Coldwater Creek Review

About Coldwater Creek

To some women, Coldwater Creek is an “old lady store.” To others, it’s the perfect clothing store for them, no matter their size or age. College grads and grandmas, come on down — you’re invited to Coldwater Creek, which is indeed a women’s clothing store and website, not a creek.

Featured in New York Times, Business Insider, Fashionista, Racked, and other publications, Coldwater Creek is no slouch when it comes to their media presence. Though their demographic is typically older, they still have nearly 25k followers on their socials.

This Coldwater Creek review will break down all the need-to-knows for an informed purchase: brand background and founding, best-selling products, customer reviews, shipping and return policies, and other FAQs.

Overview of Coldwater Creek

Back in 1984, Dennis and Ann Pence welcomed Coldwater Creek to the world. At the time, the formerly married couple lived in Manhattan, but they up and left to Sandpoint, Idaho. Why? To start a clothing company, of course.

Coldwater Creek was originally a direct mail business. Basically, they released catalogs in the local newspaper, and customers would order by telephone. The biz itself all took place from inside the Pences’ small condo where they would mail out orders to customers directly.

But soon enough, things changed. The Coldwater Creek legacy turned into one with actual stores where people could come in and shop for real. Then, that flourished into an e-commerce website, too. Today, Coldwater Creek’s headquarters are located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The company shut down in-person and online business in 2020 due to the pandemic, but they opened back up in 2021 after being bought by a new owner, Newtimes Group. 

As far as missions and values go, Coldwater Creek is pretty simple: they “want to inspire you every day,” because you inspire them. They want to make clothes that are simple but artistically sound and well-made. Their fashion is full of special-touch details that make CWC just what it is.

And now for a point-form overview of this Coldwater Creek review – the highlights:

Highlights

• Offers a variety of fashionable clothes for women, including dresses, pants, sweaters, and a whole lot in between
• Positive customer reviews of fashion, quality, and customer service
• Size inclusivity from petite to plus size
• Expedited shipping options
• New clothes released each season

Now it’s time in our Coldwater Creek review to actually see the products themselves. We’ll look at the best of the best-sellers, so you’re seeing what buyers love the most and giving the brand a fair shot at dazzling you.

Note: prices vary according to your size. Misses = regular size. Petite = petite size. Women’s = plus size.

Coldwater Creek Dresses Review

So, you want to see some bestselling Coldwater Creek dresses. Well, these are various styles and will give you a good glimpse of what CWC has to offer for dress lovers.

Coldwater Creek Into the Garden Tiered Maxi Dress Review

The Into the Garden Tiered Maxi Dress is a vintage, bohemian sort of dress. The dark colors with maroon and beige patterns cover the entire beautiful length of it.

The dress has a scoop neck and short sleeves, making it breezy to put on and wear around. With a relaxed fit, you’ll be twirling down the street in a comfy, casual, but still something-special dress. This gorgeous Into the Garden Tiered Maxi Dress is made of 100% cotton.

Now, here are the length and price of each size:

• Misses (50”) – $82 sale price, $118 regular 
• Petite (47”) – $82 sale price, $118 regular 
• Women’s (50”) – $94 sale price, $134 regular 

Coldwater Creek Saguaro Desert Embroidered Dress Review

The Saguaro Desert Embroidered Dress is a simple piece that will flatter any size with its empire waist style. It is basically a pullover dress with a back tie and fitted bodice. 

The skirt is loose, providing a dreamy look and a comfy fit. It has short sleeves and is perfect for a nice summer/spring day out. This garment is made out of rayon, linen, and spandex.

Unfortunately, because the dress is currently sold out, the prices aren’t listed, but these are the dimensions for the length of this maxi:

• Misses – 50”
• Petite – 47”
• Women’s – 50”

Coldwater Creek Cowlneck Sweater Dress Review

The Cowlneck Sweater Dress looks absolutely lovely. The color is a warm Mocha, which is a welcoming, neutral light brown. It’s the perfect shade to complement a warm pullover dress like this.

Plus, with the cowlneck — which is sort of like a turtleneck but looser — this dress is fall-tastic chic. The sleeves are long and the length should be just above your knee. 

Made of acrylic, the Cowlneck Sweater Dress is slightly textured and well-made.

Here’s how much it costs:

• Misses (38”) – $130
• Petite (36”) – $130
• Women’s (40”) – $145

Coldwater Creek Pants Review

Next up, Coldwater Creek makes some pretty cool pants, too. We couldn’t leave out some customer favorites when it comes to bottoms, otherwise, you wouldn’t get a fair picture of the brand’s style. 

Remember, prices vary by size since the brand offers quite the inclusive range.

Coldwater Creek Nightfall Easy Pants Review

The Nightfall Easy Pants are adorable pants with a relaxed, elastic waist fit. They are wide-legged and loose, so they won’t leave you feeling constricted. You can breathe a sigh of relief in and about these pants.

