Having spent the last eleven years of my life within the frigid confines of Toronto and Chicago, I am no stranger to enduring subzero temperatures, waking up to 3 feet of fluffy snow, and stuffing my petite self into puffy winter coats, all the while cringing at how ridiculous I looked.
Proof:
The heinous one-piece snowsuits of Sharon's childhood: age 6 posing at a museum in Copenhagen and age 7 in Toronto after the biggest snowfall in 100 years. Not sure whether they're different snowsuits in the same primary color blocks or if it was reversible...
I abhorred the down jackets of my childhood so as soon as I was old enough to override my parents' protests of functionality over vanity, I embraced the much less warm but much more flattering world of pea coats and trenches. Then as the years grew on, when I began to drive in the winter (with the car heater cranked on full blast of course), the need for thick outerwear in general diminished as life became connected by the continuous warmth from car to building and building to car.
Thus, this winter break, I was determined to hunt down the very item that I had avoided for so long - and was pleasantly surprised. The puffer has evolved a long way from those lumpy childhood contraptions and those shapeless ankle-length coats with fur-trimmed hoods my mother was so fond of in the 90s. Remember those bomber jackets that were the "It" items of middle school? The kind featured in the Sean Paul video for "Temperature" where the booty-shaking girls wore them with teeny shorts? Yea, I was hoping to avoid those too.
Top: Elie Tahari "Lisa" Tie Collar Satin Puffer Coat, Mackage "Harlow" Knit Pillow Coat, Bottom: Rainforest Short Down Cinched Jacket, Via Spiga "Serena" Pillow Coat. Photo credit: Bloomingdales.com Longer coats are no longer overwhelming and figure-engulfing with fitted waistlines, belts, and slimming silhouettes: 
Top: Laundy by Shelli Segal Satin Down Jacket, Cole Haan Down Jacket (Packs into a pillow!) Bottom: Betsey Johnson Double Breasted Down Coat With Faux Fur, Marc by Marc Jacobs Long Nylon Puffa Jacket Photo Credit: First three from Bloomingdales.com, Marc Jacket from Net-a-porter.com And shorter jackets for the sporty and edgy are both bright and bold. A long puffer in yellow or shiny black fabric might give you the appearance of a life-sized banana or garbage bag, but in just the right dosage, colorful and shiny materials add a noticeable punch without being overpowering. 
Top: Rossignol "Swan" Hooded Ski Jacket, DKNY Quilted Bomber with Faux Fur Trim Bottom: Burberry Sport Extra Light Down Jacket, IRO Zaken Jacket Photo Credit: First three from Bloomingdales.com, IRO jacket from Shopbop.com Puffers are no longer scary. I myself have embraced the cozy cocoon of down coats and have bought myself a fitted black knee-length number which I have lived in all break. Yesterday, sitting in the familiar warm comfort of the boyfriend's car with my toes stuck stubbornly in their usual position by the foot heater, I snuggled into the embrace of my puffer and forgot the wintery landscape beyond the windshield. He, turning his gaze from the steering wheel to my languid and contented form slumped on the passenger seat, reached into my fleece lined pocket for my hand which was nestled happily inside and exclaimed, "Wow, that is really warm".
However, I now find myself a college student in New York City scurrying across Columbia's campus without the luxury of heated cars, and for the first time in years, I shivered under my wool coat and realized something: It's really cold outside. My friends hailing from the West Coast and equatorial destinations overseas failed to understand my lack of preparation for winter. The Californians' collection of outerwear easily outdid mine. I am Canadian - what happened to knowing how to live in igloos?
Thus, this winter break, I was determined to hunt down the very item that I had avoided for so long - and was pleasantly surprised. The puffer has evolved a long way from those lumpy childhood contraptions and those shapeless ankle-length coats with fur-trimmed hoods my mother was so fond of in the 90s. Remember those bomber jackets that were the "It" items of middle school? The kind featured in the Sean Paul video for "Temperature" where the booty-shaking girls wore them with teeny shorts? Yea, I was hoping to avoid those too.
Puffers are now more fitted and proportional, designed to add bulk only in the right places thus remaining sophisticated and polished. On top of all that, they're surpassingly warm and cozy.
Structural elements such as large shawl collars use the inherent volume of these jackets to their advantage creating a new focal point for the eye:
