Every so often I discover a trend that I somehow missed in the early predictions. That’s the story with this longer length puffer or quilted vest. I’m seeing them everywhere. And I do think the long puffer vest has a higher chic factor than it’s sister hip length vest that’s been around for years now. So today I thought I’d take a swing at styling the long puffer vest.
Now let me be the first to say that I’m not thrilled with this first try at styling this lovely belted faux fur collar puffer vest. Let me explain. I actually wore these caramel colored stretch straight leg corduroy pants to church on Sunday with a different sweater. We needed to stop by Talbots and pick up the puffer vest on the way home. (Don’t forget you can still often order online and get curbside pickup at Talbots.) I was already planning to take photos for Monday’s post, so I decided on a whim to go ahead and shoot this vest for today, too. I saw this English toffee and ivory striped puff shoulder turtleneck in the store and it was temporarily marked down to just $29, so I snagged it.
And that’s how this outfit came about…a little on the fly!
So while these caramel cords and striped turtleneck and vest all work together okay, I think I actually would like this outfit better with blue jeans. What do you think? I do love the repetition of color up top between the turtleneck and vest, but I think I’d prefer to see something contrasting below…or vice versa.
And I’m not even sure I like those brown suede boots with those caramel cords. And I wore that combination intentionally that morning! Ha! Oh well, we all live and learn. Remember, while I definitely have done my research and try to help you decipher it all here, I’m not a fashion expert. Nor am I particularly gifted enough at it to get it right every time. But I’m certainly willing to go out on a limb and give it a try.
I do love wearing neutrals, but somehow this particular combination looks a bit too muddy to me. What do you think? Maybe if I’d worn my ivory cords and sand colored booties I would have liked that better, too. This is why I really encourage women to take a photo of themselves in an outfit and not just check it out in the mirror. Somehow things appear very different in a photo than they do in the mirror.
Okay, enough outfit bashing. The point here is that this long puffer vest is indeed a winter fashion trend worth trying…if you’re interested in it. In fact, I gave it another solid try in yesterday’s video shown below. In the video I wore the vest with grey jeans, a camel cashmere hoodie and those sand booties. And I think that outfit was very elevated and on trend.
And because this is a long vest, I think one of the best ways to style it is problem with a column of color. So I think it would look stunning over all black, all grey or even all ivory. That’s what I was originally trying to do here, but you can see that I didn’t quite accomplish that. Oops! I said I was through bashing the outfit. Hahaha!
I do like this long puffer vest and I’m willing to keep working at styling it. It’s one of those trends that I can easily incorporate into my personal style and enjoy without feeling like I’m compromising my preferences. I also like the functionality of this particular vest. It zips nicely and you can even move the bottom of the zipper up and wear it zipped only in the middle if you’d like. It also snaps and has a removable faux fur collar. And of course you can belt it, too.
Thanks so much for stopping in today. I hope I haven’t scared you off from trying the long puffer or quilted vests if you were previously interested. Watch that video if you haven’t already. I like that outfit! And I actually love this vest! It comes in black, too. Oh, and everything I showed today fits true to size. And I’ve gathered a few other long vests in the shopping widget below. Have a blessed and beautiful day!
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Blessed for My Day
Have you noticed that most, if not all, blessings are in fact mixed bags? With every good thing comes a few challenges, hardships and even misunderstandings. If you’ve been blessed with motherhood or marriage you know that those relationships bring with them hard adjustments, sleepless nights, sacrifices and painful seasons. And there are times when our blessings are held in contempt by others who have not walked in our shoes. Their criticisms and misjudgments sting and make us wonder if the “blessing” is worth it.Ā
Surely Mary, the mother of Jesus, must have felt some of those things. Undoubtedly there were times when she was simply and humbly amazed by the blessing of bearing and raising the Messiah. But I’m sure there were other days when the misinformed accusations from others, the weight of the calling and the hard days of Jesus’ ministry must have caused her moments of doubt and frustration. We can only imagine what it must have been like to birth and rear the Son of God, but Mary was human, so undoubtedly it was not always “calm and bright.” But this we know…and Mary knew it, too…God was with her. He’s with you, too. You are highly favored – graced by God. He is with you!