The design has a dark blue background with a floral pattern on top, adorning your legs in lighter blue, white, and orange-red flowers and vines.

And now for the inseam dimensions and prices:

• Misses (30”) – $98
• Petite (27”) – $98
• Women’s (30”) – $108

Coldwater Creek Ponte Perfect Holly Pants Review

The Ponte Perfect Holly Pants are a reliable pair of work pants. The rayon, nylon, and spandex materials make the design about being comfortable even when you’re dressing more sophisticated.

Coldwater Creek’s Ponte Perfect Holly Pants actually come in seven colors, including a stunning array of greys and blues. These are specially available in tall and women’s tall sizes, too, so everyone can enjoy comfort and a flattering fit.

Here are your prices and inseams:

• Misses (31”) – $70
• Petite (28”) – $70
• Women’s (31”) – $80
• Tall (34”) – $70
• Women’s Tall (34”) – $80

Coldwater Creek Sweaters Review

Lastly, our Coldwater Creek review has arrived in Sweater Land. These are two outstanding styles that customers are two-thumbs-up-ing. 

Coldwater Creek Autumn Leaves Shaker Sweater Review

This Autumn Leaves Shaker Sweater is a cool one. It’s classic and vintage and trendy all in one. Embroidered fall-festive leaves decorate a warm midnight-blue sweater, giving it that extra somethin’-somethin’. If you’re a big fan of fall, this is a fun sweater to show your autumnal spirit.

This cozy number is a midweight cotton/acrylic pullover. It still comes with a relaxed fit, so it’s a good one to throw on whenever and wherever you go.

For prices and length dimensions, do observe below:

• Misses (25”) – $70 sale price, $80 regular
• Petite (24”) – $70 sale price, $80 regular
• Women’s (26”) – $75 sale price, $90 regular

Coldwater Creek Gallup Lodge Sweater Jacket Review

The Gallup Lodge Sweater Jacket is a loose, long sweater adorned with classically fall colors, red and orange. A pinch of blue and white is on there too to make it more colorful without being too loud and in-your-face about it, you know?

Made of a cotton, rayon, and nylon blend, this sweater jacket is comfy and midweight. The length of it should fall to about hip level. 

The Gallup Lodge Sweater Jacket has a trendy stand collar and wide sleeves, which make the whole look more youthful somehow. Also, three cheers for pockets, because you get two of those in the front.

Ready to see some prices?

• Misses (25”) – $140
• Petite (24”) – $140
• Women’s (27”) – $155

Who Is Coldwater Creek For? 

This is the exciting thing: Coldwater Creek is for adult women of all sizes and ages. They have a very size-inclusive line, ranging from petite to standard to plus sizes. Sizes go up to 3X.

Many people think of this brand as just for older women, but plenty of younger women enjoy their styles, too. With vintage, unique, and classic pieces, Coldwater Creek might just surprise you.

Coldwater Creek Reviews: What Do Customers Think?

So, that’s how our Coldwater Creek review fares. But here’s something: how is the brand according to their customers?

Yes, we need customer reviews to determine our verdict, so we’re going to take a look at testimonials from Instagram, Reddit, Sitejabber, and the Better Business Bureau (BBB). The brand site itself doesn’t have reviews on it, so we’ll just have to stick to external sources.

Firstly, let’s dip our toes in the water with Instagram, since reviews here aren’t extensive. But a few customers commented brief thoughts on Coldwater Creek, using such words as “gorgeous,” “lovely,” “beautiful” and other flattering adjectives to describe their stylish yet comfy clothes.

Instagram reviews seemed to mostly just praise the fashion design of the clothes, fitting a range of body types and ages.

Now, over on Reddit, women in the subreddit for female fashion advice discussed the brand’s surprising amount of wearable “grandma” clothes that prove old ladies are, in fact, ahead of the curve after all. One commented that they have “some really pretty jewelry” along with their clothes.

Another fan’s Coldwater Creek review on Reddit said:

“​​I (23 y/o) have a bunch of really cool, unique, and well-made clothes from Coldwater Creek … I’ve had surprisingly good luck with them and people are always surprised at the brand! Turning into my mom, lol.”

People seem to really appreciate how inclusive the brand is. The clothes are meant to fit actual, real adult bodies (can you believe it?) and they suit grandmas and twenty-somethings alike.

Similarly positive feedback about size inclusivity and product quality can be spotted on Sitejabber. 

Multiple reviews call the brand a “favourite” store because of its consistently high-quality, “comfortable and professional” clothes, plus an easy ordering process, kind customer service, and clothes that are vintage, modern, and classic all at once. This customer wrote:

“Love it, love it, love it. The clothing from Coldwater Creek is first rate — excellent quality and size range. There is no upcharge in prices for petite, women’s, or tall clothing. The organization of the website is very good … it makes navigating and specific item searches very easy.”

