Are you cold, girl, are you warm, red?

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

For the second month I am in a state of permafrost. The temperature outside the window reaches minus thirty degrees, so if there is a need to go outside (and it does), then I move at the speed of a meteor in order to quickly reach a warm office and turn on the heater. I became like a cabbage with many blouses, sweaters, tights under trousers, warm underwear …

Only now the cold still gets to the bones when you have to run along the street with a large gait. A fur coat made of natural fur does not fight the frosty winter, a recently purchased coat on a double padding polyester does not cope with the subzero temperature. But Nadka, my work colleague, walks around the office in the thinnest blouse, as if her love warms me up. Okay, at work, the heaters work at full power, but try to go out into the street in outerwear on your bare chest? In general, I approached Nadezhda with such a problem, and he answered me: "In the conditions of the fierce Russian winter, only a down jacket will help to keep warm." The other day I tried to take out the trash in my husband's fur jacket - really, warm - and decided to buy myself the necessary thing. For a long time I chose which company to give preference to, but I counted the contents of my wallet so that it would be cheap but cheerful. In general, me with the acquisition, and I offer you advice on choosing a down jacket to help you, if you have not yet acquired one.

Remaining very popular in a democratic youth environment, down jackets have burst into the present days even in the haute couture collection, approaching in prices to quite high-quality sheepskin coats and fur coats. Today, almost every small self-respecting Western fashion designer includes them in their autumn-winter collections. So even in Moscow you can find down jackets from Gucci, Lagerfeld and other trendsetters of European fashion. Manufacturers of youth clothing - Naf-Naf, Mexx, MaxMara - keep up with them.

Down jackets from Trussardi, for example, cost between $ 450 and $ 850. Versace - 18,900 rubles. Hugo boss offers down jackets at a price of 9,300 and 12,500 rubles. Gianfranko Ferre - from 12 to 18 thousand. There is, however, one trick - artificial fluff lives in them. Down jackets Guess? … cost 6050-8085 rubles. Calvin klein asks for his product from 6 to 12 thousand. "People's" brand Naf-Naf offers down jackets at a price of 3948-4564 rubles. And finally, sports firms. In the shops Reebok down jackets are hanging costing from 3000 to 5500 rubles, Adidas - 2700-3625 rubles. Also, of course, not the minimum wage.

Good down jackets are sewn in Europe - in France, Sweden, Finland and even in warm Italy.

The latest collection of Finnish down jackets is a reflection of the latest fashion trends in the world of clothing for active people. "Finn Flare" … These down jackets can by no means be called sportswear: made of the most modern materials, they, among other things, are sewn taking into account the characteristics of the human body, and are insulated with goose down of a high degree of purification, thanks to which the down jackets do not distort the figure (and this especially important for the fair sex). For those who hate rustling nylon in the "Finn Flare" collection, there are down jackets made from a fabric that is a mixture of cotton and polyamide with a water-repellent impregnation. This material has a matte surface and is very pleasant to the touch.

But it is generally accepted that the best down jackets in the world are made in Canada. It is there that jackets are made, lined with 100% eider down - the warmest of all. In addition, Canadian down jackets are also distinguished by the quality of the material from which the top of the jacket is sewn. These are, as a rule, modern and high-tech fabrics with titanium threads and lycra, absolutely waterproof and windproof. Such a down jacket costs, respectively, from three thousand North American dollars.

Surprisingly, even our closest neighbors - Belarus and Moldova - manage to produce down jackets of quite decent quality, which compare favorably with European ones at a low price - up to $ 100.

As for the Chinese artisans who, at best, stuff their products with a mixture of chicken feathers and padding polyester, you should not get acquainted with their products, no matter how tempting the price is: you will certainly be disappointed.

The author, in principle, is not at all opposed to the Chinese, as well as Taiwanese, Malaysian, Singaporean, Vietnamese and other similar light industries. The lion's share of all branded clothing is still sewn there, on legal production lines, in compliance with proprietary technologies and under strict control that does not allow marriage; however, one should distinguish between what is produced for the natural market, and what is done for the civilized trade.

If you do not want the down jacket to "climb" a week after purchase, buy only a branded item. There are several features that are characteristic only of branded down jackets. First, they come with a small bag with a fluff sample. Secondly, a quality item is distinguished by the presence of brand signs on zippers and rivets (most often several spare rivets are attached). And yet, most often the branded down jacket has two hoods: insulated and thin - in case of rain.

As for the filling: for some reason, we call down jackets all bulky jackets with insulation, no matter what. So, on the label of a real down jacket it should be written "down" … This means that inside is exactly the down - eider, swan, duck or goose. This down is a natural heat insulator in all weather conditions. Down is the most valuable layer of a bird's plumage and has unique properties: it is light, breathes freely and, due to its porous structure, absorbs a large volume of air. Natural down provides pleasant warmth, eliminating the risk of overheating and sweating. In down garments, the best quality is ensured by a down filler consisting of 80% down and 20% down feathers.

Chicken fluff is not used in the manufacture of quality things: chicken is not waterfowl, therefore, its fluff does not have the necessary heat-saving properties. At the same time, we are also impudently deceived, zealously proving that we will get tremendous pleasure from this purchase, if only because it is much cooler than a feather pillow.

Note that 100% down is quite rare. Most often they add pens to it and write "feather" … If the label says "cotton" - in front of you is not a down jacket, but a real quilted jacket. Inscription "wool" indicates that there is woolen batting inside this jacket, and in a word "polyester" the trivial synthetic winterizer is denoted.

And one more important feature of a real down jacket: a thing properly sewn and lined with natural down weighs half a kilogram and when folded can easily fit into a standard plastic bag.

When choosing a down jacket, be sure to pay attention to such seemingly small, but in fact, important little things, such as reinforcing pads on the shoulders and elbows, fabric straps on the zippers (so that the jacket can be easily unfastened even with gloves), valves that close zipper inside or outside, detachable insulated hood, inside pockets (including a special one for a mobile phone!) - the options depend on the specific model.

Let's summarize. The down jacket must be stuffed with down (at least 50%, see.tag inside), well quilted (so that the fluff does not fall off), covered with waterproof fabric on top, equipped with a large number of pockets and a hood. The cuffs, hood and bottom of the down jacket must be able to be tightened so that the wearer inside can withstand the gusts of cold wind. And, of course, the vicissitudes of fate.