By ALEX WILLIAMS, New York Times
Here’s a style-trivia brain teaser: Which of-the-moment fashion serves as a sartorial link between Michael J. Fox and Jamie Foxx, Robin Williams (as Mork) and Pharrell Williams?
A vest can be worn at the office or on a date. Credit Amy Jackson for The New York Times
Consider this hint: This born-again winter staple, plucked straight from the shores of Lake Wobegon, has surged not just in Milan and Hollywood, but also New York and other chilly American cities, where it is a brisk seller for retailers as diverse as Uniqlo and Barneys.
If you guessed the puffer vest, you deserve a free copy of “Back to the Future,” perhaps in era-appropriate LaserDisc.
The puffer vest — an afterthought outerwear accessory that could never quite shake its dork-chic associations from the stonewash epoch — has risen from the purgatory of ’80s style. As heritage-chic labels, outdoors-wear giants, and major European fashion houses all churn out next-generation designs featuring sleeker cuts and high-tech materials to reduce bulk, this unloved staple of the hiking trail has been revived as a trendy men’s fashion item, appropriate for the office or the first date.
Some, like Tom Kalenderian, executive vice president for men’s wear at Barneys, even argue that the insulated vest is the perfect half measure for global warming, when the temperature on any given winter day may be 16 degrees or 60.
“Given the climate change in recent years, vests have become both a practical and stylish solution,” Mr. Kalenderian said, adding that men are wearing puffer vests from “workout to workplace,” often layered over blazers and under coats.
Even so, the puffer vest worn with, say, a suit has raised eyebrows outside style circles.
Last January, Cris Collinsworth, the football analyst, foisted the look heartland, rakishly pairing a charcoal vest with a navy blue suit and tie in the booth for a playoff game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New Orleans Saints. Viewers endlessly dissected his efforts on Twitter. “Is cris collinsworth wearing a vest or a personal flotation device,” wrote one viewer in a typical response.
Sting, however, received a more welcome reception when he popped up in party photos from a Norman Lear book bash in New York a few weeks ago wearing a form-fitting black puffer vest under a gray tweed suit — indoors, red wine in hand. “Once you get over the initial shock of this particular juxtaposition, it doesn’t look half bad,” The New York Observer wrote.
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