How the cosy puffa got cool

AS THE country shivers in snow and rain, it’s time to wrap up in the most unladylike garment possible — the puffa jacket. Once maligned as too ‘Michelin man’ to be fashionable, the padded jacket has divided opinion since it first appeared on a catwalk in 1937. But now puffa jackets are the height of cosy cool. Balenciaga led the pack with last year’s red design, and celebrities including Rihanna and Kate Moss have been photographed posing in puffas. If you don’t have one in the attic from the Nineties, the High Street has plenty of affordable styles. Try North Face or Zara — and keep your bulky jacket feminine with a pair of slim-fit trousers.