There’s nothing to fear in the puffer jacket trend

Don’t be dubious of infinitely practical trends, says The Kit’s editor-at-large

“I have been seeing big, big oversized puffers on young cool women (and, OK, on Instagram) and I’m wondering if it’s a trend anyone can pull off or if I should stick with something more conservative. What do you think?” Beth, Toronto

There is a middle school right near my home and so I often take a moment to watch the hordes of teenagers ambling to school and think wistfully about my own youth while drinking my coffee — perhaps the official activity of the notyoung. Then normally, when winter rolls around, I watch with a literal shiver as those teens dress seemingly in protest to the weather — cropped jackets worn open, or no jackets at all; gangly creatures made of only exposed ears and bare ankles, as though being cold is the only way to be cool. Of course, I did the same while growing up in frigid Montreal. I remember rolling my eyes at the mere idea of wearing gloves or any weather-appropriate gear as the mercury plunged into the frostbite zone. So I understand the impulse to be one of the cool kids, regardless of practicality.

But my previous absurd behaviour was almost worth it since it has given me a true appreciation for the rare beauty of the moment we’re faced with: One in which style has dovetailed with sensibleness. In fact, when I first clocked the massively oversized puffer jacket trend, I nearly clapped with delight. I felt the same way when sneakers replaced bunion-inducing stilettos as the go-to for cool kids. I mean … one doesn’t often get a gift like that — especially given the year we’ve been having.

“I’m surprised people think a big puffer is a hard piece to add to your wardrobe,” star stylist Annie Horth said when I called her. She’s an editorial genius who has worked with style star Celine Dion and many other boldface names and now also serves as a chief creative officer for Montreal’s heritage outerwear brand Kanuk. “I have an obsession with coats and I like them to feel like they’re a blanket in the winter, so, for me, it’s become a staple.”

After all, Horth says, we Canadians must slog through interminable winters, so coats should serve as a beacon of joy and comfort. (She has never let a helpful waiter hang her coat at a restaurant — she always keeps it with her. “It’s part of my outfit!”) So while there is nothing wrong with a sleek black puffer — a gateway puffer, if you will — there is nothing really right with it, either. A coat that makes no statement at all is nothing more than an expensive missed opportunity.

The ideal puffer right now, Horth says, has a “borrowed from the men’s department” vibe. “It’s more utilitarian, it has a few practical pockets and a lot of volume.” If you haven’t experimented with bigger-is-better outerwear and feel weird about wearing a larger proportion, take a moment to dig into that and ask yourself why. “As women, when we work to accept our own bodies, we become more able to embrace different shapes and styles,” says Horth. “Whereas years ago, everyone was inclined to have a very sleek silhouette, now I think we can feel freer.” In short: You are free to ponder which shape brings you warmth and delight without always reactively choosing the shape designed to confer only slimness.

Besides, Horth says with a laugh: “If you wear this style for a couple of months, you’ll see that you get compliments every day and you’ve grown to love it.”

Horth has also loved seeing petite women gravitating toward one of Kanuk’s full-length styles, eschewing the idea that shorter women must wear shorter coats. “They’re wearing that long coat with flats and it looks so cute!” she exclaims. “You’ve got to try on a couple of styles and accept that it’s super important to have fun with fashion — yes, even a winter coat. It needs to keep you warm, and it doesn’t have to be serious.”

In fact, says Horth, she’s seen a welcome influx of colour into the market lately, disrupting the previous landscape of all-black-everything. I know, it can seem like a lot to suggest that you add a splash of colour while you’re already wrapping your head around a new silhouette, but bold hues are actually very practical cold-weather options. “In the winter, we tend to dress much more neutrally than in the summertime, so adding a pale coat or a bright pop of colour over those dark, neutral underpinnings really works,” Horth says. “Colours are so easy to mix when you’re largely wearing the charcoal grey or subdued tones of winter.”

It becomes even easier to pair an outfit with a big, bold puffer when you realize that you really don’t need to wear much at all underneath one — the ultimate benefit of a pillowy, warm coat. “You can be dressed quite lightly in a slim outfit,” says Horth. And that play of proportion makes for a very intentional look — balance is, after all, the key to style.

So take a deep breath and dive right into a giant puffer; play around with the perfect pairings and challenge yourself to be bold with colour. It may take a moment for your eye to adjust to the silhouette, but I believe that it will. After all, it’s nice to be trendy, but it’s even nicer to be tremendously comfortable. “A puffer is always going to work,” agrees Horth. “That’s the beauty of it.”