In the sixth month of Elizabethās pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virginās name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, āGreetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.ā ~ Luke 1:26-28
You look great, Kay! The outfit looks very rich. No more bashing!š
I like the outfit!
Thank you for being vulnerable and showing us all your process us not always spot on the first time.
I agree with your ānot-so-crazy-aboutā this combination. Maybe it is the striped top? I loved how you styled that vest in yesterdayās video! Inspired me to order the vest in both colors. Thinking the sweater shown with the black vest would work great with the cafe vest also. I, too, like your tan suede boots. Especially liked your devotion today. Sometimes I tend to think it was easy for Mary because Jesus was the son of God. Need to not forget that Mary was human and that Jesus was in human form too. Have really enjoyed your BFMD this month. Merry Christmas! Enjoy playing with your vest. Lol
Iām on the fence about long puffer vests. Not sure if theyād be bulky and uncomfortable. Iāve yet to see you wear anything that you donāt look great in
Iagree. The outfit is okay, but I think it needs more contrast, even if it is low contrast. Don’t think I’ll be purchasing any puffer vests though because I feel too ‘puffy’ in them.
I like the outfit ok, but I agree it isn’t elevated. Most of the time when I take a picture of an outfit, I’m disappointed because I don’t look as good as I feel.
I’m not sure a long vest is for me, although the styling for this one is great. I do sometimes wear a short puffer vest, but the long one seems like it would be bulky to sit in, for coffee or a meeting. I can wear my short one all day. PS – I like the suede boots and caramel cords!
Hi Kay…I LOVE that color combination! I wouldn’t feel the same about switching those cords to jeans.. The vest is gorgeous but vests do me no good. My arms get cold plus I live in Wisconsin…Ha!
Bonnie, I follow a woman and her husband on YouTube who are always making jokes. She wore a wintry, but armless, vest and he asked her where she was going that she would be cold enough to wear a coat but her arms would be warm enough to go without. It makes me laugh! Greetings from snowy Iowa.
Dear Kay, since you asked us for feedback on the puffer vest or outfit, here is my opinion: It’s not the colors – except maybe the dark brown of the boots – it is the cut of the vest: it is too short. Here, in cold north Germany, these vests are worn very long, almost to the ankle and it looks really nice, especially on tall women.
Your modeled outfit also looks a bit ugly because the pants are a little bit too long (just 1 cm) and the striped jumper is somehow too much, it brings unrest into the outfit. Perhaps a monochrome camel jumper would have been a better choice.
Console yourself – such small slips happen! Otherwise I really appreciate your work.
Kindest regards
Christina ( I apologize for my not so good English)
Actually, I like the outfit just the way you show it; I think the coordinating pieces look good together and well thought out. Sure, you could wear the vest and turtleneck with jeansāyou can wear jeans with just about anything. On the other hand, Iām not a fan of the long belted vest. I think it looks too bulky for me. I have several of Talbotās puffer vests and I love them. Some are plain and this year I bought one on sale with the fur vest. The regular length seems to suit my body best. If itās really cold, Iāll be wearing my long puffer coat, not a vet!
Hi Kay,
I so appreciate the way you have considered why todayās outfit didnāt work. So often, Iām looking in the mirror (or at a photo) of an outfit Iāve created, and I can see it doesnāt really work, but it can be hard to figure out why not. In my opinion, the problem with todayās vest outfit is too many shades of brown. It doesnāt feel cohesive, and itās distracting to the eye. I agree, it would look better with jeans. Yesterdayās outfit with the vest was lovely, and I think the scarf was a key player in pulling that look together.
Thank you for all you do, and for being brave and honest with sharing a not-so-great outfit.
Best,
Kathleen in Calgary
I think your outfit looks nice and probably how many of us would style it. A column of color would be really nice too. Maybe because itās a newer look you are feeling more critical.
