<p>Dear Parent CC community,
Boston had its first flurries of the season yesterday and I am desperate!!! My freshman daughter does not have a winter coat yet. she has a couple of fall jackets (warm, below waist, wool). Big mistake - we did not make that trip to burlington coat factory to buy her one when we were there.
Now that is the place i remember going to for coats 15-20 years ago. We live in India now. </p>
<p>My sister in laws husband tried to take her shopping last month but it was far off, scheduling stuff, size not found in Macy’s - end result NOT found. </p>
<p>the BCF site will not open - tried several different computers and browsers. Anyone facing a similar problem? please advice!!
thanks, a</p>
<p>Layers, layers, layers. Cammi under a shirt under a hoodie under whatever jacket she has. It’ll get warmish again before hard winter hits. She’ll be fine for a few more weeks.</p>
<p>You can order excellent quality warm winter jackets and coats from LLBean or LandsEnd if you really want warm (not necessarily high fashion) stuff. Have her look at a few catalog websites. Orders can arrive in just a couple of days.</p>
<p>Uggs are very warm but from what I’ve heard LLB duckboots are all the rage now on campuses. Need to get the ones which are lined but they are good because they’re waterproof.</p>
<p>eastcoastcrazy is right on the money with the layers – we live in the northeast and in the winter, we’d ask the kids “how many layers?” They didn’t go out with less than 3, sometimes more.</p>
<p>emilybee is right about Northface – pricey, but warm, and they wear it all winter long.</p>
<p>Also check out skiiing gear – in the winter, my kids used to wear “gaiters” (tube of fleece that goes right around their neck creating an air dam against cold wind – more effective than a scarf and not as bulky). </p>
<p>My son used to wear it for soccer games when it was sleety/snowing; my daughter wore it for cross country running. Maybe that can be her “base” layer.</p>
<p>Backcountry.com for discounted North Face or other brands. Selection can vary, just depending, but we saved huge for my kids. Good service and fast shipping. Mine have both down jackets and those NF fleece pullovers (that they live in, when not in thick hoodies.) </p>
<p>Agree about layers. And yes duck boots are so popular, but LL Bean often sells out, so order soon if that boot works for your D, at her campus. (Mine did not get lined, they wear heavy scoks, if needed.) They run large, I believe. And, yes to Uggs, but you need to get them waterproofed. We’ve found they are worth the price. </p>
<p>I doesn’t really get cold in New England for a while, but, oddly, nice coats and jackets, at decent prices, run out. So, do this now.</p>
<p>I bought D1 a pair of Sorel from them 5 years ago. She went to school in Ithaca (a lot colder than Ithaca). She loved the boots - water proof, fur lined. She wore them for 4 years.</p>
<p>Daughter mainly uses a North Face jacket and a thin hoodie, even in the high-20s. She also has a coat with a rain shell and yesterday she wore the inner piece. So she essentially has four pieces that she can mix and match depending on the conditions. Son just has a Helly Hanson winter coat (one-piece) and he will put on a hoodie underneath it if he needs extra warmth.</p>
<p>If she’s at one of the Boston schools, then she should be able to buy something by hopping on the T.</p>
<p>Another place in Boston is the Eddie Bauer outlet on 500 Washington Street. </p>
<p>My favorite place to order outdoor gear is campmor (no sales tax!). This link is directly to Women’s North Face jackets, but you can look around for other stuff - they ship very quickly:</p>
<p>Honestly? You can get a decent winter coat just about anywhere, including Walmart or Target for well under $50 (if your d is on a budget). Take a bus, snag a ride with a friend to the nearest mall and she should find something.</p>
<p>Boots are an entirely different matter. Do not waste money on Uggs. They’re not waterproof and they really don’t have good soles. If she really wants sheepskin, an Emu or a Bearpaw has a better sole. If she doesn’t care about brand, second the recommendation for L.L. Bean. I’ve got a pair that’s at least 15 years old that I use for snowblowing. They’ll keep her feet warm and dry, and it would seem they never wear out.</p>
<p>There’s a billion places she can get a perfectly reasonable coat in Boston - she should ask her friends for advice. It really depends on what the budget is as to wear she should go.</p>
<p>My South Florida born and bred daughter is also in Boston for school. She’s the one walking around in a long down coat when the temps dip below 50, lol. We have had good luck with sportsbasement.com, as well as backcountry.com and sierratradingpost.com.</p>
<p>I have ordered several coats through Amazon because I have the Prime shipping account and you can get next day delivery. They have lots of choices.</p>
<p>Assuming she has access to public transportation–she shouldn’t even bother to go on- line–send her to Copley Place/Prudential Ctr/Boylston St/Newbury St. Two interconnected shopping centers and many stores outside, including Marshall’s and Lord and Taylor. She can easily find a coat today and will have a choice of price ranges. Snow that fell overnight is melting now–but forecast for 5 inches in some places tonight.</p>
<p>You can also look on ebay and have it shipped directly to them. I don’t think the fleece Northface are warm at all and my D1 went with a Land’s End.</p>
<p>Both Nordstrom and Zappos sell coats online and have FREE shipping both ways.</p>
<p>If your D is in Boston, she has nothing to fear - there are REI stores all over the place as well as huge malls (Natick, Copley, etc.). It is not like she is the middle of nowhere!</p>
<p>I also second layers, layers, layers. My D wears regular tights or Helly Hansen baselayers under her jeans. Unless she is really cold blooded (most kids are not!), she can get by with a short coat that is wind-proof and covers the rear end, like Northface Transit jacket. Fleece is useless in Boston because it is not wind-proof.</p>
<p>Sierra Trading post is a good source. Also, check 6PM.com (the outlet of Zappos).</p>
<p>The north face denali is actually pretty warm if you have a shell, but something like a wool peacoat that she can layer underneath will probably keep her the warmest.</p>
<p>Layers are very warm, even if the layer itself isn’t heavy ( pantyhose or tights under pants for x-country skiing for example).</p>
<p>Many people feel constricted in coats to the knees ( or longer), but keeping your extremities warm- scarf for over the face, hat, gloves & good wool socks will help a lot.</p>
<p>Please don’t panic. Most people in the northeast are not yet wearing winter coats. Tell her the way to go this time of year is to dress in layers. A fall jacket, perhaps with a scarf, should be just fine for now.</p>
<p>Lands End is having a big sale ( 30%-50% off) on all outerwear- but if she finds something there- size down, they are cut pretty generously in our experience.</p>
<p>Desperation is a massive overreaction. Your daughter is an adult now, living in a major metropolitan area with hundreds of stores and excellent public transportation. (Why in heaven’s name would she need to be taken shopping by your sister-in-law’s husband?) Tomorrow she should head out with a friend or two and buy a coat. Also, in my experience, college kids don’t wrap themselves up like mummies. A coat, scarf, pair of gloves and weatherproof boots, and she’ll be all set. Unless she’s planning to attend a football game, Underarmour or the like is totally unnecessary–it’s Boston, not the Arctic.</p>