Even though many of us in the North East spent our holidays in short sleeve shirts, we knew that old man winter would eventually make an appearance. With the fresh blanket of snow on the ground, everyone is scrambling to keep warm and one of the favorite outerwear pieces of the season is the puffer jacket. The originator of today’s puffer jacket was one of the foremost creator of outdoor wear: Eddie Bauer. During the 1930’s, Bauer was on a fishing trip in Washington State and he was at real risk for hypothermia when his wool coat was saturated with water and the temperature was dropping with the sunset. He did manage to make his way back to civilization and his goal from that point on was to make a coat that would stay dry and be able to withstand the elements.
There is also a more lightweight version of the down puffer coat, like this metallic brown one from J. Crew, which has the smaller gussets of down that will keep things more compact, in order to get the same warmth in a less bulky jacket. This allows you to layer other items underneath without looking like the Michelin Man. They even have developed down jackets that are able to be rolled up into a ball or bag for easy packing like these from North Face.
The puffer jacket even has move onto the luxury category for men, like this one with the mixed media of a knit collar, a diamond-quilted navy fabric, vest-like body with leather pockets, trim, and sleeves. The mixed media coupled with the button down placket and bright suit jacket lining elevate this puffer jacket to a modern level.
