A Letter From Michelle: The Vanessa Jacket
A Letter From Michelle
Most fleece stops exactly where you want it to keep going.
On the six things I check before a fleece goes on the rack, the detail you will only find up close, and why the Vanessa is $79.95.
Two women can ask me for a fleece and mean completely different garments.
One means the thing she wears to walk the dog, which is fine and which she already owns. The other means something she could answer the door in.
The difference is almost always the hem. A fleece that ends at your waistband rides up the second you sit down, and mine ended up living in the car instead of the hall closet.
The Vanessa carries on past the hip, and once you have worn one that does, the short ones are hard to go back to.
Six things I would not give up on.
It keeps going past the hip
It covers you where a short fleece stops — over the top of your jeans, past the part a short one leaves out the moment you sit down. There are two pockets at the hip while you are down there, which is where your hands end up anyway. That one difference in length is why it works at a kitchen table and at a front door, and not only on a walk.
“I wanted a fleece that covered my hips, and this is the length I was looking for. It works nicely over a long-sleeve tee with leggings. The relaxed shape makes it an easy everyday layer.”
Janet F., RoanokeA collar that stands up by itself
It is a raised stand collar, and it holds that shape rather than folding down flat the moment you let go of it. Zipped up, it closes the gap at the back of your neck, which is the whole reason anybody puts a layer on at seven in the morning. Left open, it stands away from the throat instead of collapsing into a ring of fabric.
“I bought the Vanessa for a fall trip to visit friends. Their guest room tends to be cool, so I wanted something I could wear indoors as well as out. I left it open over my shirt around the house. For our morning walk, I zipped it up and appreciated the higher collar. It got more use than anything else I packed.”
Rebecca T., AppletonThe cuffs, which nobody asks about
There is a small tab at each cuff with a button on it. You will not see it from across a room, and you will see it every single time you push your sleeves up to do something. It is the kind of detail nobody asks for and everybody notices once it is there, and it is most of the difference between a fleece and a jacket that happens to be made of fleece.
“This has become the jacket I grab for the grocery store or a coffee stop. It feels warm without being heavy on my shoulders. I like the little button details at the cuffs—they give a simple fleece some character.”
Carol S., LancasterA zipper, so it comes off indoors
A full-length zipper rather than something you pull over your head. That sounds small until you are standing in somebody else’s hallway getting warm, and the choice is between keeping it on or performing a small wrestling match in front of them. It also means you can wear it half open, which is how most of these actually get worn once October turns into November.
“The full zipper is what I appreciate most. Easy to take off when I come inside without pulling anything over my head.”
Susan D., BoiseFour colors, and three of them are not pink
Nearly every other photograph here is the pink, because that is the one I had out on the table. The camel, the black and the blue are all in the stack above, and they are not afterthoughts. Look at all four before you decide — the camel in particular does something quite different with denim than the pink does, and it is the one I would take first.
“The pink is such a pretty change from my usual dark jackets. Soft and cozy, too.”
Linda M., Eau ClaireSix sizes, and what this is not
S through 3XL at one price, cut relaxed rather than close, so there is room in it for something with a sleeve underneath. And the honest part: this is a fleece, not a coat. It will not keep rain off you and it is not what you want in January. It is for the morning when you want something on your shoulders and nothing more than that.
“I’m picky about jackets that feel bulky when I sit down. This one has the relaxed feel I wanted, and I’m comfortable wearing it at my desk. The plush texture is lovely. I chose pink because it looks nice with my gray pants and dark jeans. Very happy with it for ordinary, everyday wear.”
Elaine B., Fort WayneThe Vanessa, against what you have been buying
| Most $80 fleeces | The Vanessa | |
|---|---|---|
| Sitting down | Rides up to your waist | Still covering you, because it passes the hip |
| The collar | Folds flat, if there is one | A stand collar that holds its own shape |
| The cuffs | Elastic, and that is the end of it | A small buttoned tab on each one |
| Taking it off | Over your head, in somebody’s hallway | A full-length zipper, so it just comes off |
| The color | Black, navy, or a darker black | Pink, Camel, Black, or Blue — one price |
| Sizing | Stops at XL, if you are lucky | S through 3XL, every size the same price |
Why we are clearing them out now
The Vanessa was $299.95, and that number was for a plush sherpa-style fleece, a stand collar that holds its own shape, a buttoned tab at each cuff, and a hem that carries on past the hip. I am not going to stand here and tell you that is a small amount of money for a 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 just over a quarter of what it was.
I will give you the honest reasoning too. A fleece is the thing you answer the door in and the thing you walk in, which makes it worn more mornings than anything else in the hall closet. This is the one you buy before the cold snap, not during it. If it is the one that lives on the hook by the door all winter, then $79.95 was never the point.
★★★★★4.8 out of 5 — from 3,369+ reviews
$299.95$79.95
20th Anniversary Sale — Save 73%
- Falls below the hip, so it still covers you sitting down
- Plush sherpa-style fleece
- A raised stand collar that holds its shape
- A buttoned tab at each cuff
- Full-length zipper — nothing over your head
- Two pockets at the hip
- Pink, Camel, Black, or Blue
- Sizes S through 3XL, one 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.
Find the fleece you already own and put it on, then sit down in it. See where the hem ends up.
If it has climbed to your waist, that is not you being fussy. That is a hem that was never going to stay where you put it.
So sit down in the Vanessa the day the box arrives. If it does not stay where I have said it will, send it back within thirty days and we will refund you.
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.