Help me find a down coat.

[Lilliput]

I really need a new winter coat and thought I would get a down padded coat. A friend had a north face one that always looks so toasty warm. Can't justify that price unfortunately.
I am also a bit worried I will look like a Michelin man or possibly a chav bit cheap.

I think there are some animal welfare issues regarding the production of down for these coats, but I will leave it to other better-informed posters to mention this.

I do have a down filled coat myself (I bought it before I was aware of the cruelty concerns) and it was very reasonably priced from TKMaxx - it's a Fenn Wright Manson one that was reduced from £220 to £80 and it's fantastically warm and cosy. They usually have a good selection all for the £60-£100 mark in TKMaxx - they are just coming into stock now.

How warm is the Uniqlo ultralight down? The Merrell insulated I got last year just doesn't cut it in the freezing cold, still needed three layers plus a thick jumper, so am keen. to get something properly warm this year!

Land' s End have some, often in their clearance section.

About 10 years ago I saw some down jackets for sale in France, with Fairtrade labels, although I don' t know how this would relate to animal welfare issues, if at all. The mountaineering brand Patagonia are very aware and transparent about this type of thing, but if North Face is out of budget, then Patagonia certainly is.

If going for down, you may or may not want to check that it's humane ie not from live plucked animals. M&S and some canadian manufacturers (there may be others but these are the ones I know of) have certified their supply chains do not include live plucked down. I don't know about Uniqlo, North Face etc.

www.peta.org/features/down-investigation.aspx

The lands end shimmer down coat looks just the thing. Anyone any idea what sizing is like. I am a 12. The small is 10-12. Do they come up small or big?

Lands End come up huge!