A letter from the sisters behind Mae & Rue

You Zip Up Your Winter Coat, Look in the Mirror and Think: "I Look Like a Sleeping Bag."

On the Gwendolyn Long Hooded Quilted Coat · 4 min read

You know the moment. It's a gray, freezing morning. You're standing at the front door, zipping up the same puffy coat you've worn for years.

You catch yourself in the hallway mirror and sigh. Shapeless. Bulky. Twice your size.

Then you shrug, the way you do when you've stopped expecting anything better. "Well, at least I'm warm."

Or maybe you have the other coat. The pretty one. The long, elegant one that makes you stand a little taller, and leaves you shivering before you've even reached the car.

Warm or beautiful. Never both. We've both lived with that choice for years, and we know so many women who have too.

Why this matters to us

We started Mae & Rue because of a sentence every woman has said: "I have nothing to wear." Growing up, we were always stealing each other's clothes. Now we're both in our forties, and we've learned that it was never about having more. It's about having pieces you're genuinely happy to put on.

And a winter coat is the piece you put on more than anything else. Every single day, for months. If it makes you feel shapeless, or cold, you feel that every single day too.

So when we went looking for a winter coat for Mae & Rue, we had one rule. It had to be the coat you would actually reach for at that front door, and feel good about in the mirror.

Then we found Gwendolyn

The first thing we noticed was the shape. It's long, almost to the knee, and it's quilted so it's warm. But it doesn't puff out around you the way warm coats usually do. It follows your body. You still look like you.

The second thing was the sleeves. There's room for a real winter sweater underneath. No more choosing between the cozy knit and the coat.

And then there's the hood. It's always there, attached, ready for the moment the wind picks up. No scarf over your hair, no holding your collar closed at the bus stop.

Warm like the puffy coat. Elegant like the pretty one. That's the coat we were looking for.

Six colors, because winter is long

We chose six colors: black, gray, blue, green, burgundy and orange. The neutrals go with everything you already own. The warmer colors are for those weeks in January when everything outside is gray and you need something that makes you feel a little brighter.

It comes in sizes S to 3XL. If you're between sizes, or you love a thick sweater underneath, take the next size up.

Try it yourself

You don't know us yet, so don't just take our word for it. Order it. Put it on over the sweater you actually wear. Stand at your own front door on a cold morning and look in the mirror.

If it isn't the one, send it back within 30 days and get your money back. Shipping to you is always free across the US, and if you have any question about sizing or colors, just write to us. We read every message ourselves.

Because no woman should have to choose between warm and beautiful. Not this winter.

With love,
The sisters behind Mae & Rue

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