Destination: Get Down!

October 28, 2006 12:35 PM

I just bought a black down coat and the down is constantly stuck to the outside of it. Is this normal?

I'm afraid I may have made have made a bad purchase. I haven't ever bought a new coat (hand-me downs, thrift shops, etc.) so I decided it was time. I went for one that I thought looked cool, but now I can see little pieces of down on the outside of it all the time. I've had a down comforter before and never saw that happen, but it wasn't black. It's like a slow leak throughout the coat. Should I get over it, return it or just run the old lint roller over it daily?

Here is the coat (but mine's in black). I didn't pay that much, either.

posted by mike_bling to clothing, beauty, & fashion (6 comments total)

You're not happy with it, so you should return it. Even if it's supposed to be like that (which I don't think it is), you don't want it like that, so back it goes.
posted by mendel at 1:47 PM on October 28, 2006

That happens with down. Black is especially bad for down because of this.
posted by dino terror at 2:06 PM on October 28, 2006

That's happened to all three of my down coats.
posted by thomas j wise at 2:16 PM on October 28, 2006

Down leaks; the little poky bits on the feathers poke through the fabric, and especially through the seams. Fancier down garments, especially those that are fancier in a high-performance direction, do it less: higher-grade down is less sharp and poky, and higher-performance fabrics and construction methods are harder to poke through. But leakiness is indeed the way of down -- I think it's still worth it.
posted by redfoxtail at 2:44 PM on October 28, 2006

Upon reading the coat's description in the link: feather blends are the worse for this, it's all the chopped up sharp quill ends coming through. I had a pillow made 60/40 down:feathers and I hated it because it would continually jab me in the face with little sharp points, a problem which worsens over time as the down settles but the feathers remain rigid. I would return the coat, if you can.

Another data point: I own a navy blue 100% down-filled coat and a bit of fluff works its way out at a seam on very rare occasions but never through the fabric itself.
posted by jamaro at 3:21 PM on October 28, 2006

You have a poorly made coat. (The fabric should be woven tightly enough to prevent feathers from poking through.) Take it back.
posted by Kololo at 7:34 PM on October 28, 2006