Deepika Padukone will show you how to upgrade your winter wardrobe with a puffer jacket

Deepika padukone to Kareena Kapoor will make you drool with their winter outfits for sure. We are sure you will be secretly wanting to create a wardrobe similar to theirs . But the fact is that actors, contrary to their glitz and glamour on social media, are pretty much basic in real life.

Some trends can feel alienating, but the padded coat can be worn by anyone –Wait long enough, and you're sure to spot any silhouette that was once considered unfashionable on a designer's runway. Such is the case with puffer jackets as well—once shunned for their voluminous appearance (you have to admit, they do look a little like a duvet), puffer jackets are now back in the good books of the most popular designers around the world.

It was a trickle at first. In 2016, Demna Gvsalia's first collection for Balenciaga featured a red padded jacket worn off the shoulder, in the style of Brigitte Bardot. Eyebrows were raised, but puffers appeared on the Balenciaga catwalk a year later and again the year after that. They were also in Topshop and Urban Outfitters. Late last year, Lyst, a search engine that tracks what people are buying according to clicks, reported a 59% year-on-year rise in searches. In February 2019, the rubicon was crossed: two puffers – one by the US outdoors brand The North Face and the other by the Italian company Moncler – were decreed second and sixth most desirable products in the world, respectively.

Ever since, couturiers everywhere have been adding the pillowy outerwear to their offerings—everyone from Chanel to Versace has incorporated it in their recent collections. Considering this, the rapid rise of the puffer jacket's popularity among the masses is not all that surprising—but the stats are definitely remarkable. Online retailer Net-a-Porter listed puffer jackets as one of the most popular styles on their site, with sales up by 41 per cent since 2018. And in February 2019, two specific puffers—one by The North Face and another by Monclear—were listed as second and sixth most desirable products in the world, respectively.

The padded jacket is relatively new, but has a varied history. In 1936, Eddie Bauer invented a quilted jacket insulated by goose down after contracting hypothermia on a winter fishing trip in Washington, setting the template for technical wear. Two years later, the couturier Charles James designed an evening jacket that resembled a cropped quilt. He called it the "pneumatic jacket" and, according to fashion lore, predicted it would be a one-off. These were not the same coat and spoke to two different classes – indeed, the puffer/padded/quilted terminology is a little muddy – but they have the same DNA.

Just like the rest of the world, Bollywood's best dressed stars have also been experimenting with the new trend. In India, the puffer's celebrity fan base includes everyone from Alia Bhatt and Priyanka Chopra to Deepika Padukone. Bhatt has worn the puffer in multiple iterations till date—a blue Fendi number featuring iridescent bug eyes during her trip to New York, a muted puffer jacket with fur details on the collar, and a striking neon green piece while shooting for her upcoming film, Brahmastra, in Shimla. Priyanka Chopra has been spotted in everything from a white, furry puffer jacket to an all-gold version, and Padukone once returned to Mumbai wearing a red padded jacket.

Malaika Arora made a case for maximalism with her animal printed neon green puffer jacket, while Sara Ali Khan looked towards pink and purple options to stay warm and stylish at the same time. And Kareena Kapoor Khan served us with an all-new way to wear the style with her yellow puffer jacket and white jeans combination. Prefer to play it safe? Take cues from Parineeti Chopra and Shraddha Kapoor, who were both spotted favouring classic black puffer jackets over coloured iterations. Scroll ahead for our edit of the best puffer jackets spotted on celebrities in recent times.