Shades of Gray: J.Crew Wintress petite puffer coat

J.Crew Wintress Puffer coat xxsp (runs small; 40% off!), Madewell mini transport bag
 Stuart Weitzman Lowland boots in londra c/o also sold here (review; protector spray)

This is the year of a few fashion firsts for me, including my first puffer coat, snow boots, and who knows what else to come! I can't tell you guys how many questions I've gotten over the years on both of these items, but couldn't share recommendations based on personal experience. I never saw myself as a puffer girl as I love the look of tailored coats, but finally found one I love. The addition of a removable faux-fur hood to J.Crew's petite puffer made all the difference to me. The faux fur looks fluffy and of high quality (not to mention very warm), and the silhouette of the belted coat is actually pretty shapely and flattering!

Sizing is a little tricky as I've mentioned several times already...I found this coat in petite sizing to run small and shorter at the sleeve length. J.Crew sizing used to skew big for me, but this coat in my usual xxs petite is snug with just a sweater on.
One of the features I love is a knit material at the end of the sleeves with thumb holes (to keep wind/snow from going up your sleeves), which even on my short arms just reaches to where my thumbs are. Ladies who usually have trouble with petite sleeves being too short should probably check out the regular sizing instead. I had also tried on the xxxs petite (thinking J.Crew sizing still ran big) but I couldn't even get it on. This is great news for the really petite ladies out there who usually feel relegated to the kids department! I bought my usual size but after wearing a few times, wish I had tried on 1 size up. Here's how it looks on me fully zipped up:


I also love that the pockets are lined in a warm fuzzy fleece, but my personal peeve is top-down pockets instead of slanted ones for easier hand entry. Warmth-wise, I'm a puffer novice so I find this to be comparable to my wool coats, but am guessing it falls in the medium warmth range amongst all the puffer options out there. I don't think this would be warm enough for the harshest of winters without layering underneath. I've tried on both lighter and heavier ones, but few options were available in petite sizing without alterations needed. J.Crew's Nordic parka, described as their warmest coat, does come in extended petite sizing...it's lined in both Thinsulate and down-filled and looks to be more substantial.

A lower-priced women's alternative is their factory down coat (comes in regular and petite), which I also got to try on. It has fewer bells & whistles than the Wintress puffer including the removable faux fur accent which was key for me. However, the fit was more true to size with room to layer, and the coat sleeves were not as short as those on the Wintress.