A small, personal escape wrapped inside a bright red shell. When we look for the perfect puffer jacket today, chances are we’re still chasing this exact idea.
Let’s be honest: the puffer jacket rarely wins any beauty contests. It’s bulky, unapologetic, sometimes borderline awkward. And yet, that’s precisely where its power lives. When a garment is so oversized it almost feels like an obstacle—and still becomes the smartest, coolest thing you can wear—something deeper is going on.
There’s a photograph of a young Lady Diana in Lech, in the early 1990s, pulled from the magnificent depths of the Getty Images archives. Snow everywhere. A red, oversized down jacket zipped all the way up. Motion. That image settles the question once and for all: oversized isn’t a trend invented by our time. It’s an instinct. One that’s always been there.
It’s snowing hard. The road is wet. People stop and stare. Diana doesn’t. She speeds up. Hands buried deep in the pockets, the high collar of that fire-engine-red puffer pulled tight around her neck, like a physical way of saying I need to get away from you again. Underneath, a black turtleneck peeks out, echoing the dark line of her trousers—skinny to the edge of leggings, stretched over legs in motion. They work because they counterbalance the cloud-like volume of the jacket. Everything holds because everything moves.
That’s the whole trick, and we still use it today without thinking about it: maxi on top, slim underneath. It’s how you lengthen the figure without giving up warmth or comfort. Diana performs this formula while escaping paparazzi, charged with that unmistakable I don’t have time for this energy that makes every outfit feel sharper, more real.
Then come the boots. Hazel-brown suede, toasted almond tones—the kind of warm colour that softens the black and instantly kills any gym-wear association. Practical, but far from boring. They hit the snow with purpose, keeping the look grounded while everything else is in motion.
The finishing touches are where the genius really shows. Oversized sunglasses with a strong acetate frame. A navy baseball cap with a gold crest. Sporty, yes—but marked by that unmistakable regal detail, a reminder of who she is even while dressed like any other woman on holiday. Disguised, but never erased.
And this is the real point of Lady Diana’s oversized puffer jacket. It doesn’t just cover. It creates distance. It makes room. It protects. It gives posture. A bright red shell that becomes a private refuge.
If today we’re still searching for the perfect puffer jacket, maybe it’s because we’re still chasing that same feeling: moving fast, staying warm, holding a silhouette that can handle everything. Snow included. Flashbulbs included.
