I am seeing all kinds of puffer jackets these days, but can they ever really be professional? Wearing a down jacket (or whatever they are made of now) to the office seems like a sign of immaturity, like carrying a backpack. Am I wrong, or does my puffer make me look like a kid? — Dave, Chicago
The evolution of the puffer jacket, like so much of fashion, is really about our own cultural, political and commercial evolution. I’m serious!
Once upon a time a puffer was a functional garment for very cold weather activities, the grown-up equivalent of a toddler’s snowsuit, made mostly for enduring winter and its related sports. It was designed, above all, for practicality: warmth, insulation and standing out in the wilderness.
By contrast, the classic tailored overcoat or Crombie coat — wool, tweed or cashmere, single-breasted, usually reaching to the knee or mid-thigh — was one of those garments that, like a sensible leather shoe, signaled adulthood and one’s ascent into the work force.
When office dress codes relaxed and comfort clothing took over the world, the overcoat increasingly seemed like an anachronism. (And don’t even get me started on its more formal cold-weather sibling, the fur jacket, which finally met its match with animal rights activists.)
By then, the puffer, like so many other once banal garments, had been appropriated by the hip-hop world, making it a feature of the urban landscape rather than the outdoor rec world. Puffer specialists like Moncler and Canada Goose, sensing opportunity, began framing themselves and their down coats less as sporty outerwear and more as fashion statements.
All of which means that at this point the question is not where can you wear a puffer — you can wear it anywhere, including any kind of office — but rather what kind of puffer should you wear? Because not all puffers are created equal. There are puffers that scream “off-piste ski bum” and puffers that telegraph “Succession”-style quiet luxury; puffers that say “wellness is my priority” and puffers that denote downtown cool.
The first thing to consider is whether you go with a puffer or a parka. A puffer is generally a more quilted, bulky (even if lightweight) coat. A parka is longer, sleeker and a little tougher. Recently, for example, my colleague Jacob Gallagher told me: “I got in the elevator and a neighbor was wearing this Arc’teryx coat that was so sleek, a real finishing school parka. To me, it typified how you can successfully professionalize a down jacket.”
Then you need to think about color. Increasingly, the sports world has embraced ever brighter, more techno shades in various combination. So choosing this kind of coat essentially communicates, “I’m a frustrated downhill racer and activity is a priority.” (It’s the more obvious equivalent of a Garmin or Apple watch.) Typically conservative colors like black, dark gray or even olive keep the mind in overcoat territory.
Finally, take fabric into account. “Classic nylon styles from Uniqlo or the North Face tend to look more appropriate for errands or hiking,” Robert Burke, the former men’s fashion director of Bergdorf Goodman and the founder of a luxury consultancy, told me. But, he said, puffers in cashmere knit and suede are what he calls “upgraded puffers,” which work equally well at the office and out to dinner.
Whatever you choose, though, if it is making you feel insecure because it is sending you down a wormhole to the coats of childhood (one of the wonderful, and complicated, properties of clothing), remember, as Jacob pointed out, one of the most adult decisions you can make is to “dress appropriately for the cold.”
Your Style Questions, Answered
Every week on Open Thread, Vanessa will answer a reader’s fashion-related question, which you can send to her anytime via email or X. Questions are edited and condensed.
Vanessa Friedman has been the fashion director and chief fashion critic for The Times since 2014.
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