It’s here, in a big way.

I used to laugh when people told me you needed a puffer jacket to survive an American east coast winter. Like, surely it couldn’t get that cold.

Well, joke is on me. It can, and it does, actually get that cold! As a little Australian I never thought I would be writing a blog post on puffer jackets that I love, but here we are. Boston winters are no joke and now I have officially found my winter companion.

My winter puffer jacket story goes a little like this. First, denial that it even gets cold. Second, freeze through the beginning of winter sans puffer jacket because you still don’t understand the value it provides. Finally, realize that puffer jackets are life changing and hunt down not one but two warm and stylish puffer jackets and celebrate that you can now walk outside without freezing. I wish I was kidding - but that was how my brain worked.

Now onto what I look for in a puffer jacket. It’s a very specific, but small, list —

Thin, but really, really warm: Ain’t nobody got time for a big bulky jacket, but I also don’t want to compromise on warmth.

Feminine + stylish: This is probably the number one thing I was afraid of in a puffer jacket when I moved to the US. Call it the uneducated Australian in me - but I thought that a puffer jacket by nature was meant to be ugly and we were forced to wear them in sub-zero temperatures merely for survival. I was really wrong - because let me tell you (actually you can peep them for yourself below!) that these Bernardo puffers I found fit into my style seamlessly!

Easy to carry and store: As someone who has an overflowing wardrobe all year round, the thought of storing big puffer jackets is a bit daunting! So the ability to store my puffers in a convenient way was high on my list, as well as the transportability of the jacket for traveling and adventuring which I plan to be doing a lot of!

Now that we have my criteria list out of the way, let me introduce you to my two new loves: the ECOPLUME Soft Touch Quilted Walker and the ECOPLUME Fitted Packable, both from Bernardo Fashions and both tick all of the list items above.

Let me start with how warm these are - SO WARM. As in I almost can’t believe that something so thin and, in the case of the white ECOPLUME Fitted Packable, short, can keep me so warm. The black Quilted Walker has become my best friend on my walks to work in the morning and evenings, keeping me as snug as a bug in a rug and preventing me from complaining to Rohan about why on earth we moved to such a cold climate, hehe.

I also love how both of these puffers are feminine and stylish - I’ve found that they have both fit seamlessly into my everyday winter style - and that is something I can’t get enough of. The white ECOPLUME Fitted Packable is quilted to create a feminine silhouette, which makes it super flattering for women and because it is also very thin, means we don’t need to be sacrificing style for warmth - yay! The ECOPLUME Quilted Walker is the perfect everyday black long puffer jacket. It’s also professional and sophisticated looking too, making it perfect for wearing to the offer and feeling put together. It’s also so soft, which makes for insane levels of comfort. Both of these puffers fold up into tiny little travel bags too - ticking off my storage and travel concerns too!

I’m officially saying goodbye to freezing my butt off and hello to comfort, style and warmth and I’m just a little bit excited about it. WOO!