The Frock Doc

32 Comments

• replied 9 years ago

  Where do you live Lyn?  Just curious where the popularity of these coats is trending these days.  I live in Winnipeg, where some of the line is actually made.  

• lyn* replied 9 years ago

  I went to Winnipeg for medical school! :) U of M, Class of 2012!

  I made it through Winnipeg winters with a Misty Mountain jacket (Canadian Tire on clearance for $45), but I mainly drove. I live in Edmonton and I walk to the transit line which is about a 20 minute walk, but my jacket isn't cutting it. I need something more heavy duty and I borrowed a Canada Goose last year (from said ex) and it was wonderful. I no longer have access to said jacket (hence ex), so I need to purchase my own :)

• UmmLila (Lisa) replied 9 years ago

  Ooh, these are nice, Lyn. I have been devoted to my Patagonia Tres parka for the past few years and it is okay down to about -10 F. But sometimes in the winter I get tired of the black, and this red one is very tasty.

• lyn* replied 9 years ago

  Thanks Ummlila! 

  I probably need my jackets to go a bit cooler than -10F; it goes to about -50 C with windchill around here :)

• replied 9 years ago

  They are so ubiquitous here that we now have a ban on them.  Kidding.  They certainly are perfect for an Edmonton winter walk to the train.  Have you ever worn the Kensington?  It's a lot of coat for a long walk - and they are pretty heavy, don't you find?  

• Mo replied 9 years ago

  I may be influenced by my own wishes for a brightly colored wool coat this winter, but I'm loving the purple or red choices.  Navy seems so . . . ordinary.  I dunno.

• UmmLila (Lisa) replied 9 years ago

  I was looking at the details, though, and I'm not keen on the real coyote fur. I prefer fake!

• lyn* replied 9 years ago

  @ lisap - I've tried on a Kensington and worn it (too big; men's medium) for winter last year and I loved it. My commute is about 4 km and it's pretty good for me, I think. They are very common here too, especially in the black and for some reason orange. They must have gone on clearance or something. Everyone has one around here, even the undergrad students ... I don't really know why they need them in California. I saw one in Palm Springs. :p

  @ Mo - I am starting to think that navy is bleh too ... the redwood is very pretty and I love purple. May have to go with purple.

• Alana in Canada replied 9 years ago

  Lyn*--have you had a chance to try any on? I noticed Blu's in Southgate has some--and as I was looking for plus, they also mentioned a couple of places in West Ed. Holt Renfrew should have them as well.
  Frankly, I find the pocket placement on both of these a little odd. But go for the red! You want the bus to be able to see you on cold, dark mornings!

• Alana in Canada replied 9 years ago

  Ummlila--coyotes are a bit of a hazard--and very plentiful! We had a pair in our neighbourhood--behind the house actually--and we live within a ten minute walk of the University. They drove the dog bananas,though they did help keep our jack rabbit population down this year (and they certainly drive the dog nuts!)

• lyn* replied 9 years ago

  @ Ummilia - Coyotes are, unfortunately, definitely pesky critters around here. In the summer they will chase you on your bicycle around dusk and nip at your heels if you bike too slowly. They have been known to attack small dogs at off-leash parks. They're also kind of scary when they hang out in the bushes, and I've also seen them go after the rabbits we have around the U, like Alana mentioned. 

  @ Alana - I've tried on a women's small and a women's medium; I prefer the medium. I don't really use the pockets of my jackets too much, but thanks for pointing out their placement - I hadn't even thought about that. Redwood is definitely one of my favourite colours. Debating between that and the purple hard time.

• Alana in Canada replied 9 years ago

  Do you have time to go and try them on--the purple and the red--and show us? I'm always putting one hand or the other in my pocket when I wait for the bus/train!

  Wait. Why are you ordering one?

• Gaylene replied 9 years ago

  I have the purple Trillium and I love(d) it! It is now taking up temporary residence in Toronto at my DIL's where she can wear it, but I get first dibs when I visit TO in the winter.

  I chose the Trillium because I found the length perfect-- long enough to protect my thighs but still easy to walk in and sit without the hem dragging in the slush on a bus floor. It is super warm, even in blizzards.

  As for the coyote fur, I think it's a good idea to understand why the company chooses to use this product. Here's a link that gives their reasons for using a natural, instead of synthetic, product:
  http://www.canada-goose.com/st.....-about-fur

  Like most issues, it's more complicated than it might appear on the surface. I personally support native trapping because I think it is a more sustainable and ethical treatment of the environment than oil drilling in sensitive, Northern areas. Synthetic fur is often made from petroleum products so not everyone agrees with it being a more ethical choice.

  And I'd say choose the color that will make you happy on that January slog to work. The purple puts a smile on my face when I wear it on a cold winter day, plus it makes it easier to see me if I fall into a snow bank. :)

  ETA: I've never had a problem with the pocket placement. They are deep enough to shove my hands in so my wrists are totally covered and protected from the wind.