I think your tonal outfit looks fine! I agree that your ivory cords might elevate it even more.
I like the outfit as is but I agree that your ivory cords might be better. I love the long vest and if I had a longer, colder winter season I would purchase. I have several short puffers that are about right for my weather. Thanks for introducing us to this trend.
I’m not sure that I like the ginger shade in the cords…perhaps a cooler shade would work best as you say ivory, blue or black with similar colour boots.
I love the jumper and as you call them vest (I’m English so we call them gilet)
however I do love to watch your videos and read your blog each day, I mostly agree with you and wear similar outfits and colours so please keep the ideas coming.
I especially like your make up and lipstick colour, it encourages me to wear some each day, its so easy to forgo when working at home even on teams calls
Julie
What a miracle! As Christians I think we can forget how amazing the virgin birth was, we get used to hearing about it, at least I do. When I really think about it, and about what Mary went through, I feel amazed and so so grateful for this wonderful gift of a Savior! Free! Soul changing! What a gift!
May you have a wonderful Christmas season, Kay! Thank you for your work and for your openness in all you do-it makes it more interesting and human:)
I actually like your outfit, but I would change the boots as you said.
Blessings!
Kay, you did a lovely job with the vest and outfit, but I think itās the sweater that needs to be switched out to a solid, nothing else really needs to be changed. Then perhaps adding a printed scarf would be nice, but certainly not necessary. Bless your day!
I like each of the pieces, but not together. It just doesn’t have your usual style. I think it may be too many colors.
Lisa, I tend to agree with you. However, itās the contrast of too many textures and patterns, even in totally similar shades, that doesnāt work (for me, at least). Individually each piece is lovely.. But together, not so much. The sweater is a stand-out piece on its own (ribbed and striped), the puffer jacket has both volume and texture (the quilting), and the cords have their own texture as well. Having said that, if this is the worst āproblemā we have to deal with, we are blessed indeed. š
So funny that youād question the outfit! Iām obsessed with it! I liked how it all blended but wasnāt ātrack suitingā! LOL i thought the boots worked greatā¦loved the stripe under the solidā¦.loved the neutral on your skin! No more second guessing! Youāre spectacular friend!!!!
To my eye, the difficulty in this outfit is between the sweater and the pants. The vest and sweater work well together, the pants and boots are OK together, the vest and pants are OK together (although there might be a better combination). But there is something subtly “off” between the sweater and the pants–what I would describe as ABNQ (Almost But Not Quite). Maybe toffee and caramel shouldn’t be eaten together or worn together? I would be very interested to see the sweater and vest with the ivory cords and light colored suede boots.
I love this monochromatic look! I think it’s perfect in every way — the colors, the patterns, the textures. The ensemble highlights your face and hair, and the interest keeps the eye moving around the garment. Just what we’re looking for! Thanks for your post. I love Talbots, too!
I don’t think your outfit looks muddy at all. The vest and cords are rich, warm colors. The top looks a little cooler. Because I have very warm personal coloration, I love combining clear, warm browns. I don’t generally like anything muted or grayed down. I suspect that you have a cooler complexion. Maybe that’s why you don’t feel your best in a warm brown outfit. I really do believe that wearing our best colors makes all the difference. I disagree that you need more contrast in your outfits. You have very light skin, light eyes, and light hair, in other words YOU are low contrast. I believe that we look our best when the contrast level in our clothing matches our personal contrast level. It’s not just picking the right seasonal colors; contrast level matters too.
