Need winter coat for Switzerland

[capstone]

I decided I should ask this while reading the Philadelphia thread.

I have lived in Texas for 40 years now. Yikes, I think that is the first time I have used that number since my birthday.

I am certain I have nothing appropriate for wintering in Europe. If it is bad in Texas (below freezing or sometimes even just above it), we just stay at home/inside. And we certainly drive everywhere instead of walking and using public transportation.

I would like to get something I could wear to work and around town. I'm not as worried about the barn, etc.

Any suggestions? It could be better to buy there in terms of transport as well as available options, but things are fairly pricey.

[scruffy the cat]

Buy it there. More stylish. Def. more expensive, but how often do you get a chance to buy something snazzy like that?

[carpevita]

What scruffy said for sure.
I bought a winter coat in Rome years ago and it was the most stylish and warm coat I ever owned.

[boots-aregard]

I found myself in Ireland with the wrong handbag. Went into a thrift store and spent less than $3 on a used one.

I can see not wanting to spend a lot of money on a coat for Switzerland (even if it is really stylish!) if you live in Texas and aren't going to use it much. So, OP, you either need to take up skiiing, and buy a great down ski coat ( ) or shop at the online thrift stores Thredup or Schoola to find a cheap coat. I believe Schoola just had their $9.99 coat sale. Maybe it's still on.

[capstone]

I found myself in Ireland with the wrong handbag. Went into a thrift store and spent less than $3 on a used one.

I can see not wanting to spend a lot of money on a coat for Switzerland (even if it is really stylish!) if you live in Texas and aren't going to use it much. So, OP, you either need to take up skiiing, and buy a great down ski coat ( ) or shop at the online thrift stores Thredup or Schoola to find a cheap coat. I believe Schoola just had their $9.99 coat sale. Maybe it's still on.

I am currently splitting time between Texas and Switzerland for work. 50-75% of my time is spent there, and that will continue for the next 18 months. In case that affects your recommendation.

[heddylamar]

I'd shop vintage/thrift stores in Switzerland. You need something warm. A warm coat in Texas isn't necessarily going to work for the conditions you'll face in Switzerland.

[piedmontfields]

Or go to France and shop. Yes, you will spend 600 euros, but it will last. Enjoy.

[capstone]

So what does a proper winter coat, suitable for Swiss conditions, look like? What materials should I look for, as I'm Internet browsing?

[carpevita]

Do you want sporty or dressy?
Old school or new fangled fabrics?
I like wool lined with polar fleece myself, athletic styles will offer wind resistance, waterproofing, micro this and that.

[heddylamar]

A few ideas, based on my experience:

Insulated knee/mid thigh wool (not just a single layer with nylon lining) like carpevita's wool and polar fleece or jcrew's wool and thinsulate.

Bridging dressy and sporty are knee/mid thigh down coats.

And for just sporty, a waterproof shell with heavy and mid-weight zip-in liners. I have a great one from Columbia that's so warm I rarely use the heavy liner. Even spending the day walking around sub-zero Montreal didn't warrant the heavy liner.

[Josette]

heddylamar beat me to it. The wool J Crew with thinsulate dress coats and stadium style look very attractive. I've never owned one though.....

[capstone]

I think I need more help with dressy than sporty. Seems harder to tell what would be really warm.

I will look at these suggestions. Thanks!

[StraightForward]

How about something like this? My friend who lives in Saskatchewan bought a Canada Goose coat a couple years ago and swears by it, but a similar style to this Patagonia one is $775, so probably not worth it for 18 months.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/down-with-i ... tback=1100

[Canyon]

I have a nice coat that is mid-thigh in length, made of a cashmere-wool blend. The fabric is not very thick, but the coat is very toasty!

I think you are near the land of boiled wool; I would look into that fabric, also.

Do you know any of the Swiss employees well enough to ask for their help? Offer to take them out to lunch some weekend in exchange for shopping consultation?

[somantu]

What about Moncler? I love that they bridge sporty and dressy –– plus they're warm.
http://store.moncler.com/ca/women/shop-by-mood/mgr_section

[scruffy the cat]

Wait- *where* in Switzerland are you going to be based? Unless you're up some mountain, it's not all that cold there. The average daily low in Lausanne is 37°, which any Bostonian can tell you is t-shirt weather. Geneva is about the same temp.

I wouldn't worry about the weather. I *would* worry about sticking out like a sore thumb. I would avoid "ski" or sporty gear and aim for a slightly dressier coat, unless, again, you're up a mountain.

[capstone]

Wait- *where* in Switzerland are you going to be based? Unless you're up some mountain, it's not all that cold there. The average daily low in Lausanne is 37°, which any Bostonian can tell you is t-shirt weather. Geneva is about the same temp.

I wouldn't worry about the weather. I *would* worry about sticking out like a sore thumb. I would avoid "ski" or sporty gear and aim for a slightly dressier coat, unless, again, you're up a mountain.

Yes, I am in Lausanne. I don't know about t-shirt weather. I have already been sticking out. Apparently it's an unwritten rule (maybe written somewhere) that legs must be covered after a certain date. Maybe November 1. Maybe earlier. Everyone has been dressing for winter for 6 weeks now with wool coats and scarfs even on days where it was fairly pleasant to me.

So yes, the double aim would be to be warm and not stick out.

[scruffy the cat]

If you are in Lausanne right now, you ought to be in bed!

But I think the best bet is to buy something there. It will be 10x the quality and style of what you can get here, even if you buy it at a less expensive Swiss store (if there is such a thing). COS has some beautiful clothes, reasonably priced, but the closest one I can find to you is Geneva. Or you can cross into France and get something from Monoprix- I bought a sweater and a blouse from there for not a whole lot of money 6 years ago and they still look brand new.

and yes, I don't really understand the European overdressing thing. We were in London for Christmas a couple of years ago and everyone was bundled up as if it was 20 below, but it was 55* and sweltering for December in my book. Very strange.

