Down Vests That Don't Make Me Look Like The Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man
December 10, 2014 6:12 PM Subscribe
I wear my puffy down vest everywhere in the (San Francisco) wintertime. It feels comfy and cozy, but it balloons out and puffs up around the sides for a "winter sports" look that makes me look much larger than I am. I'm looking for a down vest with a more polished and fitted look. Can you recommend some down vests that are still warm but cut to flatter a woman's body? Price range < $170.
Part of it is probably getting a smaller size (I usually wear a women's medium). Yes, I know I can just order a bunch from Zappos and send them back. But there are so many to choose from, I'd love a few MeFi recommendations.
This vest would appear to be cut in a flattering way but it's hard to know from the model's picture.
I also like the style of this vest but as I don't tend to stand with one hip raised and one hand artfully placed in my pocket, the photo isn't super helpful!
Part of it is probably getting a smaller size (I usually wear a women's medium). Yes, I know I can just order a bunch from Zappos and send them back. But there are so many to choose from, I'd love a few MeFi recommendations.
This vest would appear to be cut in a flattering way but it's hard to know from the model's picture.
I also like the style of this vest but as I don't tend to stand with one hip raised and one hand artfully placed in my pocket, the photo isn't super helpful!
Best answer: Here's my personal fave: Eddie Bauer Microtherm Vest. Looks great in the office, too. (I get cold easily and wear it under suit jackets.)
posted by skye.dancer at 6:19 PM on December 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by skye.dancer at 6:19 PM on December 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Uniqlo! Uniqlo down jackets and vests actually manage to look fitted on women.
posted by showbiz_liz at 6:26 PM on December 10, 2014 [10 favorites]
posted by showbiz_liz at 6:26 PM on December 10, 2014 [10 favorites]
2nd uniqlo. Don't size down, they're pretty snug and remarkably both thin and warm as is.
posted by R a c h e l at 7:06 PM on December 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by R a c h e l at 7:06 PM on December 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: No specific recommendation, but if you want the warmth without the profiles, make sure you get a quality vest with 100% goose down in 800 fill (or better, if you can find/afford it). Fill power in down is essentially a measure of density; higher numbers are less dense, meaning more trapped air and less filling, so much better insulation.
It makes a big difference! An 800-fill down vest will be much warmer, for a given amount of "poof", than a 600-fill (nevermind synthetics—they don't even come close). 800-fill down is considered a premium feature and a significant selling point, so vests made with it will definitely mention that fact prominently in their descriptions—if not, assume an inferior filling material and know that it's going to be less warm than it looks, as well as heavier.
As a side note, that "StormDown" filling is a newer material, where the goose down has been treated to give it some water resistance. Normally the Achilles' heel of goose down is that it becomes totally worthless if it gets even a little wet, but StormDown is less sensitive. It's also a little bit less insulative; that's your tradeoff, but you may find it worthwhile.
That's the executive summary on down vests, if you're interested.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 7:40 PM on December 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
It makes a big difference! An 800-fill down vest will be much warmer, for a given amount of "poof", than a 600-fill (nevermind synthetics—they don't even come close). 800-fill down is considered a premium feature and a significant selling point, so vests made with it will definitely mention that fact prominently in their descriptions—if not, assume an inferior filling material and know that it's going to be less warm than it looks, as well as heavier.
As a side note, that "StormDown" filling is a newer material, where the goose down has been treated to give it some water resistance. Normally the Achilles' heel of goose down is that it becomes totally worthless if it gets even a little wet, but StormDown is less sensitive. It's also a little bit less insulative; that's your tradeoff, but you may find it worthwhile.
That's the executive summary on down vests, if you're interested.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 7:40 PM on December 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
I was gonna say Uniqlo but was beaten to it.
posted by zsazsa at 8:56 PM on December 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by zsazsa at 8:56 PM on December 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Warmth is mostly about thickness. Less stitching is warmer since most vests aren't baffled. Fill power affects the weight, not the warmth - low fill power doesn't reduce the amount of trapped air enough to matter.
The fashionable vests have less loft and more stitching, but should be warm enough for SF.
posted by nixt at 12:16 AM on December 11, 2014
The fashionable vests have less loft and more stitching, but should be warm enough for SF.
posted by nixt at 12:16 AM on December 11, 2014
Nthing Uniqlo. I got one of their UltraLight down jackets a couple of weeks ago and LOVE IT. The fabric is water-resistant, which has been tested by yours truly in December Paris weather, and I can confirm it is indeed true.
