The Canada Goose Kensington Parka

I mentioned last year that I had ordered my first Canada Goose parka – the Kensington model – and had to wait an excruciating 46 days to receive it, thanks to backorders everywhere.

Since then I’ve received quite a few requests to provide some sizing guidance for this coat. I have been planning to do this review for months, but have been remiss. Since it’s still going to be cold for quite some while, I hope this can still be helpful for some of you!

Here are the facts: I ordered the Kensington model, in size XS, in the black color. I bought mine from Nordstrom, but they appear to be continually getting stock and selling out.

I knew that Canada Goose had this parka available in size XXS, but Nordstrom only had XS and I am a die hard loyalist. Plus, I knew that I was always going to layer this coat over sweaters. I was happy with the fit – fitted but not too much, and very comfortable. There are little tabs at each side of the waist that allow you to tighten the fit.

I love the huge fur hood on this parka. I am picky about fur trimmed hoods – I always want them to look big and lush. I will reject an otherwise perfect parka if the hood trim isn’t perfect! When I first unpacked my parka, the fur was a bit mashed down and I was worried. But after a day of hanging in the closet, it was nice and fluffy.

The hood is also lined with a soft velour so super comfortable. And, the hood is removable entirely, of course.

I also wanted to include a shot of how I often am carrying this parka – hanging off my back using its “backpack straps”! I used this feature all throughout our travels – it’s perfect for running through an airport, or in the winter in Europe where you find yourself freezing outside, then sweating to death indoors because the heat is on so much. I love it.

The parka has a bunch of great little details like the backpack straps – there’s also a little strap on the hood that makes the parka easy to pick up or hang.

Overall, I love my Kensington parka and am really glad I bought it. Yes, everyone has it. Last month in Paris, I was matching with lots of women and men, and a tough looking biker guy even gave me a thumbs up when roaring by because we had the same parka! So if you want to try to avoid matching with everyone, don’t buy black like me. Olive, navy, red, gray are all versatile and would make yours more unique.

However, this parka is so, so incredibly warm. And well designed. I would feel comfortable going to almost any cold climates with this packed. And, the handy backpack feature means that I can easily wear it as my “coat” on the plane…and save space in my luggage!

I hope this review helped some of you out there deciding on a Canada Goose parka! Here are some of my recommended places to find Canada Goose (I linked to my model, the Kensington).

Nordstrom: XS to XL

Bloomingdales: XS to XL

Neiman Marcus: XS to XL

Saks: XXS to XXL (preorder)

Revolve: XS to L

Shopbop: XXS to XL

A final note on pricing – it’s really hard to find Canada Goose on sale. The brand tightly controls its pricing and its rarely, if ever, eligible for any coupon codes. The one time I saw it on discount this year was during one of Shopbop’s “Friends and Family” super sales, and sizes disappeared in a flash. I paid full price for mine, and considered it money well spent.