The Upper School Lost and Found is located in Hyde and Watson Gym, tucked away behind a nondescript door which opens up into a closet filled with hangers, boxes, and lots and lots of water bottles. Presently, there are plenty of sweaters and jackets and scarves. There is not, however, a plethora of super puffs in the closet, despite a current waitlist of six students who eagerly await their lost coat.

Reception and Operations Supervisor Sophie Hayes has been fielding requests for lost super puffs all month. “It started right after the holiday,” she says. “I started noticing a lot of requests for black Aritzia super puff jackets in the Lost and Found. And almost all of the requests are for the same size.”

Ms. Hayes has received 391 total Lost and Found requests so far, and 33 of those are for super puffs.

Requests have come in from students like Kayla Chin ’27, who briefly lost her jacket for one panicked afternoon. She admits it’s a popular coat. “I see a lot of people wearing the same jacket,” she says, speculating that it’s because it’s so cozy. “It’s really warm and very comfortable.”

Her coat was accidentally taken by her friend, since she has nearly the same black matte super puff. Kayla was relieved to get her super puff back.

And as for her friend?

“She doesn’t know where hers is,” says Kayla, though by the time of publication, her friend had found it.

The problem, it appears, is that so many have the super puff, and students are often haphazardly piling them up together, and then inadvertently picking up the wrong ones. “No one is putting their names in the jacket,” bemoans Ms. Hayes, “which I know is lame, but if it shows up in the Lost and Found, I can tell you right away, yes, I have your jacket.”

One super puff sat in the Lost and Found while a long list of names were looking for theirs, and the only clue to its owner was a photo strip in the pocket. Ms. Hayes went through all the names on the list until, by process of elimination, she found the student in the photo who had also filled out a Lost and Found form.

But most times, there are no clues, just a long list of names and suddenly chilly students, and an increasingly stressed-out Ms. Hayes. “I don’t ever want to step foot in an Aritzia again,” she says with considerable exhaustion. “I feel like Sisyphus and this is my rock.”

Her advice to super puff wearers everywhere? “If you see two black super puffs in a pile, don’t add yours to the pile.”

If Sophie Schachter ’27 could go back in time, she would certainly take that advice. Because she really misses her super puff. It was lost somewhere in the junior area, where more than a few super puffs were laying around.

“It’s a black extra-small super puff, regular length,” she says. “And she’s been gone since Thursday.” She didn’t have it for long. “I just got it,” she says with considerable sadness. “I’ve barely been able to enjoy her.”

The coat is popular for a reason. “It’s comfy. It’s matte. It’s waterproof. It’s a great jacket.” Sophie, who was wearing a hoodie at the time of her interview, says she has been pretty cold without her super puff. Surely she has another coat? “It’s not the same,” she insists stubbornly. “It’s not the same.”

Even though the super puff comes in different variations—“There’s a cropped, a regular, longer ones,” says Sophie—those differences are slight, and so they are easy to mix up. And besides, “It’s the black matte one that everyone has,” she says. “Because it goes with everything.”

When she reported it to Lost and Found, Ms. Hayes cautioned her to temper her expectations. “She pulled me aside and said, ‘I don’t think it’s gonna happen! We’ve got a lot of missing super puffs.’”

Of course, writing her name in the jacket still didn’t quite sound appealing. “It feels like something you do when you’re little. I feel like we should be able to handle our own jackets!” she insists, before adding, “but clearly not.”

She wonders briefly if it says something about trends in general. “I mean… maybe we should try to be more unique?” She pauses here. “Just… check the size. Check the pockets! Maybe we should all write our names in it.”

Meanwhile, Ms. Hayes continues to navigate the Lost and Found requests for this one coat, and, as she does so, she finds herself surrounded by super puffs. “Do you see?” she asks, pointing to the benches. “Look!”

There, piled precariously on the benches among instruments and backpacks, was a whole row of black super puffs. “That’s a super puff! This is a super puff! There are three… no, there are four in this section alone! And they’re all right next to each other.” She spots another one further down. “I bet that’s a super puff, too.” As she made her way to another row of benches, she counted five more. “There’s a super puff… there’s a super puff… Was that… nine? Ten? Just in this area!”

You just can’t get away from them.

Sophie is convinced everyone is wearing everyone else’s super puff. “They’re probably all in circulation,” she sighs, “and everyone has the wrong one.”

So, to the person who is unwittingly walking around in Sophie’s super puff, she has one plea: “Please bring her home safe,” she says. “That’s what I would say.”

“I’m gonna cry tears of joy if I get it back.”

And, maybe, just maybe, write her name in the coat.

 

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