A Bit of Puff

Puffer jackets shouldn't have been on the agenda when we were supposed to be waving off the last traces of summer.  The weather has somehow fast-forwarded to October and last night, there was a moment where I nearly switched on the central heating in what is my heat-incubator hovel of a flat.  I know 'down jacket' is the slightly posh and material-correct term here, perfectly apt for say Moncler's jackets, but how can I hark back to my teenage years when hanging around Brent Cross Shopping centre wandering aimelessly from shop to shop after school if I DIDN'T refer to them as puffas.  Emphasis on 'er' being replaced by the more powerful and singular 'A'.  Ya get me?

The humble puffa continues to make its way up in the world, competing against a slew of cashmeres, wools and furs this season as A/W 11-12 just keeps on birthing coats, coats and more coats.  Those with an infinity pool of dosh will have an enviable headache over what coat to buy (or else they'll just take em' all with one credit card sqipe…) and those with an infinity pool of smarts will hunt out more affordable options.  As yet, the puffas haven't landed properly on high street and co. just yet but these tasty morsels from the catwalks elevate puffa norms to give me hope that I might yet have another crack with PUFFA 2.0.  Preferably with less loitering around shopping centres this time round.  

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Marios Schwab got his puffa on way back in A/W 07 when that iconic puffa peplum jacket was created.  For A/W 11-12, he revisits this idea taking puffa elements and turning them into dresses and waist-cinching jackets.  The way he moulds all that padded nylon deters you from naive thoughts such as "Puffa = Michelin Man" and is thoroughly appropriate for the way Schwab sculpts bodies… 

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There's still so much to be said about Thakoon's Masai Plaid pattern that has somewhat invaded my brain.  Let's tackle it in puffa form though.  Cinched waist, snappers and an overlapping flared out bustle at the back is what makes this on-form puffa.  In a collection that stepped a little bit outside of Thakoon's comfort zone, the puffas were actually the standout items. Black is definitely the 'mum' option for those that are looking for 'sensible' coats.  Who wants sensible though when there's red and blue plaid pattern on offer.  Better still, in the show there was bubblegum pink version that is less puffa and more quilted but for the shade alone, I'll overlook that.  

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Alright, this Alexander Wang 'blush hybrid car coat with detachable fox fur collar' definitely isn't puffa.  It really only nods to a hint of puffa with the sleeves that have been quilted at the sides.  I've bunged this in because there was in fact more puffa action in the rest of the A/W 11-12 collection and what I particularly liked, was the piss taking of rich bitches on piste in their flashy down jackets – all of the usual notions of luxurious outerwear becomes erm… well… luxurious outerwear in the hands of Wang.  Oh well, tongue and cheek still comes with a pricetag.  

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This is another one for the 'mum'.  This DKNY puffa coat is quite reserved in its puffiness and happens to be a 2-in-1 coat and jacket combo.  In a sensible shade of school navy no less.  I'm normally not into the multi-function thing but a coat that detaches at the bottom to become a jacket seems like a fairly non-fandangled piece.  I only wish it came in the Opal Fruits hues of the DKNY show where they had knitted puffas in red and pink/orange houndstooth…  

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Rick Owens has a taste for the padded coat and it's a cornerstone in most of their A/W collections but I do like that for A/W 11-12 American couturier Charles James suddenly emerges as an unexpected reference and the shapes become bulbous, peaked at shoulders, sumptuous and less severe than yer' normal Owens affair… 

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With their wide myriad of outerwear options, it's not surprising Burberry would have a few puffa options up their sleeves and I like that this one is elongated in puffa length.  The reason why I chucked this one in was because I had to point out the website's Personal Assistance Call Line.  When I last assessed Burberry's e-commerce site, I said it was a bit pants to navigate.  But the fact that there's someone at the end of the phone who will call you up straight away to help you at any given hour is pretty awesome.  I asked some random question about the lining.  The poor woman didn't know what the lining was made out of but that's not the point… 

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Following on from the last Cheap Monday post, I thought it best to vaguely try and weigh in on the 'lower end' puffa market with these pieces that are in its A/W 11-12 collection.  Puffa jacket tied awkwardly around the waist reminds me of the strange contradiction of summer when youfs from my area would walk around topless but with a big hulking puffa around the waist.  It can also be interpreted as a bit Junya too depending on how you look at it… 

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…and so last but not least, how could I be talking puffas and NOT mention Junya Watanabe who has shown his ninja mastery with puffa on numerous occasions.  These archive pieces from the A/W 04 are still available from Far Fetch via Anastasia Boutique in Laguna Beach, CA.  Who knew that when I was hanging out in Huntingdon a few weeks ago, I was a short drive away from Junya archive.  Not that the thought of puffa even entered my mind in that blistering heat…