Coats That Won’t Break the Bank with DressLily
Quote of the day: “Failure is an event — it is not a person.” Zig Ziglar
Why did I choose this quote for such a post? I thought it could be appropriate if you’ve ever tried to find a fun and interesting coat without spending a ton of money. Coats are definitely one item that I have spent more money on in the past, because they will be worn daily during colder weather. And they also tend to last many years without getting too worn out or out of style. But there are times that it’s nice to get some more coats without breaking the bank.
There’s another reason I chose this quote. Because I am working with the company DressLily for this post, and if you’ve ever searched through some of these lesser expensive websites, then you know how much work it can be to find what you want and make sure you get the right size.
Jodie’s (50+) Outfit: Now DressLily has tons of options for clothing, jewelry, shoes and even menswear, but I’m going to concentrate on the coats we received for this post.
First and foremost, I will caution you to look at the sizing for each product and measure yourself against it. DO NOT only go by the sizing of small, medium, etc. I’ll have you know that this coat I originally ordered for Nancy, but it fit me better. When you order coats with DressLily, you need to take the measurement with your other clothing on, and use that measurement. I know I don’t always explain this properly, but the measurements they give you are the EXACT measurements for the item. Therefore, if your bust is 35 inches, you need to order up so there is some leeway for movement. Or put some clothing on, like what you would be wearing normally, and then take your bust measurement. Then order that corresponding size.
Colder weather is right around the corner for most of us, so I thought it’d be interesting to see what kind of outerwear I could find for my readers from DressLily.
Trust me when I say the options can almost be overwhelming. The site has over twenty pages of outerwear available, but part of that is because they include sweatshirts in that category. Right now, in fact, they have quite a few items for the upcoming Halloween season, so this could skew the search results for almost any item you are looking for.
So my best advice if you are looking through any of these sites, is to be specific in the search field. Of course this is only helpful if you have something specific in mind for what you want to buy. If you happen to be browsing, then make sure you have plenty of time to look around.
Let’s start with this coat I’m wearing for example. When I initially looked at the website and ordered it, I thought I’d be getting a purplish coat. However, it arrived, and I would definitely describe it as charcoal grey. I think the grey is much more versatile, but if you were counting on a purple coat, you might be disappointed. Unfortunately I can see no color description on DressLily’s site for their coats, so you might need to be flexible in that regard.
What I did love was the shaping in the back of this coat. Many winter jackets can make you appear bigger because they are so bulky, however this one is quite fitted and flattering.
Coat: (here)
Nancy’s (60+) Outfit: Now let me give you a couple of other details about purchasing from a company like DressLily.
Your purchase usually takes quite a while to get shipped to you. Now if you’re not in a hurry, then this is not an issue. But beware because it can take up to a month from when you order until when it arrives. Along with that is the fact that the items have been smashed in that package for a long time. I want you to know that I did steam all of our coats before we wore them, but obviously, they could have used a heavy hand with the iron also.
Luckily for this coat, there were no big surprises. I think when you’re evaluating items from these websites, it’s good to take into the account the style of the coat. This kind of wrap style is relatively safe, because there aren’t buttons or zippers. Because it’s only a sash to close the coat, it’s much more flexible on the sizing.
Now let’s discuss the material of these coats.
I’m sure you realize that if you’re going to get an item for such a great deal, then the material is going to be polyester. Now when I say polyester, that’s what the labels say on all of our jackets. I would call them a fleece material which is perfect for the colder months.
This black and grey longer jacket is a one thickness fleece, and is perfect for these chilly months, but maybe not heavy enough for the really cold days. The shorter jacket that I’m wearing above has more of a sheepskin fleece on the inside of it. This extra thickness is only in the body portion though, not the sleeves.
And this coat that Nancy is wearing did come with the self belt. We turned the belt to have the grey side showing, but there is also a black side to it.
In these photos, Nancy did turn up the sleeves about an inch, and I will be shortening them for her. Of course, this is not unusual, because I shorten most of her long sleeve items. If you’re wondering about my coat above, I also turned under the sleeves about the same amount. I haven’t gotten around to it, but I plan to shorten them too!
Coat: (here)
Charlotte’s (70+) Outfit: The last coat we received from DressLily was this cape that my mom is wearing.
Just like I described for Nancy’s and my jackets, the cape is a fleece material. It is the same one layer fleece and therefore, perfect for this somewhat mild fall weather we are having at the moment.
I had originally ordered this cape for myself since my mom already has a brown one in her possession. However, when I had to switch things around due to the sizing, mom said she would love this one in addition to her other one. Especially since her original cape is brown and much heavier.
One of the best things about ordering a cape from an online store like this, is you can pretty well be sure it’s going to fit. Since it’s a one size fits all, and not fitted, your chances for success are good. And considering a cape is one of those items you may not wear for 20 years, it could be smart to get it from a company that doesn’t charge an arm and a leg.
My mom is wearing a scarf over her cape so you can’t see the neckline that well in these photos.
However, if you look back up at the photo of the 3 of us together, you can see that it has a round neckline. There’s also a hook and eye at the very top to keep it together. The last couple of coats that we’ve gotten for my mom, have all had this neckline, and she’s not a hundred percent sure she loves it. She always feels like she wants her neck covered, and that’s why we added the scarf.
But we all know that styles change, and this is how manufacturers are making a lot of the jackets right now.
As for the arms or sleeves of this cape, they are only slits. There is nothing that actually wraps around your arm when you are wearing this piece. The advantage to that is if you happen to be wearing an item with sleeves that are voluminous or have bat wings. I have such a top, and I have a hard time wearing a fitted jacket over it. Which is exactly why I wanted to order this cape for myself, LOL. I guess I’ll just have to go borrow it when I need it. Right, mom?
Coat: (here)
P.S. And I apologize in using this photo with my mom’s eyes closed. But isn’t she so cute anyways? I had to laugh at the expression on her face!
We were gifted these coats from DressLily, and compensated for this post. I hope by now that you would realize that I only work with companies that I would personally buy items from. I actually turn down quite a few proposals every week, and I want to give you the truth about the service and quality of anything I get.
At first I was wondering why I would want a less expensive coat if they are normally an item I would pay more for. But the day I wore this around the park and it got dirty, I thought it might be nice to have a fashionable, yet easy to take care of jacket. Then if it did get ruined, I wouldn’t be as upset! And just so you know, I threw my coat in the washer, and it came out perfect! Now that’s a true advantage of the polyester.
Thanks to one and all of you for your support. It means more than you know!
The Facts
Even if you wouldn’t consider purchasing your clothing online, it can be helpful to look through my links to see what is available! It certainly doesn’t hurt my feelings, if you click on them but don’t like them. Just so you know, one of the ways I make money from this blog is through these linked items.
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