I think this length is the most difficult length to style and wear. Thatās why I never buy it. Itās too long to be short and too short to be long. In my opinion neither fish nor meat. Iām curious to see if and when youāll find the right solution and whatās that going to be. Maybe the black one wouldāve turned out to be easier ? But no more black for me. Being a cool/soft summer itās one the worst colours for me, although I wore it many years. But I must admit I look far better in āmy coloursā. I think you are a summer too. But you probably cannot stick to a certain colour palette because of your job and so many different followers. But when I watch your videos Iām convinced how much the ārightā colours can do for a person. Love the videos. Watched them all by now so counting the days for the next one to come š¤
I like your idea of ivory pants and sand boots. I think that would make this a sporty, show-stopper outfit. However, not wild about the belt. Very few outfits make you look anything but your slim, sweet self. But imho this one does. There is something about the nature of this vest being stiff and long that makes it hard to go around an hourglass figure. I still really like the open look. Just my 2 cents. You look great in this toffee color.
Hello! Fashion is all about trying different things and an outfit photo helps us determine how to improve. I love a puffer vest – long or short. I find them so much more flattering than the super popular shacket! I enjoy your content. Have a blessed day!
I own one puffer vest that is hip length and I wear it occasionally but I feel a bit like the Sta Puff marshmallow man in it. Kay you looked amazing in the video wearing the long vest so you knocked it out of the park once you tried the vest a few ways. This is a trend that I will steer clear of personally. Thanks for showing us the many trends and modern approaches that make you stand out from the crowd.
Kay, I love this vest from Talbots and styled it with all black underneath. Black Spanx leggings and black knee high boots or my black Ally heels. It elevates that vest to another level and it gracefully covers what it should. šš
I love the longer vest style. I have been wearing mine, I have several for about 10 years. I have them in black, grey, pink and navy blue. Mine are down filled not puffer. I wear as an extra layer on a cold day, as a car coat, as a coat, as a sweater. So many uses. Hubby got me a new one for Christmas can’t wait to see the color he chose
Hi Kay – I like the outfit, but I totally understand how you feel. When you don’t like something, it just doesn’t look right no matter what others say. :). I appreciate you sharing an outfit that you were on the fence about. I can’t tell you how many times Ive gotten to work and wondered ‘what on earth was I thinking when I put these pieces together’.
I love monochromatic look, but maybe for this brown outfit there is too many shades of brown. If you did the jeans instead of the cords like you suggested with the stripped top or the brown cords are nice maybe with a different shade of sweater like cream or black. I have a short puffer vest that I like, with matching sweater and I usually wear (it is hot pink from last year and sweater from last year with gray isle pattern with hot pink) I wear with jeans. Not sure I like the longer puffer vest as much. Still out on that, though you look nice. I have a long puffer coat in navy I bought last year, so still out on this vest. I do this sometimes too, wonder why I wore something together that day, Then next time I wear something different with the pants, etc and say I like this better. lol style is personal. Will read other opinions and see what they say. Love to do that.
Nice BFMD.
Kay, love this outfit. I am a fan of “column of neutrals.” I think you might not be bashing this outfit to such an extent if you made just one very small change – lighter boots/booties, more beige. No other changes would be calling to you, in my opinion, if you simply changed to lighter boots. You look great in this. It’s a great outfit.
Hi friend, Thank you for being vulnerable with us and accepting feedback and thoughts. For me, I don’t like the vest on you. The proportions seem wrong. With the length of the vest, it actually cuts you in half vertically, and doesn’t seem to follow the 1/3-23 rule. Not that anyone of us ned necessarily care. I feel you’d look much better in either a longer coat (could be puffer) that hits at the knee) or a waist length vest that leaves the legs looking much longer. This seems to make you appear shorter and wider than you actually are. Thoughts?
I really like this outfit. The only thing I would change is the color of the boots. They are too dark in my opinion. A golden tan might look better, but you are the xxpert. Love your posts. Keep em coming.
I think itās a lovely outfit. I do not think it works as well with your fair coloring or your grey hair. You usually have on something that brings out your eyes and skin and works well with your hair. I also have salt and pepper hair quite a bit of lip grey around my face and the deep camels arenāt my friend. But I love black and wear it near my face so what do I know?š¤·āāļøThatās why I look at your outfits to determine what I like and what I donāt lol! Iāve gotten great tips and good ideas and information. I Thank you for it. Blessed Holidays