I shop online in a way one might be tempted to label as “excessive.” Not that I buy a ton. But I am the type of shopper who fills up her online cart with a bunch of items, yet only occasionally hits the “proceed to checkout” button—kinda like when you swipe right with guys on Bumble, but then go back and have to reassess your decision when they’re in your match queue. Only instead of double checking that they don’t have any pictures of themselves posing with a dead fish from that one time they went fishing (seriously, WTF is up with this?), I’m double checking fabric composition and price and deciding if it’s really my style.

Because I rarely find something that I feel immediately connected to, when I felt an instant spark for a beige teddy jacket online at Zara, I knew I had to make it mine. It’s like they say about love: when you know, you know. And my instincts about beige teddy jackets were spot on. (Now, if only those same gut feelings extended to my dating life….) I did the only logical thing to do when true love is staring you in the face from the backlit glow of a computer screen: splurged for express shipping because when I find something I want I have to have it immediately. Related: “Learning to be more patient” is on my list of resolutions this year.

I’ve gotten more compliments since I added a beige teddy jacket into my style repertoire than I have on any other article of clothing I’ve owned. (My exact version is sold out on Zara’s site but you might have luck finding the fuzzy coat in store and there are a few still available for sale online secondhand, see here and here—plus, similar options aplenty that I’ve rounded up below.) Someone literally offered to buy it off of me at a bar. Like, chased me down as I was leaving because they were so enamored with it. This has never before happened to me in my life, and I should make it known that this event occurred when both parties were sober, and it was at a nice bar, not a sketchy one.

It was that whimsical bar incident that convinced me to make a beige teddy jacket part of my permanent winter aesthetic. I get compliments every time I wear it. It manages to be both a statement and a basic, because it’s the most neutral of neutral colors—beige—but fluffy so you look a bit like a Labradoodle—in a chic way.

No matter what you wear it with, a teddy jacket remains constant in its coziness.

Better still, it looks equally at home as the topper for a black leggings-and-sneakers look as it does over a dress with over-the-knee boots for a night out. It’s like a basic white T-shirt; it adapts to the aesthetic of the rest of your outfit. But no matter what you wear it with, a teddy jacket remains constant in its coziness.

Whenever I wear my teddy jacket, I inevitably run into another Los Angeles woman wearing one as well. You know how people with vintage cars salute other people with vintage cars by honking at them? (If you didn’t, now you do.) Yeah, us ladies with teddy jackets do basically the same thing only it’s a knowing smile and a tip of our almond milk lattes.

Shop my beige teddy jacket picks, below.

Alo Yoga Foxy Sherpa Jacket, $188

A super-soft iteration of the trend, complete with a removable hood and oversized silhouette.

I.Am.Gia Pixie Coat, $78

This jacket gets high marks in the oversized and omg so cozy categories. Its giant pockets that make carrying a purse a moot point are an added bonus.

Wilfred Free The Teddy Jacket, $188

Made from vegan sherpa, this jacket is basically a cocoon of coziness.

It may be chilly outside, but it’s actually the best time to buy summer clothes—here’s why. Also, the $22 slippers that are singlehandedly fighting off one editor’s winter blues.