For those of us foolish enough to live in colder climates, owning a puffer jacket is an obvious necessity. What’s less obvious, however, is knowing how to style a puffer jacket without looking like a sentient sleeping bag or the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Because while puffers have been a practical menswear staple for more than a century—the Australian inventor and mountaineer George Finch pulled up to a 1922 Mount Everest expedition in a homemade “eiderdown coat” prototype, fashioned from hot air balloon fabric stuffed with duck feathers—actually looking cool in the voluminous, shape-deficient silhouette hasn’t gotten all that much easier.
It is, however, very much possible to stay toasty and stylish in a great puffer coat. Doing so simply requires a solid understanding of fit, proportions, and color—you gotta get playful and inventive with your wardrobe to overcome the frigid winter doldrums with flair. Here are six ways to do so correctly, courtesy of some of the best-dressed people to ever live.
Lean Into Gorpcore
Like any number of modern wardrobe essentials, the puffer jacket has its roots in outdoor adventuring—mountaineering, skiing, hiking, and the like. Complementing your technical zip-up with similarly rugged statement pieces, as Frank Ocean has done here with his beefy hiking boots and Arc’teryx beanie, makes all kind of sense. Just be sure to balance out all those campground classics with some street-ready counterparts—like Frank’s perfect washed jeans and oversized It bag—to avoid looking like a full-on REI model.
Prep Out