[capstone]

I'm currently in Texas, returning to Lausanne the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I've been told that by the time I return, the weather could be bad. Limiting factors for shopping over there are 1) the lack of a car - I'm largely dependent on public transportation and 2) with business hours being so short, by the time I get off work at 7 or later, shops are closed. So Saturday tends to be my only available shopping day.

The nature of the way this project had been staffed, everyone scatters on the weekends and returns home to their families if they can swing it.

[scruffy the cat]

I do agree with others that J. Crew does have a slightly euro bent if you like any of the coats they offer. I also think Madewell does too. Both are in any US shopping mall. I don't know your style or I could maybe suggest something else. For super easy packing, the North Face Thermoball parka https://www.thenorthface.com/shop/parka/womens-thermoball-hooded-parka-cxh8?variationId=044 would not look out of place anywhere in the world. Put it in an Eagle Creek or Ziploc vacuum bag, suck the air out, and throw it in your suitcase. It's not my particular style because I'm too fat for a puffy anything, but many, many people can pull it off with some flair. Or for a less puffy look, the "Suzanne" Triclimate might do the trick and can work for a variety of weather conditions with the zip in/out insulating liner and waterproof outer layer. https://www.thenorthface.com/shop/womens-suzanne-triclimate-jacket?variationId=044&rrec=true&cm_vc=Certona. Again, sportier than I might choose, but certainly will not be out of place in Europe. TNF is very popular all over.

[capstone]

Wow, thanks scruffy and all who have replied for all the good leads. I'm grateful.

Oh, and I'm currently slightly puffy myself so I don't know how some of the down jackets would look on me.

[scruffy the cat]

I can tell you that I do own a coat which is similar to the last link (the "Suzanne") and even at my fattest it was fairly flattering.

[AmityBee]

I'm in Muenster myself. Climate is supposedly a little colder than Lausanne. Don't go overboard on the warmth. Unless you're planning many outdoor activities up in the mountains you will not need something "arctic".

Water and windresistent and breathable, warm but not too much so, oh, and did I mentioned waterproof/resistent?! . Maybe buy a little bit bigger, so you can add an extra layer of winter clothing if needed.

I just got myself a new winter coat. I went for a Wellensteyn jacket in the end.

Coats I also really liked were the Didrikson "Angelina" (a swedish company), the coat is really nice but way too warm and a bit pricey

http://www.conleys.de/conleys/de/Women/ ... elaunch-de

And the "wrest" from barbour:

http://www.barbour.com/de/all-collectio ... oofjackets

This is the one I got in the end, best product at that price range:
http://www.engelhorn.de/f/produkte/205- ... nmacon&id=

[capstone]

These are beautiful.

http://www.manor.ch/fr/shop/femmes/mant ... 5-89104001

http://www.manor.ch/fr/shop/femmes/mant ... 5-89107202

[scruffy the cat]

Oooh, they ARE gorgeous.

[capstone]

100% cashmere (the second one) doesn't sound very practical in terms of weather resistance or care. And that is probably too much to pay if it couldn't be my everyday coat.

I plan to go to that store tomorrow and hopefully see them.

I do like this one that AmityBee suggested. It looks like there may be a store here that carries that line too. http://www.crosscountrystyle.co.uk/clot ... arka-p5129

This is cute. https://www.globus.ch/de/damen/maentel/ ... 3542100720

Maybe this. https://www.globus.ch/de/damen/maentel/ ... 5554600819

[Moutaineer]

The Barbour is very nice--it will work as a town or country coat. You can order it online and get it shipped to you.

[Moutaineer]

Oooh, but I went back and looked at the Suzanne Triclimate--like that a lot!

[capstone]

I got this coat today. http://www.bettybarclay.com/shop/de/Gil ... 33-40.html

I may also order the Barbour Wrest for more casual times.

[scruffy the cat]

Ooh, lovely, capstone. Really stylish and will be functional. I'm super jealous.

[DD2]

A quick warning about trying to shop for a coat in Europe...

You may find a hard time with sleeves and shoulders. Somehow American women (probably horsewoman even more) are built broad through upper back, shoulders and arms, if you find something to fit in the arms and shoulders, the sleeves will be way too long and the rest of the coat too big.

I'd go for down...a long down coat bought here. Super warm and very lightweight and easy to pack.

[scruffy the cat]

Oh that's interesting. My parents were both European and I am proportionally narrow through the back and have short arms.

[capstone]

A quick warning about trying to shop for a coat in Europe...

You may find a hard time with sleeves and shoulders. Somehow American women (probably horsewoman even more) are built broad through upper back, shoulders and arms, if you find something to fit in the arms and shoulders, the sleeves will be way too long and the rest of the coat too big.

I'd go for down...a long down coat bought here. Super warm and very lightweight and easy to pack.

Interesting. I have certainly found a lot of variation in fit from maker to maker over here. In general, they seem to expect skinny arms. I have found that wool coats tend to be the exception though, generally a little large if anything in the arms, compared to other materials.

If I decide not to order the Barbour, I may do what you say and go with a lightweight down coat.

[capstone]

and yes, I don't really understand the European overdressing thing. We were in London for Christmas a couple of years ago and everyone was bundled up as if it was 20 below, but it was 55* and sweltering for December in my book. Very strange.

I was in Rome on Saturday and by afternoon it was a beautiful, sunny 65 degrees. People were still in quilted coats and scarves looking as if they were quite comfortable while I was a bit warm in my 3/4 length sleeve, lightweight sweater. Indeed very strange.