If you live in the Northeast or other chilly parts of the country, your down coat is your best friend. No matter the occasion, you can’t safely leave home without a long down coat with a good hood since rain, snow or sleet so often enter your path!

I’ve sampled a lot of down coats over my thirteen years of mommying and the one you see in these photos taken on our recent ski trip – although not original in any sense – is my true favorite. It’s warm, roomy while having a nice enough shape, waterproof and has a good hood that snaps closed. I wear this coat nearly every day from November-April and it makes umbrellas (which I always forget anyway) superfluous.

Fashionable Down Jackets

Down jackets have been in vogue for nearly twenty years now and I think they’re as permanent a fixture in our lives as cell phones! As cute as short jackets might look, I would urge you all to stick with a longer version like mine which keeps your behind cozy!

The day after Marc snapped this photo of me with my hood on, we had the pleasure of meeting our Spanish au pair Ignasi’s family and their dog Blanca.

Lovely people we were blessed to spend an evening with.

What is your go-to winter outerwear? When will winter end for you? Weigh in below!

Gratefully, Melissa