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In my teens, circa 1980, I often felt like Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a nonconformist loner in a Navy-issue pea coat amid a sea of showboating ducks and geese. Nearly every guy in my Main Line Philadelphia high school was proudly zipped and snapped into an Eddie Bauer, North Face, Patagonia or department-store-brand down jacket or two-toned down vest -- often with the built-in statussymbol of a weathered ski lift ticket (or five) flapping about on its jumbo zipper pull.










My high school memory is just one in a lengthy birds-of-a-feather chain. The puffer jacket -- a nylon-cotton shell stuffed with fowl feathers invented by Eddie Bauer in 1936 -- has long held a place as a men's sportswear status symbol. It is a somewhat impressive feat, considering the garment's origins as rugged cold-weather vestment for Everest expeditions, hunting adventures and simply keeping warm and dry in frigid climes.










The generation after mine took its cues from hip-hop artists, who co-opted the preppy look, making the puffer a logo-happy essential of the urban tundra. In fact, the down jacket (from the Alpine chic Moncler to the ski-bummy Ralph Lauren RLX) continues to find its way into rap lyrics by millennial performers such as Childish Gambino and Drake. Last year, Drake even collaborated with Canada Goose to make a white duck down puffer-parka hybrid called the OVO Chilliwack, tricked out with a buffalo leather exterior, fox-fur hood and 24k plated zippers.










Now, it is another decade, and the puffer has cycled into another moment. In this incarnation, however, the style staple -- once spoofed by George Costanza on 'Seinfeld' for its comically obstructive bulk -- has been put on an extreme diet by designers from Burberry Prorsum and Brunello Cucinelli to Belstaff and Band of Outsiders. The good news is that nearly all of them have improved it, with a canny balance of its protectivefunction and masculine form. The result is that the pounds-adding puffer is now the go-to jacket for looking lean and mean. The newest ones are lighter and far more flattering.










'With technological advances, we don't have to make the big puffy jacket that puffy anymore,' said Andrew Rosen, founder of the label Theory, which recently teamed up with Uniqlo to make the t down limited-edition line of ski jackets and vests, available starting Nov. 15. Two-toned and slim-fit, they're minimalist in design, and made with a lightweight down and stretch polyester. 'They're cool-looking, sleek and sophisticated,' Mr. Rosen added. He could also be describing original puffer power Eddie Bauer's new body-hugging MicroTherm Down Shirt with its tightly channeled quilting.










Some of the newcomers retrofitting the puffy jacket seem to be using the subtle ingenuity of Barbour-style hunting jackets (all those secret pockets with nifty uses) rather than exhibitionistic skiwear as their blueprint. The look is 'dry' (not shiny and 'wet') in natural colors like olives and browns, and, like Theory's new line, in trim silhouettes.










The higher-price versions upgrade the basic mold with luxurious touches like leather trim, or fur-trimmed collars and hoods. Italian label Moncler is currently selling a diamond-quilted field jacket in a mix of nylon and wool (which appears to be inspired by the U.S. Army's original M-1965) for $1,695, and Burberry Prorsum has a quilted blouson with a mink collar for $4,000. Recently relaunched British label Belstaff added a smart leather trim to its nylon Cranfield parka, which also boasts a shearling hood that is aerated on the sides with small grommets so as not to hinder your hearing (priced at $3,850).










On the relatively more reasonable side, fellow British brand Barbour, which is always fine-tuning its tailored and classic pieces, has introduced in its Heritage Collection a close fitting, hood-optional, duck down Skipsea duffle jacket, around $550, featuring toggle fasteners and 4-inch box-square quilting. It looks appropriate for a cocktail party entrance . . . or a Nor'easter. There is also a quilted nylon vest with an understatedly chic brown leather yoke by Band of Outsiders, around $600, which like most of the new puffwear looks like it would play well with a wool suit.










A puffer-and-suit ensemble might appear to be an unlikely pairing, but with these refined -- and often tailored-looking -- new versions, it's nowhere close to the equivalent of wearing sneakers with your beautiful Brioni or Kiton.










Still, it's not everyone's cup of hot cocoa. Theory's Mr. Rosen said he'll stick to wearing his down jacket with casual attire, like a pair of jeans and a button-down. 'We're not replacing the camel's hair topcoat,' he laughed.










Myself, I'm going back to where it all began. I plan to nab Eddie Bauer's reissue of the original puffer, which, as it happens, wasn't puffy at all. The upgraded 1936 Skyliner goose-down huntingjacket is leather-trimmed, alpine green, designed with simple lines and under $200. Just don't follow my lead. I still want to stand out in the flock.





Steve Garbarino


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