During this exceptionally cold winter, I’ve noticed a trend on the streets of Washington that I find extremely unattractive: the long black puffer coat. I literally see two or three per day, minimum. They’re not only unflattering on almost every figure, but down-stuffed nylon also does not pair well with work attire.

I suppose I understand why so many Washington women wear these coats. First, it’s freezing cold–hovering around 28 degrees today with similar temperatures throughout the past few months. Second, on particularly blustery days, a wool coat sometimes just doesn’t cut it, and it’s definitely not cute to arrive to work or dinner with chattering teeth and chapped skin. Third, Washington women have a history of choosing practical yet unstylish attire (see: the pantsuit), so I’m really not surprised by the prevalence of these coats.

Despite my misgivings about the coats with work attire, I understand that the puffer is a necessity in snowy, sloppy weather, and particularly apres ski. While in London in September, in fact, I even saw some puffers that were downright chic in bright colors with sequins, fur linings, and on-trend prints.

The 150-year-old French down brand Pyrenex recruited couturier Alexis Mabille to re-vamp the Pyrenex Premium line, creating a fun, architectural collection of candy-colored puffer coats, vests, and even capes for both men and women. Over champagne in the Pyrenex pop-up shop in Mayfair, Mabille explained that the company is expanding its market to London and beyond–and I suspect they will have great success. Although you probably can’t wear these puffers en route to a business meeting, you definitely can wear them with skinny jeans and Sorel boots while sipping spiked cider.