After a week of below-freezing temps here in the Carolinas, Patrick is extremely over me singing the “Brrr, it’s cold in here! There must be some Toros in the atmosphere!” cheer from Bring It On. (It’s one of those things that was funny the first time but maybe not the 100th. Oops. #marriedlife.)
But really y’all. It’s cold. Even though outerwear isn’t technically part of my capsule wardrobe, it’s so hard to find cruelty-free winter wear that I just had to share.
Kendra and I get a lot of questions about why we don’t wear wool or down, since it’s supposedly not killing the animal the way leather does. In short, the process of collecting wool/down is incredibly violent, painful, and inhumane for the animals. (Imagine having all of the hair pulled out of your head with no painkillers.) Once their fur or feather production goes down, they’re sent on to the slaughterhouse. The end result is the same as wearing leather or fur and we don’t want that kind of karma attached to our clothing.
But what’s a (chilly) vegan gal to do? Down and wool alternatives to the rescue! Due to the fact that feathers can be highly allergenic and aggravate asthma symptoms (yikes), the bedding + clothing industries have started creating other options. We have a down alternative comforter and pillows on our bed, and now I can wrap myself in a cozy down-free coat when the temperatures drop. 
I found this Columbia parka before a trip to Chicago in 2016, and it’s kept me nice and toasty ever since. I scored the waterproof boots on a trip to Asheville one February (who the eff goes to Asheville in February?) and needed to slog through snow and ice. These wool-free boot socks are not only cute, but they can be monogrammed. Add the cute pom pom beanie and I almost forget how much I hate winter. (Patrick pointed out that no one likes faux fur as much as I do, and he’s correct.)
Sometimes I really love winter clothes, like when my entire body is covered and I can almost convince myself I never need to work out again. In terms of wool-free gloves and scarves, Old Navy is always a favorite. (Also they tend to have the most leopard print.)
And a little taste of what Kendra has to put up with during our photo shoots:
OUTFIT DEETS
01 | Down-free puffy coat | also here and here
02 | Waterproof winter boots | also here (note that the product description says PU leather + textile upper, which means polyurethane leather aka faux leather. I emailed Keen to double check!)
03 | Wool-free boot socks
04 | World’s Most Magical Jeggings
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