Winter Necessities Review

 

I know I haven't been blogging much lately. Not nearly as much as I'd like. But, work has been insane and my husband and I keep passing a cold back and forth so the past few weeks have been rough. Also, the cold weather and winter elements have left me uninspired so it's been hard for me to get excited about getting dressed. 

However, I have been wearing a few winter accessories regularly lately and I thought I'd give you a more detailed review. The coat has appeared on the blog before (seen here). And if you follow me on Instagram (@prettytallthings) you probably saw these boots a while back. 

This coat was a birthday present so I received it in November. Initially I was wearing it at night to walk Sadie right before bed, when the temperatures dropped. However, we have had our fair share of days in the teens, snow, and ice so I have been wearing it almost daily since January. I got a Tall Small and I could not be more pleased with it. The sleeves are long (maybe even too long according to some) and although it doesn't fall quite to my knees, it's only a couple inches shy. The length provides added warmth for my legs; I can definitely notice how much colder my calves are because they're exposed. 

The coat keeps me extremely warm, isn't bulky, and is very easy to move in. I wear the hood a lot as well and I love the faux fur trim, it definitely adds additional warmth. I will say it is hard to hear or see out of my periphery when I wear the hood, but it is so warm. I have also been pleased with how dry it keeps me! So, if you're looking for a heavy duty winter coat I highly recommend this one. It kept me warm through #blizzard2016.

I bought these boots directly from Sperry online last fall when Nordstrom was having one of its big sales because my size was sold out at Nordstrom. Sperry was price matching, and I figured they were a must have for all the walking I'd be doing in the winter. 

They seem to be a big hit with most people (see reviews here and here). I'm totally disappointed. First, the sizing is a bit off. I tried these in an 8.5 and with thicker socks they were a little too tight which is unusual for me. So I exchanged for a 9, and thought they'd work with thick winter socks. The size, although a little big, is OK. Definitely not the deal breaker. 

The deal breaker: they aren't warm. Well, the front half of the boot doesn't keep my foot warm. My heel and ankle stay pretty toasty.  But, my toes and the rest of my foot freeze. Plus the traction isn't very good. At all. Definitely not what I would expect from Sperry for a winter weather boot. 

I was initially drawn to these because of the zipper on the inside. I figured they'd be that much easier to take on and off when walking the dog. And it is a nice feature, but it definitely doesn't make up for the other drawbacks. 

I will be looking to buy replacement boots and I think I'll go with the LL Bean duck boots this time. Let me know if you have any suggestions or comments on great winter boots (or which version of the Bean boots you love)!

Coat: Here (unfortunately it looks like Tall sizes have sold out) | Boots: similar here (identical except fabric on shaft)