A puffer gilet justifies its existence by filling a need your other layers can’t. It allows you to keep core temperature high without committing to sleeves. It fits in that gap between jumper and coat that most mens’ cold weather dressing fails to dress well. The ones worth buying have proper baffles rather than a token quilting print trying to pass as insulation, and enough filling for your torso to keep its shape when you slump your arms instead of collapsing into something that resembles a flat bib. Weight is important too. Go too heavy and you undo the point of a gilet, which is to provide warmth without the extra bulk under arms and across your back.
Fit is where most get it wrong.
Too fitted and it resembles a life jacket. Too roomy and it just adds unnecessary bulk. A good fit hugs through the shoulder and gives you enough room in the body to throw it over a jumper without straining at the zip. A stand collar or high neck will do more than you think, as it’s often the neck and shoulders that are left chilly when your arms are busy being wrapped up in whatever you’re wearing underneath.
Getting the styling right is mostly down to what you wear beneath and around it. Tucked into a fine knit and worn over a shirt collar it looks put together rather than entirely practical. Under a longer wool coat on legitimately freezing day it adds warmth without disrupting the line of the coat. Pair with straight trousers or jeans and boots and it can do the job of a jacket on a day where a jacket feels like overkill but a jumper isn’t quite enough. Cropped versions work best with higher waists, while longer gilets look better over trousers with a little length to them so you don’t lose the proportions at mid thigh.
In terms of occasion, this sits more on the every day side of things rather than being worth pulling out for something special: ideal for the school run, on travel days and for walking around before the temperature has quite decided what it wants to do. The aim isn’t to be the outfit, but to help the rest of your outfit work on days where otherwise you might be stuck wearing a much heavier coat. Think of it in those terms; as a layer rather than a statement and it’s one of the unsung heroes of winter dressing.
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