Puffer Jackets Are Cool. Really?

I’m so curious what you ladies feel about the puffer jackets, which apparently seem to be making quite a comeback this cold season. What? I thought, fashion wise, I’d seen it all. Obviously I was wrong, cause the Michelin Man look is more IN that not.

When it comes to these puffers, my mind goes straight to my fashionably challenged, but otherwise happy childhood, when style wise, it was a nightmare. And I blame this on my mom, who, bless her, thought these horrendous coats were pretty cool. Or perhaps she didn’t give a damn, cause all she wanted was for me to not catch a cold. Fair enough. So there I was, for years and years and years, and more years in a row looking like a freaking marshmallow, that had more layers than a stupid cake and onion altogether. T-shirt, sweatshirt, sweater, the all present puffer, and as if that was not enough, a beanie, a scarf, mittens and some huge boots to balance off my top heavy layered body. Thank God for those, otherwise I’d have just flipped over. Don’t even get me started on the sound these jackets make. It was a why-don’t-I-blow-a-horn to let everyone know I’m coming, minutes before I was even in sight. Oh wait. I don’t have to. My jacket does that for me. Childhood fashion trauma. Now that’s something I never wanna relive.

Frankly I can see how on some people’s puffers look great, and I can also understand why we’d wanna resort to these, when the weather is kinda forcing us to. Which makes me wonder, has the fashion lot given in to comfort over style? A little bit. Some posh faces slash editors slash rich socialites donned these puffer coats at New York Fashion Week, but never without their skinny trousers, dresses, heels and all that glamour and drama. So this off-the-ski-slopes-look is a bit reinvented and adapted to style, but if you ask me (please keep in mind my trauma, which hence makes me biased) a puffer jacket would just make me look like an elephant in a china shop.

Remember that Seinfeld episode when George was wearing his huge puffer jacket and destroyed a whole store by just standing there. Exactly. Now, being anything but clam and subtle I’d literally crush everything in my way, while, due to my height, I’d be looking like a giant chicken, with skinny legs and massive body that’s on the edge on flipping over. Heels are out of discussion at this point. So I’ll just stick to my numerous layers and a coat. Thank you. Unless I’m skiing or something, but since that’s the one thing I can’t do, and I’ll never again be caught dead in the mountains (trauma #2. at this point you’re free to think the obvious: ”she’s pretty fucked up”), the outcome of the puffer for me, is pretty clear.

But, if there’s one thing fashion has taught me, it’s to never say never, so let’s be unbiased here for a sec and look at the bright side of the ugly puffer coat. In climates that can get freezing it’s the only thing that’ll actually keep you warm. It is comfy and snugly, to the point you might end up looking like you’re covered in your duvet and still lying in bed, but that’s another story. 2014 comes with a tiny help fashion wise. It offers a variety of styles, cuts and designs for the puffer look: waist cinged, long, short, massive, or less massive, colored, printed etc, etc, etc.

I realize one can look even great in a puffer, I have a friend that’s obsessed with these, so I know the other side of the story too. She wears them with anything, like I wear a coat. It does look good, if massive bodies and skinny legs is what you’re going for. Sorry pal. What I still don’t know, is if she wears them out of both style and comfort reasons equally, or just the latter? That is the question. Okay, promise to behave from now on. I would kinda sorta wear a puffer jacket for warmth reasons alone, if I found one that’s at least a bit flattering. I’d probably go for a black one either short or thigh-length, not too massive, fur trimmed, with skinny jeans (not cause I’d wanna emulate that giant chicken, but because larger pants would have people mistake me for a homeless demented woman) and less layers. I could even do a cropped top in ‘-‘ degrees. Ha! … … … … (wait. I’m giving the puffer a thought right now.)Or, I’d go over the top (that’s not at all impossible with a jacket that resembles a duvet) with a bright colored waist short puffer, like a bright red one, layered over a chunky knitted longer sweater. P.S. I just had an epiphany: could the puffer coat have made its comeback courtesy of celebs being spotted in them right before stripping off for red carpet event to get photographed in their revealing dresses? Or, cause it’s this jacket they choose to wear when running errands in cold temperatures and hiding from the paparazzi? Well… they’re obviously wearing them for style reasons. Some more street style pics for inspo. Eventually I can see what the fuss is with the puffer coats. They do not look that bad. Or as bad as I recall, but there’s still a ‘but’ for me.

Or maybe I’ve been just too traumatized.