It’s Officially High-Fashion Puffer Coat Season

Take Rosalía earlier this season. The singer stepped out in a padded puffer coat that was cropped and featured a high neckline. Paired with tiny briefs and tights, the look felt surprisingly avant-garde—an outfit worthy of a catwalk rather than a snowstorm. Ariana Grande took a similar approach earlier this week: The Wicked star emerged in New York wearing a black floor-length puffer coat, styling it with pointed heels and itty-bitty sunglasses. It was surprisingly cool (and, as my colleague Hannah Jackson put it, she was very much serving Wicked Witch of the West Village).

Other celebrities have taken the high-fashion puffer even further. At the British Fashion Awards, Ellie Goulding hit the red carpet in a white Moncler puffer gown. With its half-zipped up neckline and sweeping train, it was like a puffer gone black tie (and styled with heels, no less). Last month, Naomi Campbell also sported a gala-worthy puffer—hers a short black design that was worn like a shrug, styled over a classic LBD and accessorized with opera gloves.

The takeaway? Yes, a puffer coat will keep you toasty on the coldest of winter days, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style to wear one. Simply look for an architectural shape that makes the bundled-up look appear intentional, and voila—you can still have a warm coat that is celebrity-approved. Though, paparazzi does not come included!