It’s true: we haven’t always spoken well of down jackets at Mr-Styles.

Shiny, with its seems that make it look like a Michelin man, it’s not a garment that has always had a great popularity rating.

Along with the Hawaiian shirt, the cropped trousers or the Birkenstock, it is part of this family of clothes with which we associate (associated) a rather negative image.

However, things are changing. In addition to being ubiquitous on the streets over the years, it has also made itself known in the highest circles of style, especially thanks to the wave of streetwear in recent years.

The result: great designers and other top brands come to put their paw on this garment and we see more and more beautiful down jackets, more creative, well.

So the time has come for us to talk about the down leather jacket. Let’s start by defining it, and then we’ll see how to wear it. Preferably good.

Short Down Jacket Anatomy Lesson

A down jacket is a padded garment whose mission is to keep warm. This padding can be down or synthetic.

In summary, down is more insulating but will lose its properties if it gets wet. Regarding synthetic insulation, it is generally less insulating but better withstands bad weather. Also, today there are high quality technical synthetic insulators such as Primaloft, Polartec or Climashield.

Visually, it is characterized by visible seams (often horizontal but can also be vertical or diagonal) that allow good distribution of padding in different areas of the garment. These seams also give character to the down jacket.

The different types of down jackets

The down jacket exists in several forms. Here are four ways to tell them apart:

• Short or long down jacket

The down jacket usually stops at the hips. This is the standard length.

Longer, more covering jackets stop at the knees. This dress, more visually imposing, is less common and seems more difficult to wear.

• Down jacket with or without sleeves

When we talk about a down jacket, we think of a dress with sleeves. This is the most common form.

But for some time now, the sleeveless down jacket has found a place in our locker rooms. It is mainly used as a middle layer, for example between a sweater and a coat.

It is also a garment that we sometimes see in winter in suits, between shirts and jackets.

• Down jacket in synthetic or natural fabric

Finally, let’s talk about the question of clothes.

The majority of down jackets are made of synthetic fabric, for a casual, sportswear or even techwear style. Luster is also variable: a matte fabric is visually a bit softer, more versatile from a style point of view.

However, there have been wool down jackets for a more elegant style for some time. It is precisely through this that the down jacket can fit into the more casual chic universe.

Down jacket and parka, what are the differences?

You can probably see the difference between these two fabrics. But if we were to formalize it, it would look like this:

• The down jacket has visible seams, the parka does not.
• A down jacket often has a thin and slightly shiny fabric. A parka has a thick, matte-looking fabric.
• A down jacket does not always have a hood. A parka has one, almost always
• The down jacket is short and reaches the level of the hips while the parka is long and reaches the level of the thighs.

4 looks to wear the down jacket 2023

It’s time to get down to business. Here’s a selection of very differently commented silhouettes, showing that the down jacket can fit into a wide range of stylistic universes.

Look 1: Casual

Here is a dress that I really like.

I appreciate the harmonious and soft color palette. You have an ecru/beige/sand base available on the cap, turtleneck, chinos and running shoes. These pieces vary nicely as the colors and materials are slightly different each time.

The sleeveless down jacket contrasts a little more compared to the rest with its green color, but not too much either because its intensity is medium: it is a fairly soft green, not very strong, which therefore fits well with the neutral colors of the rest of the look.

Something to note here is the choice of a thick turtleneck under the down jacket which is also quite thick. This brings consistency to the whole.

Look 2 : chic

An interesting outfit found at JamesCarrey that shows how to integrate a down jacket into a more chic ensemble.

So we have a fairly elegant base with a thin, dark turtleneck, cream pants (probably wool) and black derbies.

The idea is not to put a very street down jacket over it, whose style would be too different from the rest. Here, it is better to choose a more elegant and sober down jacket.

Look 3 : streetwear

A streetwear look that’s both simple but knows how to stand out.

It’s easy because a gray hoodie, navy chinos and black Converse base is pretty classic.

The collaboration has resulted in the addition of this multi-colored parka.

Creative brand JamesCarrey comes to present its visual touch, the expertise of a historic brand, Woolrich, on its product.

I find the result successful: the colors are well chosen, warm without being too bright. I really like the raspberry shade, which is more subtle than a primary red. Similarly, the gambling position is well thought out and the small touches of black are perfectly soothing.

The down jacket is thick, visually imposing, and has its place here because it’s supposed to be streetwear.

Look 4 : techwear

I found this little piece of technical wear on the lovely Japanese brand Descente Allterrain that should make Benoit happy.

To highlight this set, I would say Sober. The dress is completely black, the pants have no pockets or contrasting details, the upper part of the shoe has no seams and even the down jacket is very clean with only 2 slanted zip pockets on the chest. Minimal technical wear.

It’s a very marked dress, which won’t suit everyone but which I think is flattering and above all has a consistency.