We are seeing a winter in Europe and North America where outdoor activities are safer than ever. This includes eating out on the sidewalk with a heat lamp. Show-stopping outerwear is essential, but it must also be practical and warm. The puffer jacket or coat fits all these criteria and is an obvious choice for this season as well as the future fall winter season.
Tracking the Trend
Moncler is often credited with the promotion of the puffer coat as a luxurious fashion item. In recent seasons, the label has displayed hundreds of styles, from practical versions in its regular collections to extraordinary collaborations with designers like Richard Quinn, Simone Rocha, and J.W. Anderson.
Remember the amazing sight of puffer ball-gowns made in partnership with Valentino’s Pierpaolo piccioli in 2019?
It’s a brand that has roots back to 1952 when the company created padded sleeping bags in the mountains of Grenoble. A few years later, similar down jackets were created and the future’s key item was born.
We can’t forget about the New York designer Norma Kamali’s’sleeping bags coat’. Kamali took a camping trip to Upstate New York in the early seventies. She wrapped her sleeping bag around herself and raced for the trees when she had to go to the bathroom during a cold night. She was so inspired that she made a coat from the sleeping bag when she got back home. The coats were immediately a hit and she began selling them in 1973. The coat was worn by Cher, Elton John, and other legendary nightclubs like Studio 54. Updated versions are now available on the website.
Collections from New York, London, Milan, and Paris were filled with puffer jackets in every shape, size, and color for Fall/Winter 2021. Chris Leba designed the r13 brand in New York. It featured a reversible animal print/bright-red coat.
Both Ottolinger and Off-White showed intricately layered looks.
Kenzo was walked by an exuberant model in a boldly printed down jacket in green and beige, with maximum fold-over pockets.
Givenchy demonstrated to their audience how to make a long puffer coat look glamorous for evening.
Rick Owens wore coats that had a dystopian vibe to keep in line with his futuristic style.
Puffers At Retail
For the Resort 22 season, jackets and puffer coats were also displayed.
A wide range of puffer jackets and coats is now available at the retail level. Khaite, a New York-based company, was founded in 2016 by Catherine Holstein as the creative director. This season, Khaite offers several silhouettes including “The Jermaine”, a long-line zip up coat with knot collar and waist, and cuffs. There are also several styles of puffer jackets in short lengths, including two in black.
Rag & Bone is a new brand from New York. It offers several puffer styles this winter, including “Joelle”, which is available in solid or geometric colors.
Acne Studios, based in Stockholm, has both hooded and belted cotton/nylon puffer coats that are filled with recycled feathers and down.
