A Letter From Michelle: The Quilted Jackets
A Letter From Michelle
You do not need another jacket. You need a second one you are glad to put on.
On the six things I look for before a quilted jacket goes on the rack, why one of yours gets worn and the others do not, and why these are $79.95.
Go and look at the hook by your door.
There are probably three or four jackets on it. Now try to remember the last time you wore any of them except the one hanging at the front.
The others are not worn out and they are not the wrong size. You simply do not reach for them.
Reaching is automatic. It happens while you are already thinking about something else — the keys, the time, whether you turned the oven off — and automatic goes to whatever asks the least of you.
And most women own exactly one of those, because the one that easy usually cost enough that you bought it and stopped.
There are six things that I would not give up on.
The one you reach for asks nothing of you
Every jacket here is built around that. A stand collar that holds its own shape, so there is nothing to arrange. Gold-tone snaps rather than a zipper to line up and start. Welt pockets set into the front, deep enough for keys and a phone. None of it is exciting written down. All of it is the difference between a jacket you put on and a jacket you consider.
“I ended up choosing three: Amaya, Freya, and Miren. The Amaya was the first one that caught my eye because I enjoy vintage-looking floral prints. Then I saw the pink Freya and pictured it with my cream tops. The Miren made sense because I also wear plenty of black and gray. I keep the rest of my outfit fairly plain with all three. It’s nice to have a few jackets I’m happy to put on instead of reaching for the same one every time.”
Lorraine B., PuebloSixteen jackets, and really only one jacket
All sixteen share the same cut, the same quilting, the same cream lining and the same snaps. The only thing that changes is what is printed on them. So you work your size out once, and after that a second jacket is not a gamble — it is a different picture on a jacket you already know fits. That is what makes everything else here possible.
“Started with the Kaia and later added the Niva. I liked wearing the Kaia over a simple dress for dinner, and wanted another floral jacket for more casual days. The Niva’s relaxed shape appealed to me. I’ve mostly worn that one with jeans when I’m running errands or meeting a friend for coffee.”
Suzanne H., LynchburgLight enough that you keep it on
A quilted jacket goes wrong when it is overfilled. It gets warm, and bulky with it, and then you take it off the moment you are indoors and carry it over your arm all afternoon. These are lightly filled and breathable, cut with room for a sweater underneath, and they stay on at a kitchen table. Warm without the bulk is the whole specification.
“I bought the Amaya for a weekend visiting friends. I wanted a lighter jacket that still looked nice when we went out for lunch. The floral print caught my attention, and the quilting gives it a cozy feel. I wore it over a plain top with dark jeans. It was an easy outfit to pack and wear again.”
Wanda M., ChattanoogaThe prints run from quiet to loud on purpose
The Freya is pink florals. The Miren is black and white and abstract, the one women who live in dark pants reach for first. The Niva and the Amaya are vintage florals. There is a gray one with small pressed flowers, a geometric, and — because people asked — one with dogs and one with cats. The spread is deliberate: it has to suit a woman who wants nobody to comment and one who would quite like them to.
“I chose the Miren because most of my clothes are solid colors. The black and white design adds some interest without making it hard to match things. It looks especially nice with my black pants.”
Pamela K., SpokaneWhy two tend to go out together
I did not expect this, and it happens constantly. Two go out in the same box, and nobody says they wanted a spare. They say the two do different work — one for the lighter half of the closet and one for the darker, or one for ordinary days and one for when they are meeting someone. Because the cut is identical, the second decision is only ever about the print.
“I ordered the Freya and Miren together because they suited different parts of my closet. The pink flowers are lovely with my lighter tops, while the black and white jacket works with the darker pants I wear so often. Both were for me, and I’m glad I didn’t make myself choose just one.”
Brenda S., AppletonNine sizes, a cool wash, and one honest limit
Nine sizes, 2XS through 4XL, all one price, and they go in the machine at a low temperature, so there is no dry cleaner in it. The fit is relaxed — take the size you usually take, and go up one if a sweater goes underneath. And the honest limit: this is a shoulder-season jacket and not a winter coat. It is for October and April, and in January you will want something over it.
“The Niva has the relaxed feel I was hoping for. I like having room for a layer underneath without feeling bundled up.”
Rosemary A., TopekaThese sixteen, against what else $80 buys
| Most $80 jackets | These sixteen | |
|---|---|---|
| The collar | Flat, so you arrange it every time you put it on | A stand collar that holds its shape, with nothing to arrange |
| The front | A zipper you have to line up and start | Gold-tone snaps that close one-handed on your way out the door |
| The pockets | Patch pockets stitched onto the outside | Welt pockets set into the front, deep enough for keys and a phone |
| Indoors | Off, and over your arm for the rest of the afternoon | Lightly filled and breathable, so it stays on at the table |
| Buying a second | A different maker, and the fit starts over | The same cut sixteen times, so only the print changes |
| Sizing | Four sizes, if the print is nice | Nine, 2XS through 4XL, every size the same price |
Why we are clearing them now
Fifteen of these were $269.95 and the Inaya was $399.95, and that number was for a painted panel carried across the front and down a sleeve, quilting stitched through the whole body, a cream lining, and metal snaps over welt pockets set into the front. 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 every one of the sixteen is going out at a little under a third of what it was.
I will give you the honest reasoning too. A jacket you are glad to put on gets worn far more days than a coat does, right through fall and again in spring. This is the one you buy before the first cool morning, not on it. If one of these becomes the jacket at the front of the hook, then $79.95 was never the point.
★★★★★4.8 out of 5 — from 3,369+ reviews
$269.95$79.95
20th Anniversary Sale — Save 70%
- Sixteen prints, from quiet to bold
- One cut across all sixteen — work out your size once
- Lightly filled quilting — warm without the bulk
- A stand collar that holds its own shape
- Gold-tone metal snaps down the front
- Welt pockets set into the front
- A cream lining through the body and sleeves
- Relaxed fit, with room for a sweater underneath
- Machine washable at a low temperature
- Nine sizes, 2XS through 4XL, every size the same price
- Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee
Every print and every size the same price · while sizes last
One more thing, and then I will let you look.
Women tell me they have enough jackets, and they are right. I have never disagreed with that.
But enough and glad are not the same word. The hook by your door is mostly storage, and one jacket is doing all the work because it was the only one you could justify.
You do not have to clear the hook. Just put something on it you would reach for on purpose.
With love and gratitude,
— Michelle · The Hayes Family Hamptons
FIND YOUR SIZE — $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.