Customers say their clothes get them constant compliments and aren’t deceptively pictured on the site — they are consistently “received as depicted.” One wrote, “few companies have clothes that fit me so well.”

Of customer service, this Coldwater Creek review praises their helpfulness, patience, expertise, and attentiveness:

“They obviously take their customer’s satisfaction seriously — and they work at making the customer happy. The telephone reps are wonderfully informed and can and will search not only warehouse but store inventories to find the right size/color for particular items that you want.”

Lastly, just one more positive review on Sitejabber, because there were quite a few ones and we believe in a ‘sharing is caring’ philosophy:

“Clothes are trendy AND classic types that hold up well & I’ve got some “vintage” stuff! I’ve been a customer for many years and shop website as well as stores. Prices can get a little high for some items, but usually a sale or promotion helps make it affordable.”

So there you have it on customer reviews. 

…Well, actually, not quite. There are still some complaints about delayed shipping, returns, and customer service. Not every order ends with smiles because of the inevitable shipping problems every online store will have with some customers.

However, the brand does respond to many complaints on BBB (netting them a score of B-) in order to resolve problems with customers, reminding them, “your satisfaction matters.”

All in all, reviews of Coldwater Creek are pretty tight. People love the quality, customer service, reasonable prices, fashionable and unique styles, and size inclusivity. All of these ingredients make for some happy customers.

Is Coldwater Creek Worth It?

As we near the conclusion of our review, we have to admit: Coldwater Creek is worth it. Their styles are surprisingly unique. The CWC style is distinctive, and yet it offers an impressive amount of diversity to flatter women of all sizes and ages.

There are many positive reviews about the fashion variety offered with comfortable fits, but perhaps even more people appreciate the size inclusivity. Coldwater Creek stands out from competitors in that they actually have petite XS all the way up to plus size 3X. 

Loyal customers keep coming back for more because the store is thoughtful and considerate with their sizes. And the clothes aren’t just available in different sizes — they are also designed to flatter all bodies, not just the size 0s and 2s.

Also, Coldwater Creek clothing is decently priced. The brand is neither fast fashion nor designer, so their clothing is pretty reasonably priced. It all depends on your budget, of course, and CWC often has great sales to watch out for.

Coldwater Creek Promotions & Discounts 

In our Coldwater Creek review, we didn’t find any active deals to report, but we do have these tips that might save you a pretty penny (whatever that means):

• Sign up for the newsletter to hear about the latest Coldwater Creek promo
• Follow them on Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest

Where to Buy Coldwater Creek

Since Coldwater Creek closed all their in-person stores during the pandemic, they are now just selling online at coldwatercreek.com and through the old-fashioned way of phone calls and catalogs.

FAQ

Who owns Coldwater Creek?

Our Coldwater Creek review found that the brand is owned by Newtimes Group as of 2020. After Coldwater Creek shut down in the pandemic, this new parent company from Hong Kong swept in to save the day and get them back on their feet.

Where can I find size charts?

You can find detailed size charts on the website, coldwatercreek.com. Sizes range from petite XS to 3X plus sizes.

Can I place an order with Coldwater Creek over the phone?

With their humble beginnings as a direct mail business, yes. You can still place an order with Coldwater Creek over the phone, at this number to be exact: 888-678-5576.

What is Coldwater Creek’s Shipping Policy?

Coldwater Creek ships within the United States only, via USPS and FedEx. There is no international shipping to Canada or elsewhere, unfortunately. 

Shipping fees depend on the size of your order. The larger your order is, the higher your shipping costs are.

For orders under $50:

• Standard (4-8 business days) – $9
• 2nd Day (2 business days) – $14
• Overnight (1 business day) – $19

For orders between $50–$100:

• Standard – $13
• 2nd Day – $18
• Overnight – $23

Orders over $100 have a $2 increase in shipping fees per $50 increment of order totals between $100-$150, $150-$200, and $200+.

For shipping to Alaska and Hawaii, the standard delivery time is about 11-16 business days. US Territories are 15-20 business days.

What is Coldwater Creek’s Return Policy?

The brand accepts returns within 90 days of purchase if your item is unused and unwashed. Returns aren’t free, though: an $8 fee will be deducted from your total to account for shipping.

To make a return, just use the SmartLabel already included in your package. Once you send the returned package on her way, it will take about 14 days to process the return, and then 1-2 weeks to receive your refund.

How to Contact Coldwater Creek

So, you’ve reached the end of our Coldwater Creek review but have more questions. What now? You can contact them directly:

• Email [email protected]
• Call 888-678-5576

Their customer service will be ready to assist you on Monday to Friday from 8 am to 10 pm EST or on weekends from 8 am to 8 pm EST.

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