Adidas Originals Down Regen Hooded Puffer Jacket

Description

What the Adidas Originals gets right is proportion. Short body, fixed hood, nothing decorative on the front, and a hem that lands at the hip bone. That combination is rarer than it sounds at $155.

Shape and proportion

Proportion is the whole argument here. The body is a rectangular short body with a straight hem, which means it stops before it starts looking like a duvet, and the fixed hood keeps the top half from reading soft.

It lands between 62 and 68 cm at the back depending on size, which puts the hem at the hip bone on most frames.

Warmth, fill and shell

Warmth here is honest rather than impressive. Horizontal channels about two fingers wide, a shell that blocks wind but is not waterproof, and a collar that closes the gap at the neck. -15 to -5 °C is its real working range.

The shell is a matte technical nylon with a dry hand. Light rain beads and rolls; sustained rain gets through the seams eventually.

It works over a hoodie and under a coat rack, which is more than most short jackets manage. I wear it with straight-leg trousers and a plain knit; the fixed hood does the work so the rest can stay boring.

Fit and sizing

Sizing runs half a size generous through the body. I am 172 cm and 62 kg and take the M, which leaves room for a hoodie without the shoulders sliding off. If you are between sizes and plan to layer, go up; if you wear it over a shirt only, stay put.

Sizes on this listing run S–XXL. The measurements above are taken flat and approximate, and the cut is half a size generous through the body.

Who it is for

It suits someone who walks to work and does not want to look like they are going skiing. If your winter involves a car, an office and a dog, this covers all three.

How it compares

If you are deciding between this and the Arc’teryx Navy Packable Down Jacket, pick by climate: that one handles wet snow and wind, this one handles -15 to -5 °C and a city winter.

For something closer in weight but different in shape, the Thom Browne hooded puffer jacket Grey is the obvious alternative: same idea, shorter body.

And if you would rather see the full range first, start from the the label category page; the Lululemon Wunder Puff down jacket Brown is the one most people compare this to.

Care and storage

The shell is the fragile part, not the down. Keep it away from velcro and rough backpack straps; a snag in the face fabric is what ends these jackets, not lost loft.

The hem sits high enough that a long sweater hangs out below it, which is a look, but not always your look.

Verdict

Buy it if you want one short jacket for -15 to -5 °C that does not look like ski kit. Skip it if you need waterproofing or if you run cold below -10 °C, because this is a city jacket and it knows it.