Wonderfully wind-resistant and warm in spite of being very thin.
posted by fraula at 1:27 AM on December 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Wonderfully wind-resistant and warm in spite of being very thin.
posted by fraula at 1:27 AM on December 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: As Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The says, the fill power is key to warmth with less bulk. This Patagonia vest is above your budget, but it will give you an idea of how thin/light a down vest can be with 800-power fill while still being warm. That particular one uses ultralight fabric, too, which contributes to a slim profile. This one is much closer to your budget at $179. It also uses 800-power fill but doesn't have the other ultralight materials (so it's cheaper). The thinner baffles on the side also make the profile look slimmer, so it might be a solid option for you.
It's not an exact comparison, but this Mountain Hardwear one uses only 650-power down, and visually, you can see that it's a lot thicker/puffier (and cheaper!) than this one that uses 800-fill and lighter materials.
I have the full hooded jacket version of the Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer. It weighs a total of 8 oz., and you would never think that it would be very warm just by looking at it, but I wear it all winter long in freezing/damp midwest temps and never get cold.
posted by BlooPen at 4:57 AM on December 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
It's not an exact comparison, but this Mountain Hardwear one uses only 650-power down, and visually, you can see that it's a lot thicker/puffier (and cheaper!) than this one that uses 800-fill and lighter materials.
I have the full hooded jacket version of the Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer. It weighs a total of 8 oz., and you would never think that it would be very warm just by looking at it, but I wear it all winter long in freezing/damp midwest temps and never get cold.
posted by BlooPen at 4:57 AM on December 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Also, you may want to shop around at some outdoors-type online shops if you're looking for a deal. Sometimes they have last year's colors or styles at decent discounts. Here are a few places I've personally used before (linked to the women's vests pages):
Backcountry
Campsaver
Campmor
If nothing else, those pages will let you see a lot of brands at once so you can compare the cut of the vests.
posted by BlooPen at 5:05 AM on December 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Backcountry
Campsaver
Campmor
If nothing else, those pages will let you see a lot of brands at once so you can compare the cut of the vests.
posted by BlooPen at 5:05 AM on December 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Another tip on fit is to look for elastic at the waist in the back or at the sides. I have a flattering, but not down, puffy vest, and that is I think the key to its flattering-ness.
Also on a purely design point, diagonal lines like BlooPen's one here are very flattering on ladies.
posted by mchorn at 9:03 AM on December 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Also on a purely design point, diagonal lines like BlooPen's one here are very flattering on ladies.
posted by mchorn at 9:03 AM on December 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Came in to say Uniqlo and you can stuff them in a little bag later. I have three, one formal enough to wear with a dress
posted by infini at 10:45 AM on December 11, 2014
posted by infini at 10:45 AM on December 11, 2014
Response by poster: Nice, thanks everyone! Very, very helpful. Have always seen the Uniqlo vests for sale but didn't know that they were legitimately warm at that low price point. I'll try some on in the next week and report back with the one I chose.
posted by rogerrogerwhatsyourrvectorvicto at 11:48 AM on December 11, 2014
posted by rogerrogerwhatsyourrvectorvicto at 11:48 AM on December 11, 2014
Just for a different answer, I suggest having a look at equestrian clothing lines, as they tend to be heavily skewed toward small female frames, and riders really, really hate dealing with puffy clothing interfering with our freedom of movement on the horse. This one is out of stock from the Ariat website at the moment, but there are plenty of tack retailers who carry Ariat clothing. Not sure if you require waterproofness/water resistance. (I don't own this particular item, but have quite a variety of other clothing by Ariat, and have been pleased with the quality and cut of all of them.) The only downside I see is that the two pictures you have posted are both ultra-long vests, and a vest made for horseback riding will generally not go down past the waistline (again, designed for freedom of motion while sitting on a horse).
posted by po at 8:23 PM on December 11, 2014
posted by po at 8:23 PM on December 11, 2014
Response by poster: Thanks again everyone! Great recommendations!
After trying on lots of vests I went with an Eddie Bauer Boundary Pass vest similar to what skye.dancer suggested. It was on sale for $60 and I sized down to a S for the tailored fit I wanted (since it never gets too cold here I won't be wearing it over heavy layers).
If it had been much more expensive, I would have gone with Uniqlo, but I've had great experiences with other EB purchases and I loved the fit of this vest.
posted by rogerrogerwhatsyourrvectorvicto at 3:17 PM on December 16, 2014
After trying on lots of vests I went with an Eddie Bauer Boundary Pass vest similar to what skye.dancer suggested. It was on sale for $60 and I sized down to a S for the tailored fit I wanted (since it never gets too cold here I won't be wearing it over heavy layers).
If it had been much more expensive, I would have gone with Uniqlo, but I've had great experiences with other EB purchases and I loved the fit of this vest.
posted by rogerrogerwhatsyourrvectorvicto at 3:17 PM on December 16, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by rogerrogerwhatsyourrvectorvicto at 6:12 PM on December 10, 2014