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There's nothing like the first snowstorm of the season to reveal all of the glaring holes in your cold-weather wardrobe (literally and figuratively). If the first snowfall from this weekend (if you happen to live in a four-season climate) has you realizing that you could use a slightly warmer coat, a puffer will give you all the insulation you ever wanted, and then some. Luckily, menswear designers are really feeling the staple right now, so there are plenty of un-boring, ethically made options on shelves. If you want to double check that yours is made with integrity, look for quality seals like "traceable down" or "responsibly sourced down," or find a way to ensure the feathers were collected from the birds postmortem as a byproduct of the meat industry. As for which styles will make you look like a style god and not a dad about to snow-blow his driveway, here are four trends to look out for. We're in a sweet spot in the season where designer coats are all marked down—or will be in a week or two—so now's the time to get one.
Uncommon Fabrics
From pleather to velour and tweed, there are a lot of fun, odd-ball fabrics adorning puffer coats this winter. We dig Orlando Bloom's denim-like coat for a totally unconventional way to do double denim in sub-zero weather.
Royal Colors
A$AP Rocky's Burberry coat triples down on jewel tones but a coat that just uses one strong color is OK too. In addition to chinos, these bold-color puffers look good over your black and gray sweats going to and from the gym. Just make sure you bring a lock; a coat this hot is likely to get nabbed in the locker room.
Layer-Friendly Shapes
If you live in a warm climate and don't need serious fill power, or want the flexibility to layer another coat over your puffer, there are a variety of down shirt jackets, soft-shoulder bombers, and other shapes that lend themselves to experimentation. Miguel is taking full advantage.
Parka-Inspired Lengths
When you want to keep things exceedingly low key, not to mention warm, a parka-inspired puffer is a good idea. Between the longer length, big hood, and ample pockets, you'll feel like you're still in bed. Go with classic black like Jonah Smith or shake things up with a flashier style.
