jackets, the very first thing you should do is inspect every single seam, snap and stitch. Look at them, gently try to pull the seam apart. My jacket had a half inch hole in the seam next to one of the side zippers. The seam wasn't stitched properly and apparently they don't inspect these coats before shipping them. Due to the hassles with returns I decided to just stitch the seam myself instead of trying to return the coat. I also recommend re-inspecting the seams every so often.
The manufacturer says these coats are "waterproof" but I'd take that with a big grain of salt. At most these coats are only water resistant to light snow or rain, especially the satin ones. I recommend using a fabric waterproofing spray, test it in an inconspicuous area first.
The silver metal zippers are poor quality, finicky and sticky. To prolong their life they should be zipped slowly while holding one end to prevent snagging.
The satin fabric is beautiful but it also snags extremely easily. While I was stitching the seam, my short, smooth fingernails kept snagging on the satin. I'm concerned that this coat won't last long if the satin snags on everything and rips. I've torn expensive winter coats on the bus before.
Verdict: this is a nice fashionable coat and I don't regret buying it, but thanks to the poor metal front zipper with no storm flap, it's not for very cold weather. I would rate it to -10C max windchill, and that's if you wear something warm underneath. This would probably be fine in a place that gets mild winters like Toronto. Due to the mediocre quality and materials, particularly the zippers, I doubt a coat like this will last more than two or three winter seasons. If you're handy with a needle you may be able to sew on your own storm flap - and eventually replace broken zippers.
Returns are a hassle as I mentioned earlier, you have to pay the shipping cost. Amazon *may* reimburse you.
Customers say this fits true to size.
| Too small | | 20 |
| Somewhat small | | 40 |
| True to size | | 306 |
| Somewhat large | | 57 |
| Too large | | 39 |
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