Columbia Whirligirl Jacket - Girls' - 2007 BCS

We read some of the other comments on sizing and were a bit concerned as our 9 year old girl is slim and tall for her age. After store visits we found that many of Columbia's current line are cut this way and the store selections were poor. So we decided to take a chance - the end result is the jacket fits her very well - it helped that we knew the Columbia sizing from store visits. It is a shortish ski jacket style fit (not a parka) so there is a risk we won't get two winters out of it. However the powder skirt eliminated any concern over length - it wraps and grips on her skipants and nothing gets through. It is insulated, warm for skiing, but not too bulky. Overall the detail is excellent - it really looks great on her and has a real subtle sporty style about it.

This great looking jacket turns out to be cut in such an odd way that it was impossible to get the right size. The 10-12 was oddly small on my daughter - a very normal size 10, but the sleeves were just right; the 14-16 fit in the body, but the sleeves were enormous, cut to fit an adult.

The photos don't do this jacket justice. It has an amazing lining - white with black swirls - and the colors and styling are just great. My daughter's eyes grew big when she saw it (and she is SO particular). Unfortunately the size 10-12 I ordered for my 9-year-old fit her like an 8. I have ordered the 14-16, fingers crossed!