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For forty years, my husband and I have argued about the heat. At 64, I finally stopped arguing. This is a letter about the jacket that ended it
Six things this soft sherpa jacket gets right that a pile of blankets, two sweaters and a hot water bottle never did, from a woman who had spent every winter of her married life quietly cold.
Catharine Laurent · 64 · Dallas · 5 min read
I am 64, and for forty years Geoff and I have had the same argument every winter. He believes the thermostat in the hallway should never go above 66 degrees. I believe I should be able to feel my fingers. Every evening he turns it down, every morning I creep out and nudge it up, and every evening he notices. So I spent four decades of winters indoors in two sweaters, a cardigan and a blanket, looking like a woman waiting for a lifeboat. So this is not a review. It is a woman who finally found a way to be warm without starting a row, saying how.
The jacket I am writing about is the Vanessa, a sherpa full-zip jacket from Novira Dallas, a small boutique that dresses women our age. It is soft and fluffy, in a lovely dusty pink, with a stand collar, a zip all the way up the front and two deep pockets. My sister Jean, who never lets me get away with anything, gave me the link with one line: "Stop fighting him over the thermostat. Just get this." She was right, as usual. When Novira Dallas later asked if they could share my letter, I said yes, on the condition I could be completely honest in it.
Here is what forty winters taught me. Being cold at home is miserable in a quiet way nobody talks about. You can't concentrate on your book, you can't get comfortable on the couch, and you end up wearing so many layers that you look and feel like a package. Blankets fall off the moment you stand up. Big coats are too much indoors. And every extra sweater just makes you feel bulkier, not warmer.
I didn't need the house warmer. I needed one thing I could put on that felt like warmth, without looking like I'd given up.
The Vanessa is the first thing I've owned that keeps me properly warm at home and still looks nice enough to answer the door in. Having worn it for a month, round the house, out with Biscuit on the trail round White Rock Lake, to the store and to Sunday lunch with Jean, I can tell you it comes down to six things.
Soft sherpa that feels like a hug
The whole jacket is a soft, plush sherpa texture, the kind of fluffy that makes you want to curl up. It's the feeling of a warm blanket, but it stays on when you get up to make a cup of tea. I sat on the couch with my book that first evening without a single blanket, and for the first time in years, I wasn't counting down to bedtime just to get warm.
Geoff turned the heat down at nine o'clock as usual. I didn't say a word. I just zipped up. He looked almost disappointed.
Warm without the weight
This surprised me. For something so cozy, it is light. It isn't a heavy coat that drags on your shoulders, and you don't feel bulky in it. I can cook, do the crossword, potter about and do the dishes without feeling like I'm wearing a duvet. It's the warmth I wanted without the weight I didn't.
Made a full Sunday dinner in it. Never once felt too hot or too heavy. The blankets have gone back in the closet.
A stand collar that keeps the draft off
There's a raised stand collar that sits up around the neck, and on a cold January morning when a norther blows through that makes all the difference. Zip it right up and your neck is snug, so you don't need a scarf just to sit in your own kitchen. It also looks smart, which matters more than you'd think when the doorbell goes.
Package delivery at eight in the morning. Answered the door in the Vanessa. The delivery driver said, "Love the jacket." Not one person has ever said that about my bathrobe.
A full zip, so you can adjust in seconds
It zips all the way up the front, so you can do it right up when you're cold and open it when you're warm, without taking anything off. That sounds like a small thing, but when you're going from a cold hallway to a hot kitchen to the frost on the back lawn, being able to adjust in a second is everything. It's also easy to get on and off, with no buttons for cold fingers, and there are two deep pockets for my hands, my phone and a dog biscuit for Biscuit.
Out with Biscuit on the trail round White Rock Lake first thing, zipped right up. Into the café after, unzipped. Comfortable both ways.
A relaxed fit that falls below the hips
The fit is relaxed and easy, so there's room for a sweater underneath, and it falls below the hips, so it keeps your back warm when you bend down to load the dishwasher or fill the dog's bowl. It's flattering rather than boxy, and it goes over jeans, leggings or pants without looking like I've borrowed something from Geoff.
Sunday lunch at Jean's. She took one look and said, "Told you." I hate it when she's right. She usually is.
Four colors, sizes S to 3XL, and an honest word on fit
The Vanessa comes in pink, blue, camel and black, in sizes S to 3XL. I went for the pink, a soft dusty rose that is warm without being sugary, and it brightens a gray winter morning no end. Because the fit is relaxed, I ordered my usual size and it fitted with room for a sweater underneath. I will be honest, because I promised I would: there isn't a measurement chart on the product page yet, so if you're between sizes, ask Novira Dallas's team before you order. And to be clear, it's a cozy everyday layer, not a replacement for my winter coat on the coldest days.
Geoff and I haven't argued about the heat once this winter. He thinks he's won. I know I have.
This jacket, against the layers I used to pile on
Most of us don't decide to be cold at home. We just keep adding layers until we look like a package. Here's the difference, laid out plainly.
Blankets that fall off when you stand up
Two sweaters and still cold
Bulky, heavy and shapeless
Too scruffy to answer the door in
A row about the heat every night
Soft, plush sherpa that stays on
Warm without the heavy feel
A stand collar that keeps the draft off
Smart enough for the door and the store
Peace in the house, finally
About the price
The Vanessa is $79.95 at the moment. The website says that's down from $265.00. I won't pretend I know what a jacket like this ought to cost, but I can tell you I've spent more than that over the years on blankets, hot water bottles and sweaters that never once kept me properly warm.
Novira Dallas also take a bit off if you buy more than one, up to 20%, and it comes off automatically at the checkout. That's how Jean's order ended up in with mine.
Shipping was free and tracked, and there's a thirty-day money-back guarantee if it isn't right. After forty years of cold evenings, that's what got me to press the button.
below-hip fit
to choose
US delivery
If you've spent your winters quietly cold, piling on layers and losing the battle over the heat, this is the jacket I'd hand you myself, while your color and size are still there. Stop arguing. Just zip up.
Catharine
Vanessa™ · Sherpa Full Zip Jacket
Bundle and save up to 20%
- Soft, plush sherpa texture
- Warm without the heavy feel
- Raised stand collar for extra coverage
- Full zip front, easy on and off
- Relaxed fit that falls below the hips
- Two side pockets and buttoned cuff tabs
- Pink, blue, camel and black · sizes S to 3XL
- FREE tracked US delivery & 30-day money-back guarantee
Not sure of your size? Ask Novira Dallas's team before you order.
About the writer. Catharine Laurent is 64 and lives in Dallas with her husband Geoff and a spaniel called Biscuit. She taught elementary school for thirty-one years and still cannot walk past a library.
This page is an advertisement for Novira Dallas. Individual experiences may vary. Novira Dallas · FREE tracked US delivery · 30-day money-back guarantee.