A letter from a customer
I said I would never spend this much on a coat. Then three people stopped me about it in one week.
What changed my mind about a statement puffer, written by a customer, not the shop.
I have bought the same kind of coat for fifteen years. Plain, black, warm enough, forgettable. My daughter has been telling me for two winters that I need something with a bit more about it, and for two winters I ignored her. Then she sent me a link to an oversized puffer coat with a camel colour-block stripe and a patterned hood, and for some reason, this time, I actually clicked.
I did not just click. I ordered it, and here is what actually happened once it arrived.
Have A Look YourselfFree UK delivery ยท 30 day returnsIt is properly oversized, and that is the point
My first thought when I opened the parcel was that I had ordered the wrong size. I had not. This coat is meant to be big, roomy enough to layer a jumper underneath without feeling squeezed, with sleeves that sit loose rather than tight at the wrist. I am used to coats that fit close and restrict how I move. This one does not, and I did not expect how much I would prefer that.
I have never owned a coat that got a reaction before I had even reached the corner shop. This one did, twice, in the same week.
The camel stripe is what people actually mention
It is a small detail, a single warm camel panel across the chest, but it is the thing that stops the coat looking like every other black puffer on the school run. Two different mothers at pickup asked where it was from before I had got my car keys out of my pocket. That has never happened to me in a coat before.
The hood actually does its job
I am fussy about hoods. Most of them are decorative, a floppy bit of fabric that does nothing in real wind. This one has a proper funnel shape with a padded, patterned panel, and it sits up around my neck and ears without me having to hold it there. On a genuinely cold morning that matters more than I expected it to.
See The Hood For Yourself60% off right nowThe knit sleeves were the detail I almost talked myself out of
I nearly went for a plainer coat because I was not sure about the contrast ribbed knit sleeves. I am glad I did not. They add texture without being fussy, and because they are knit rather than padded, my arms actually bend properly, which matters more than I realised when you are carrying shopping bags or wrestling a car door.
My husband, who notices almost nothing I wear, asked if it was new before I had taken it off in the hallway. That happens perhaps twice a year in this house, so I take it seriously when it does.
The offer made me stop putting it off
The Natalie is 60% off at the moment. I am wary of a percentage on its own, because a discount only means something if the coat underneath is actually worth having. This one was, so the 60% off simply removed the last excuse I had for hesitating over a coat at this price point.
It is the coat I actually reach for now
That is really the point of it. It is warm enough for a proper cold morning, smart enough that I do not feel underdressed picking up a parcel, and distinctive enough that I stopped blending into every other black coat at the school gate. For something I nearly did not click on, that is the highest compliment I know how to give it.
The Natalie, against the coat you usually reach for
Hallway
Kitchen
Out on the lane
The colour-block, up close
I have owned more plain black coats than I can count, and most of them disappeared into the background the moment I put them on. Here is the difference, laid out plainly.
The one at the back of the hallway
- Plain black, nothing to notice
- Fits close, awkward over a jumper
- Hood that does not really stay up
- Forgettable, worn out of habit
- Full price
The Natalie
- Oversized black with a camel colour-block stripe
- Roomy fit, layers easily
- Funnel hood that actually blocks the wind
- Noticed twice in one week, properly worn
- 60% off, UK sizes 8 to 18
About the price
I will be honest, when something this distinctive is also 60% off, my instinct is to look for the catch. I looked. The colour-block sits exactly where it does in the photographs, the zip runs smoothly, and the knit sleeves have not pilled after wear.
Free UK delivery, and 30 days to send it back if it is not right. If you, like me, have been putting off replacing a tired black coat, I would have a proper look at this one before the weather turns properly cold.
Anne Whitaker
Natalie Oversized Colourblock Puffer Coat
60% OFF- Oversized black puffer with a warm camel colour-block stripe
- High funnel hood with a textured patterned panel
- Contrast ribbed knit sleeves
- Twin zip chest pockets
- UK sizes 8 to 18
- Free UK delivery and 30 day returns
About the writer. Anne Whitaker is a customer from West Yorkshire. This page is an advertisement for Abbey Lane ยท Free UK delivery ยท 30 day returns.