Bombers, puffers and parkas are easy to mix up in a product list, but they do different jobs. The difference comes down to cut, length and what each one is made to go over. Here is how to tell them apart, and when to wear each.
The bomber: short and clean
The bomber started life as a flight jacket and kept the shape: a short body that ends at the waist or hip, a zip front, and ribbed knit at the collar, cuffs and hem. That ribbed hem gathers the jacket at the waist, which gives the bomber its slightly full body and neat finish.
Because it is short, a bomber keeps an outfit looking light and shows the line of your pants. It is the most casual of the three and the easiest to wear every day.
- Over a white tee or a plain sweatshirt, with jeans or chinos and clean sneakers.
- Over an oxford shirt, for something a little smarter.
- Over a hoodie, with the hood out over the collar.
Bombers come in a wide range of fabrics. Our bomber jackets include matte woven shells, PU leather, faux suede, corduroy and washed cotton, so the same shape can look sporty, rugged or smart.
The puffer: quilted volume
A puffer is defined by its quilting. The shell is stitched into channels, each filled with down or padding, which gives the jacket its rounded shape. Puffers run from slim, lightly quilted styles that sit close to the body to boxy, heavyweight ones with real volume. Most end at the hip, and a few are cut mid-length.
Volume is the whole look of a puffer, so balance it with the rest of the outfit.
- Keep the legs slim. Straight or tapered jeans, or slim chinos, balance a full jacket. Wide pants under a big puffer can look shapeless.
- Add boots or chunky sneakers. A slim, flat shoe looks small under a lot of volume.
- Match the profile to the day. A slim puffer sits neatly over a knit or under a roomy coat. A boxy, hooded one is a weekend jacket on its own.
- A matte shell looks quieter and more grown-up. A light sheen looks sportier.
See the range, from collarless down jackets to hooded and stand-collar puffers, in our puffer and down jackets collection.
The parka: length and a hood
A parka is the longest of the three. It usually reaches mid-thigh or below and comes with a hood. Some parkas have toggles at the waist, so you can shape the body, and most have plenty of pockets. Where a puffer gets its shape from quilting, a parka usually has a smooth outer shell, with any padding or lining kept inside.
That length makes the parka the best of the three for covering other clothes.
- Over a suit. A mid-thigh parka covers a suit jacket fully, so it works on a workday when a bomber would leave your jacket hem showing.
- Over a thick knit. A relaxed parka has room for a chunky sweater or a hoodie underneath.
- With boots. The longer line looks best with lace-up boots and straight-leg pants.
If a parka feels shapeless on you, choose one with waist toggles and cinch them a little. Browse the cuts, from mid-length to long, in our parkas collection.
Which jacket for which day
Start with what you are wearing underneath and where you are going, rather than the name on the label.
- A workday in smart clothes. A parka, long enough to cover a blazer or suit jacket.
- A workday in casual clothes. A bomber over a sweater or shirt, or a slim puffer if you like more volume.
- A Saturday of errands. A bomber over a tee or hoodie. Short, light and easy to move in.
- A long walk or a day outside. A hooded puffer or a parka. Both give you a hood, and the parka gives you the most length.
- An evening out. A clean bomber in PU leather or faux suede, or a slim matte puffer over a dark knit.
Layering the three
The three styles also work together. A thin, collarless puffer can sit under a roomy parka or an overcoat as a middle layer, and a hoodie works under all three. The one thing to avoid is a short jacket over a longer layer: if a long hoodie or overshirt hangs well below a bomber's ribbed hem, the shape is lost. Each layer should be shorter than the one over it.
To see every style side by side, browse The Whole Pack.
