The Eight Best Puffer Jackets for Staying Warm in Cold Winter Weather

When an AI-generated image of Pope Francis wearing a full-length white puffer coat ricocheted around the internet in March, the primary reaction was to fret over how susceptible society is to photo fakery. But perhaps another lesson from the incident: The right puffer can make even the pontiff look cool. “Puffers are literally huge at the moment,” says Hannah Kane, author of The Style Thesaurus ($35, Laurence King). “They are easy to wear because they’re practical, light and warm, but they’re also very voluminous. So they are obviously a big statement.”

The growth of this ever-puffing universe can be seen not only on the streets of New York, where Uniqlo’s standard coats are the keystone piece of many urbanites’ winter uniform, but also in the financial reports of brands such as Moncler SpA, whose revenue in the first half of 2023 rose 29% from the same period last year. The company just completed a significant expansion of its factory in Bacau, Romania. Moncler’s opulently styled (and priced) winter wear isn’t for everyone, but it won’t take a papal miracle to find a puffer to fit your taste, geography and lifestyle.