A Letter From Michelle — The Silvana
A Letter From Michelle
Why do the jackets that keep us warm so often make us feel twice our size?
On why warmth belongs on the inside of a coat, the six things I would not compromise on, and why it is $59.95.
There is a sentence I hear at the counter every October, always said half apologetically. I am always cold. Everyone else seems fine.
You are not imagining it. What you are offered in return is bulk — a thick coat that adds four inches everywhere and still lets the cold in at the neck. So you put a sweater under it, and you are warm and shapeless instead of cold and shapeless.
So open this one and look inside. The warmth is all in the lining — deep cream sherpa through the body and up into the hood — which is why the outside can stay a flat quilted shell instead of a puffer. The heat goes in, the inches do not.
Six things I would not compromise on.
The warmth is on the inside
Plush sherpa fleece runs the whole way through, and that is the part doing the work. A coat that insulates from the outside has to be thick to manage it. This one keeps the heat against you and leaves the silhouette alone.
“The cream-colored fleece inside is what sold me. I love how it looks against the dark gray, especially around the hood. Such a cozy-looking jacket.”
Sandra M., AshevilleThe hood is lined with the same fleece
Most hoods are a flat panel of shell fabric, which is to say a hood in name only. This one carries the same sherpa right through it, with a drawstring to pull it close. If you have ever stood in a wind with a hood that did nothing, you know why I check.
“I wore mine to watch my grandson’s Saturday morning soccer game. The fleece lining was lovely in the chilly air, and I appreciated having a hood when the wind picked up.”
Kathleen R., BloomingtonThe quilting is small and flat, not puffed
A small waffle square, stitched close, so the outside has texture rather than volume. It is what keeps this the right side of the line between a jacket and a sleeping bag.
“The little square quilted pattern is what makes this different from my other jackets. I usually wear plain fleece, but this looks a bit more put together for running errands.”
Marilyn P., StauntonA ribbed hem that stays put
Ribbed at the cuffs and along the bottom, which does two things. It keeps the warm air in, and it stops the jacket riding up every time you reach into the back of the car.
“I’m 69 and prefer jackets that aren’t too bulky around my middle. This one has a neat shape, and I really like the ribbed bottom. 😊”
Carol W., RoanokeThe brown trim keeps it out of the gym
Brown trim around both hand pockets, along the hem and at the cuffs, against the charcoal. A small amount of contrast doing a lot of work: it is the reason this looks like a jacket rather than a fleece you garden in.
“Those brown trims around the pockets are such a nice detail. They give it a little country look without being too much. Very cute with jeans and boots!”
Deborah L., LancasterBoth ways, and a note on the sizes
Zipped to the chin in a cold parking lot, open over a sweater in a heated restaurant an hour later. That is the point of a full zip. Now the honest part: it runs S through 3XL and no further at either end, which matters on a jacket you will wear over a sweater. Size up if you are between two.
“Bought this for our fall trip to the mountains. I liked being able to zip it up in the morning and leave it open over my sweater later in the day. The lined hood is a nice extra.”
Elaine T., BooneThe Silvana, against what else $60 buys
| Most $60 winter jackets | The Silvana | |
|---|---|---|
| The warmth | A thick outer shell that adds inches | Sherpa on the inside, a trim quilt outside |
| The hood | Unlined, and flat against your neck | Lined with the same sherpa as the body |
| The quilting | Big puffed panels you can see from afar | A small flat waffle square, close to the body |
| The pockets | Patch pockets, sewn on after | Two hand pockets with brown contrast trim |
| The hem | A loose edge that rides up | A ribbed band that stays where you put it |
| Sizing | One cut, and never over a sweater | S through 3XL, every size the same price |
Why we are clearing them out now
The Silvana was $199.95, and that number was for a sherpa lining carried the whole way through the body and up into the hood, a waffle-quilted shell, a full-length zip, ribbing at both cuffs and the hem, two hand pockets and the brown trim that runs around all of it. A good deal of finishing on a jacket most makers would have sent out as a plain fleece. 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 three tenths of what it was.
And the honest reasoning. Being cold all winter is treated as a small thing to put up with, and the usual remedy is to make a woman look twice her size. I have never thought those were the only two options.
★★★★★4.8 out of 5 — from 3,369+ reviews
$199.95$59.95
20th Anniversary Sale — Save 70%
- Plush sherpa fleece through the body
- A hood lined with the same sherpa, on a drawstring
- A small waffle quilt, flat rather than puffed
- A full-length zip
- Two hand pockets with brown contrast trim
- Ribbed cuffs and a ribbed hem
- S through 3XL, every size the same price
- Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee
Every size the same price · while sizes last
One more thing, and then I will let you go.
The next time you are cold and nobody else is, notice where it gets in. The neck, the wrists, the small of the back.
Every one of those is ribbed or lined on this jacket. That was not an accident.
Thirty days to send it back if it does not.
Go and find your size.
With love and gratitude,
— Michelle · The Hayes Family Hamptons
FIND YOUR SIZE — $59.95 →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.