It’s cold. You don’t want to get out of bed in the morning, let alone go outside. What you need is a duvet coat. But chances are you already have one; no other garment has taken such a hold of our wardrobes in the last few years. And it’s not hard to see why. Who wouldn’t want a wearable eiderdown? With a good down coat, every day’s a duvet day.
While the puffer jacket has its origins in mountain climbing kit and survival wear – Moncler’s down jackets started out in the early 1950s as sleeping bags – it’s not new as a fashion item. The innovative American couturier Charles James was making glamorous quilted coats way back in 1937 – an evening jacket of exquisitely stitched white satin inspired by an eiderdown. More recently, since Demna Gvasalia found a way of channelling the essence of the Spanish couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga into a contemporary padded work of architectural design, the down jacket has been elevated to the ultimate urban fashion statement.
The thing about the down coat is its universal appeal. It transcends age, gender, and economic status. On a recent trip around Dover Street Market with my 14-year-old daughter, a pneumatic white North Face x Sacai jacket was the one garment that stopped us both in our tracks. For her, nothing can beat North Face (OK, maybe a silver Tommy Hilfiger x Gigi Hadid version might pip it). For me, Sacai can do no wrong. It’s the magic combination.
For brands up and down the spectrum, the down coat has become an essential. Denim hand-weave specialist Faustine Steinmetz included a particularly puffed up version in her A/W17 collection. If want to invest in a quilted coat by Off-White by Virgil Abloh you will be noticed – those oversized crossed arrows printed over camouflage will do nicely. But there’s endless choice; every designer has one, from Gucci to Burberry, Ralph Lauren to Raf Simons.
If you’re not on a four-figure budget (or even if you are), Uniqlo has made a speciality of its ultra light down jackets that you can squidge up small enough to fit in your pocket (and helpfully, your wardrobe). French designer Christophe Lemaire’s Uniqlo U reversible down coat is big and flouncy, like an outdoor dressing gown.
For those of us who want to be sure no birds were plucked alive in the creation of feather-filled coats, there are options too. Along with Patagonia and Uniqlo, Ecoalf operates ethical sourcing policies for its down. The Spanish outerwear brand also uses a range of innovative materials for its coats, including polyester made from recycled fishing nets and plastic waste from the ocean. Nobody wants their dream coat to be an environmental nightmare.
Now, what time did you set your alarm clock for?
