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The Evolution of the Amazon Coat: From It-Girl Puffer to Pandemic Era Security Blanket

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amazon coat evolution
Victoria Bellafiore

Where were you when you first learned about the Amazon Coat? I’ll go first: My first encounter with the mythical piece of outerwear took place in winter 2018 via newsletter from the trendy and outspoken cashmere sweater brand, Lingua Franca. In the email, the brand’s founder, Rachelle Hruska, talked about this puffer coat that she’d been spotting everywhere in New York; not long after, I discovered The Strategist article on the same $140 down jacket from the then-unknown brand Orolay that became a must-have in cold weather climates across the country.

PureWow’s own Dara Katz wrote about her own complicated feeling about the Coat in winter 2019—only to whip it back out again in November 2019, after grappling with whether she could wear it for a second winter in a row. In the latter story, I advised her: “Dara, don’t be embarrassed to rock your viral coat this winter…but maybe consider getting rid of it before the 2020 inauguration.”

All that to say, I’d like to rescind the above statement.

We were so naive in November 2019; no one had any inkling of what the following year would bring. Let alone, how we would feel through endless months of tumult, wearing tie-dye sweatpants almost all the time and facing a presidential election that feels once-in-a-lifetime in terms of its importance. Sooo, where do coat trends fall in that mix?

With Covid-19 restrictions still in place, it looks likely that the winter ahead will be one of solitude. Few of us will be regularly venturing out into the world, commuting to the office or having a calendar filled with events that require us to dress to impress. Which is not to say that you’ve got carte blanche to dress like a slob until the end of 2021. But it does give you 100 percent permission to pull that Amazon Coat from the back of your closet, fluff it up and think about better days while wearing it on your next grocery run (while masked up, of course).

Because what was once a super trendy, must-have item that elicited questions and comments from strangers has since transformed into something of a pandemic-era security blanket. With so much going on in the world, why would you submit to the pressures of offloading your perfectly good, under-$200 winter coat for a newer, trendier model? (Unless, of course, you’re doing it for the sake of retail therapy. In which case, carry on.) The Ororlay’s easy-to-throw-on style is just neutral enough, requiring no additional thought from you. It looks great with leggings. It pairs nicely with joggers. And it even has the potential to make your sweatpants look not so shlumpy.

That said, if you are feeling a bit fatigued at the thought of wearing the same coat again, you could always upgrade to a new color—like pale mint—or even try a new finish (FYI, we kinda love this satin one). And the Amazon Coat now comes with fur trim or a fleecy accent that’s very on-trend for 2020.

Any way you take it, the Amazon Coat isn’t going anywhere, so go on and wear it with abandon. Just maybe don’t make any grand predictions for whether you will or won’t wear it a year from now.



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Fashion Editor

From 2019-2021 Dena Silver held the role of Fashion Editor covering product recommendations, trends, and what you should be shopping this season.