settle down

coat: Old Navy puffer coat (similar options, at all price points, linked at the bottom of the post)

sweater: J.Crew (similar)

pants: ASOS ripped Ridley jeans

shoes: J.Crew Factory faux leather ballet flats

accessories: J.Crew beanie (similar) & leopard scarf

All Photos | Kate Davis Photography

This down puffer coat was one of those crazy holy grail post-Christmas sale finds from college. I was shopping with my sister at Old Navy & spotted this jacket laying forlornly on the way to check out. At the time, it reminded me of a much more expensive J.Crew puffer coat, & for what I remember being a price around $25, this coat has given me warmth for many many seasons. Now I can't help but notice how similar it is to this (almost $1000) Burberry down coat (seriously, almost identical!)

My favorite features? The outer layer fabric is a nylon-type that totally repels pug hair (the bane of my existence!) & the tie waist helps to give shape to my oversized sweater looks (or PJs when I'm running to Kroger, 'cause that's how I roll!)

My tips for shopping cheaper styles (when the style you really want is out of your budget), are fit & fabric! The most expensive items in my closet are the ones that more often than not fit the best - the shoulders line up perfectly, the waist falls at my naturally skinniest spot, & the length is right where I need it for my height. With many cheaper styles, this means that I have to go visit the tailor, but fit is the fastest way to make something look more expensive than it is. For jackets like this, a tie waist can make the difference between something extremely frumpy or totally chic!

The other factor in my book, is fabric. Look for sturdy fabrics that won't pill, show problem colors (for me, pug hair), & have sturdy construction. For a $25 coat, the fabric & construction of this coat are on point, with only the faux fur hood trim looking a little scraggly now some 8 years later.

Shop similar items from this look (note: the prices do not reflect current sales, click through to see the discounted prices!)

bundled & checked

This coat & I just celebrated our 8th anniversary together (sister can you confirm that?)

It is one of those holy grail finds, the type that will never happen again. My sister & I were shopping at our town's new Old Navy (it was HOT stuff in 2005) over Christmas Break, & I was depressed because the jacket that I wanted, the down puffer from J.Crew that was $300, hadn't appeared under the tree a few days prior. But after-Christmas-sale shopping fixes everything, so we were on the hunt for mood-buoying deals.

Stuffed between the other bajillion things on sale, was The Jacket. I hadn't seen any other like it in the store. It was just my size & a dead ringer for the exorbitantly priced J.Crew version. Oh & it was 18 bucks. (You never forget a deal that good).

This jacket carried me through snow ball fights in college, cold drives back home, a move to Tennessee, & now the Polar Vortex of 2014. It is the only coat that I can wash at home & the nylon fabric is a natural repeller of pug hair - so it's my go to & still looking as pretty as the day I brought it home. See, it's the unicorn of sale shopping!

{ What I Wore: Old Navy coat, jeans, ballet flats // J.Crew Factory blouse // Le Tote* sweater + jewels // Anthropologie sunglasses }
*I was gifted a Le Tote clothing subscription. See if you won the Le Tote giveaway, winners now announced.
Photos thanks to Shelby!

Have you ever had a unicorn sale find?

Shop my current favorites from Old Navy's outerwear selection: