Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Baby, It's Cold Outside: A Guide to Puffer Coats and Its Surroundings


It is around 20-30 degrees at this time, which is pretty high for December, considering it is normally at low 10s at this time of the year. But then again, it starts snowing in January-March so there are hardly any white Christmases! As basic trench coats are less trending as the temperature is constantly falling, it's time to think about keeping warm while being trendy and winter is all about showing off what's on the outside.

For the last few years, I have really ditched my puffer coats because I thought they made me look like a giant marshmallow and will ruin any outfit I have. Turns out I'm wrong. There are ways puffer coats can stand out with outfits. However, it's the way you wear it.

I know what you're thinking. How could a shiny, puffy, air cushion packaging-like coat be fashionable at all? What could it ever do for me, other than to keep me warm?


So we all agree that in the winter, accessories make an outfit right? I've always been such a fan of scarves and gloves. Even though it is easy to find a nice scarf, it is hard to find a pair of gloves. I am going to show you how to make your puffer coat stand out -- it's all a matter of putting together accessories and what you make of it!

Puffer coats are really expensive and that's one of the reasons a lot of people (especially in this economy) settle for layering. You'll be lucky if you can find a good one that's retailed under $100! A good coat, to me, is one with removable hoods. I know, it sounds weird but having hoods (especially big ones with faux fur all around it) is just plain annoying and tacky, especially when it's not snowing or raining.
Also, as you may already know, try not to get bright colors or white unless you are a very cautious person; down material is hard to wash off sometimes and once it's there, it's always going to be there.

Belts: Take this fuschia puffer coat from dEliAs ($54.50), very vivid and fun for young girls but you can make it better. Having a belt is a great way to make the coat more fashionable and stand out. This Velvet Stretch Belt from Betsey Johnson ($22.40) has an interlock buckle to assure it won't come off like those hooks. But make sure you get it a size larger than what you usually fit in (you don't want it to squeeze your waist tight, do you?). When you're wearing a light-colored coat, it's always better to search for something dark-colored to accessorize because you don't want to look fruity.

But let's say you're wearing a black puffer coat...what's the best thing to accessorize black (and other dark colors)? Metallic belts! Preferably, a color close to your coat. I think this Metallic Braided Belt from Wet Seal ($10.50) is perfect for a black or gray coat. I don't know about you, but I've always been a fan of metallic colors, especially when it's a darker metallic color. They just go so well with dark, solid clothing and I guess you can say that they bring out the 'fun' side of people.

Scarves: Scarves are the most important when it comes to winter. I used to dislike scarves because I was so ticklish (still am) as a child, every time my mother would wrap a scarf around me, I would start giggling and fidgeting. But in recent years, I have found that scarves make the outfit. You can wear something plain and ugly, but wear a nice scarf and turn that ugly-looking outfit to a eye-catching one, all thanks to a scarf.

It is much better to wear a color of a scarf other than the color of your coat, unless you like matching. Personally, I don't like matching too much because even though it is effortful, it is boring to wear the same color from head to toe; it looks like a bucket of paint dropped on you. For light-colored coat, dark-colored scarves look great but it depends what color the coat is. I'd stick to light gray on the safe side.

For darker colors, I think just about any colors other than its own would suffice. When you are wearing...say black, you don't want to be wearing a black scarf (unless it has designs or prints) because it won't be visible and it is pretty much dull. Spice it up! Don't be afraid to wear other colors.

Gloves: When it comes to gloves, I always tend to buy fleece gloves because they are more warmer and more comfortable than leather gloves (unless they have some sort of wool or fur in it). They look great with puffer coat because they do give that not over-the-top finish. You wouldn't want to pair a shiny coat with leather gloves, do you? Fleece gloves are always a staple no matter what kind of jacket or coat you have but like scarves, you do have to be careful with what color you wear.

Earmuffs: I've never liked ear muffs because I've always thought they looked like fuzzy headphones with no wires. But if you were to wear an earmuff, wear one that would match the color of your coat, that's the most I could say...or maybe a black one as a staple. I just can't imagine myself wearing an earmuff.






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