• Alana in Canada replied 9 years ago

  Thank you Gaylene for the link to the fur. I lived in the North when I was a child. (Now Nunavut.) 

• lyn* replied 9 years ago

  @ Alana - because I hate going into posh stores - like HR and Blu's - I get terrible service at both places; I've had security follow me around at Manulife place - and it's annoying! I can afford to shop at both of these places but I guess I don't "look" it. So I will buy online!

  @ Gaylene - Thank you for your insights and the link; I think I will look happy falling into a snowbank as long as my jacket isn't a pastel colour!

• rae replied 9 years ago

  Ooh, the red looks luscious!

• goldenpig replied 9 years ago

  Red! Red! Red!

• Gigi replied 9 years ago

  I vote for either the red or the purple. I think that will be cheery on bleak winter mornings. :)

  Interesting about the coyotes! It sounds really frightening, though, to have a wild animal nipping at your heels while you bike...yikes.

• lyn* replied 9 years ago

  @ Rae and Natalie - The trick is getting the red that doesn't make me look like a Mountie!

  @ Gigi - My father calls it "motivation".

• JAileen replied 9 years ago

  I like the red.

  Wow! Coyotes nipping at your heels while you pedal! Scary!

  Some parts of California are cold, although not Palm Springs. We lived in Truckee and it got cold, but not as cold as your area. Brrr!

• lyn* replied 9 years ago

  @ JAileen - My dad also convinced his friend's wife that there were tigers in the bushes in order to get her to pedal faster. :p

  I found Palm Springs chilly at night - I had to bring out a jacket often, but I was there in early March.

• lyn* replied 9 years ago

  ETA - I don't think I look good in red. Just looking at my closet. I have a lot of rich, saturated colours, and my red dresses just don't get worn. The pinks and purples and navys and blacks and greys do. 

• Alana in Canada replied 9 years ago

  Lyn* --That's outrageous. You know, you do look quite young. Perhaps as you get older? 
  If the red in your closet is not being worn, then, purple it must be, my dear. How I envy you! It will have to be next year--or the year after that--for me.

• kkards replied 9 years ago

  if i lived where you lived, that red one would be on its way to me asap. but, i don't think you can go wrong with any of these colors.

• Joyce B replied 9 years ago

  Just on the color, I think purple is best.

• Thistle replied 9 years ago

  Gorgeous coats. Makes me ponder if they are available in the US. after all of the polar vortexes last year . . .

  My deep winter coat is bright red. Because it is cheerful, stands out against the sea of black, and you can see me easily if I fall. Especially in our treacherous work parking lot. Now, I live in Wisconsin, so all the Mounties are other side of the boarder. Not really something anyone here would even consider.

• lyn* replied 9 years ago

  @ Alana - I'm really hoping it's a darker purple and not a bright purple. I don't do bright colours that aren't jewel tones! I vowed I'd buy one for myself last winter when I was freezing my petunias off ... and I started a separate money jar for my coat fund. It was quite easy to save up the money because the thought process was - DO YOU WANT TO FREEZE YOUR BUTT OFF? - and that usually stopped my spending hand!

  @ kkards - The red is soooo pretty. I don't know what my beef is against wearing red. Maybe I don't like attention.

  @ Joyce - my IRL fashion friends all adore the purple.

  @ Thistle - Drat, mounties are awesome. They're cute and most of them speak French. Or just one mountie in particular who is quite special to me. :) Tee hee. 

  ETA - On Real People ... 1) Purple (Arctic Dusk); 2) Niagara Grape; 3) Redwood

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• rachylou replied 9 years ago

  I lean towards what looks like the longer Kensington.

• Kristin L replied 9 years ago

  I like the Niagara Grape best. It's not a bright as the Redwood, but it's still a bright, happy color. 

• Jan replied 9 years ago

  I hope you post your final decision with a picture! I made the same decision last year...this will be the winter to buy a Canada Goose coat. But can't bear to think about winter yet! I was planning on getting navy too, but now the purple is very tempting! For me it will be an investment piece to wear for several years...will I always love purple?

• lyn* replied 9 years ago

  @ K - I think I'm leaning that way right now; it's right in between red and purple and would look lovely in Quebec City *cough cough trip planning*

  @ Jan - The navy is a beautiful colour, but I don't think it can get it for myself, unfortunately. I do love it - it looks lovely with brown, black and grey boots, as well as with my brown purse. Bah, stupid boys.

  Purple is one of those colours I don't think I'd get sick of. I definitely am spending so much time thinking about colour (and your time) because I know I'll have to wear it for at least five years. 

  If we do Mo Math, though - Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, March, and potentially April = 6 months * 30 days = 180 days a year; $4 CPW a year ... which isn't too bad. If I wear it for four years, that's only $1 per day in the winter to stop my petunias from freezing off!

• Transcona Shannon replied 9 years ago

  I see so many here wearing these coats and they're fantastic looking. Love the purple.