A Letter From Michelle: The Melvaris
A Letter From Michelle
When did our fall wardrobes become nothing but black, gray, and beige?
The six things I would check before buying a warm jacket, the one thing I cannot promise about the print, and why the Melvaris is $79.95.
Go and look at the coats by your door.
I will guess. One black, one gray, one beige, and a navy you bought because it was not one of the other three. Not one was a decision. Each was the least wrong thing on the rail that day.
And every October you put the same one on.
Nobody ever decided that staying warm had to mean disappearing. It is just what the shops have been selling us.
Six things I would check before you buy the next one.
Warm, without the bulk that comes with it
Most warm jackets get there by being thick, and thick reads wide. A fleece lining does the same job with less of it, running through the body and up into the hood, so the warmth is inside and the shape survives.
“The fleece lining is my favorite part! I wanted something warm without having to wear a heavy-looking winter coat. The hood is a nice bonus too.”
Carol M.Room for a sweater under it
The jacket that fits beautifully over a thin top is the one you cannot do up in January. Check the arm and body with a sweater on, not without. This is cut long enough to fall past the hip rather than stopping at it, which is where most go wrong.
“At 67, I prefer jackets that give me a little extra coverage. This one has a nice length, a zipper all the way down, and such a cheerful print.”
Barbara H.The print is the whole reason
Take the print off and this is any other fleece jacket. The flowers and leaves run across the whole thing rather than one panel on the back, and they are painted rather than flat. That is the difference between a pattern and a motif.
“I usually buy plain jackets, but this pattern caught my eye. The darker background makes the flowers stand out beautifully. Very easy to pair with black pants.”
Linda R.Warm enough for errands, good enough for lunch
The test is whether you would keep it on in a restaurant. Most fail, which is why there is usually a second coat for when it matters. A full-length zip and pockets set into the front are what let one jacket do both jobs.
“I chose the cream jacket with the pink flowers. The colors are lovely, and I especially like the longer length. Looks beautiful with my jeans.”
Nancy B.Three prints, and the navy is the quiet one
Cream with pink and teal, cream with orange, and a navy with pink and olive over it. The navy goes first, because a dark ground makes a floral behave. But the cream ones are the pair that get stopped in the street.
“Bought the navy one first and liked the floral pattern so much that I ordered the cream and orange version too. Both are beautiful in their own way.”
Susan W.Your print will not match the photograph
I would rather tell you here than have you open the parcel and wonder. The print is cut from a continuous run of cloth, so the flowers land differently on every jacket. The colors and the style are the same; the arrangement is not. If you want the exact bloom in the photograph, this is not that jacket.
“I picked the cream one with the orange flowers. Such pretty autumn colors! I like the pockets and the soft lining, and it’s a nice change from my usual solid-colored coats.”
Margaret S.The Melvaris, against what else $400 buys
| Most $400 jackets | The Melvaris | |
|---|---|---|
| The lining | A thin quilted lining that flattens | Fleece through the body, and up into the hood as well |
| The shape | Boxy, and it adds width at the middle | A longer cut that falls past the hip, not at it |
| The room | Cut slim, so a sweater underneath is a squeeze | Enough through the body and the arm to layer underneath |
| The print | Black, gray or beige, because October | Florals on cream, on cream with orange, and on navy |
| The zip | Half a zip, or buttons you fumble in gloves | A full-length zip, from the hem all the way to the chin |
| Sizing | One run, and the larger sizes vanish | US 4 through 20, which is S through 5XL, at one price |
Why we are clearing them out now
The Melvaris came in at $399.95, and that number was for fleece through the body and the hood, a full-length zip, pockets set into the front, and a print across the whole jacket. I am not going to stand here and tell you that is a small amount of money for a jacket. But the store turns twenty this year, and my daughters Julie and Amy are both at the counter most days now, which is not something I let myself count on in 2006. We wanted to mark it by handing something back to the women who kept those doors open, so it is going out at $79.95 — a fifth of what it was.
I will give you the honest reasoning too. A warm jacket is what you put on last and take off first, which means you wear it more than anything else you own. If this turns out to be the one you reach for on the way out of the door, then $79.95 was never the point.
★★★★★4.8 out of 5 — from 3,369+ reviews
$399.95$79.95
20th Anniversary Sale — Save 80%
- Fleece lining through the body and the hood
- A full-length zip, hem to chin
- Pockets set into the front
- A longer cut that falls past the hip
- Three prints — two on cream, one on navy
- US sizes 4 through 20, S through 5XL
- Every size and every print the same price
- Free UPS shipping · 30 days to send it back
Every size the same price · while sizes last
One more thing, and then I will let you go.
Go back to those coats and work out which one you actually chose.
If the answer is none of them, that is not a failure of taste.
It was never you.
Try it the day it arrives, over the sweater you actually wear. If it is wrong, send it back inside thirty days.
Go and pick your print.
With love and gratitude,
— Michelle · The Hayes Family Hamptons
SEE THE MELVARIS — $79.95 →This is a personal letter from Michelle Hayes, co-founder of The Hayes Family Hamptons. Customer reviews are quoted as written. · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee.