Emily Ratajkowski in a North Face Puffer
via @emrata on TikTok
The puffer jacket is the great equalizer. No matter who you are, what you look like, or where you’re from, when temperatures fall to freezing, you pull out your puffer jacket and join the rest of us cold, huddled masses shivering in solidarity.
We’ve all been there … getting all dressed up with somewhere to go … only to have your look utterly annihilated when you pile on that bulky-bulgy winter coat. I hate fussy coats. Wearing them on the subway, making a whole ordeal of stepping out to the bodega, peeling them off at a dinner party — when will it end?
But luckily, in recent years, the winter coat got a major style upgrade. Coats are no longer necessary evils. Goodbye to parka eyesores. Hello to the cute, trendy puffer jacket.
2022 has humbled me in a lot of ways. Not the least of which is the return of adolescent fashion trends. Bella Hadid brought UGGs back! Birkenstock Bostons are fall’s hottest fashion trend. And I’m not sure what’s more egregious, the dominance of Y2K maximalism or the rise of low-rise.
But one trend I’m eager to get behind is the puffer jacket renaissance. Cute, cropped, and cozy, I’m finally excited to dig out my winter wardrobe. And it’s all thanks to this hip and functional piece. My mother would be so proud.
The thing about winter coats is this: they’re eternally a smashing investment. When they’re well made and well styled, they last throughout the years and endure every fashion trend. No matter how much you drop on your winter coverup, the cost per use will make it worth it. Investing now means not flinging your cash away on cheap, trendy jackets that will not last through Valentine’s Day.
You know it’s a trend when it has its whimsical name on social media. So now puffers have been dubbed the “cloud coat.” Seen on the likes of Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner, the cloud coat is the hottest thing for frigid months.
If you needed any more proof that this is the it piece of the season, here you have it: EmRata, in her newly inaugurated Bitch Era, just wore a cropped puffer jacket on her basketball date with Pete Davidson.
Sitting courtside to watch the Knicks in NYC, EmRata wore an irresistibly casual outfit: a cropped puffer, a pair of skinny jeans, and knee-high boots. I shall be parading about in this simple outfit formula all winter. If EmRata likes herself a cozy little cropped coat, who am I to disagree?
This outfit has already been plastered all over social media. And for good reason. In a sea of unattainable outfits and extravagant party looks, I crave the simplicity of a winter coat. Even EmRata gets cold. Even EmRata dresses for the weather. And even EmRata probably hears the voice of her mother in her head before heading out in the snow and ice, saying bundle up — what if you get chilly?
Don’t get shut out in the cold. Puffer jackets are all the rage. Shop now before the temperature drop even further. It’s worth the investment, even if it doesn’t land you a date with Pete Davidson.
Here are the most stylish, cute-n-comfy coats to add to your winter wishlist:
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