I ordered a medium to fit my shoulders and it seems like a very nice product. I returned because there was too much fabric through the body. For some reason, this season's coats are all cut in an A-line and the excess fabric does nothing for the overall look of the coat or the person in it.
The positives - it's light, has a hood, and the zipper works The negatives - it's cut a bit large and is not quite as warm as I had hoped it would be.
I was trying on down coats in the department stores and the size large were all tight on me. I had bought my pea coat from LLBean in a petite large and it was perfect, so I took a chance and bought the petite large in this coat. It is VERY roomy. I'm not sure I could have gone down a size, but I think maybe I could have. In any event, there is plenty of room for warm layers underneath.
The hood is very useful, although not that comfortable as it tends to fall over my face. I remember reading that other people removed the fur trim, but I like the fake fur on it.
Overall, I'm pleased with this purchase. It is just hard to do mail order and be sure of the fit.
I bought this coat after we had unusually cold weather in North Carolina and the puffer I had didn't keep me warm. I knew I could count on LL Bean to have a puffer that would do the job. Lucky I bought it when I did, because the next cold snap was right around the corner. And this coat did not let me down! Plus, it's even rather stylish, with good lines and a great fit.
