I’m Stanning This $275 Viral Aritzia Super Puff Over the $1,650 Canada Goose Down Jacket. Here’s Why I’ll Fight You on This

In the spirit of transparency, let me just say that I’ve always been puffer agnostic. My home base’s mild winters and my petite frame mean I’m in no hurry to wear garments that are going to add bulk to my shape. But when an upcoming ski trip approached and I started shopping my socials for a warm jacket, I kept being drawn to one of the season’s most photographed cropped puffer jackets: the Aritzia Super Puff.

• Value: 20/20
• Functionality: 20/20
• Quality: 20/20
• Longevity: 18/20
• Warmth: 20/20
  TOTAL: 98/100

The jacket is pretty much the new gold standard in staying warm in a cute way. Casey Lewis, the Gen Z trendspotter behind the eminently readable After School Substack, wrote on Black Friday, “I can’t believe how many people are still buying this specific Aritzia puffer coat that’s been ubiquitous since 2018. (Speaks to the warmth and quality, I guess.) A lot of girls bought black or pink, mostly in the cropped fit (called ‘the Shorty’).” And when I hit my local mall, I was charmed by the giant versions of the coat made for window dressing, which creators are trying on and posting in their feeds. However, I was sure that if I really wanted to stay warm in the snow, I’d need to get a “real” winter jacket with technical features, right? Something more like the Canada Goose Garnet Cropped Puffer, which my colleague, Associate Fashion Commerce Editor Stephanie Meraz is apparently living inside now that she’s decamped to damp, cold London.

But hope springs eternal in my penny-pinching, style-obsessed heart. And after wearing the Aritzia Super Puff Shorty, I’m happy to report that this fan favorite coat is the little-puffer-that-could, with filling, features, style and value rivaling and even besting the comparable pricier Canada Goose version. While I haven’t worn the Canada Goose jacket personally, I trust Meraz’s rave review and the legions of PureWow shoppers who have purchased it. But for those of us who’d prefer to spend the $1,000-plus price difference on a ski weekend rather than a ski coat, here’s my nerdy, numbers-based and fashion-focused compare and contrast of the two coats.

I’m of petite height but long-waisted, so the shorty jacket, which measures 22 inches long, hit me perfectly just below my waist in small, which is my usual size. Since I usually like a little extra room for movement in my arms and body when wearing winter jackets, to make room for layering a T-shirt, collared shirt and sweater underneath, I often feel safest sizing up. But there was no need to with this jacket since it has some extra room already. Another plus—since you can cinch the elastic drawstring hem, the jacket can become even more cropped. I really liked this feature since it made my waist looked more snatched, however when I was doing anything sporty like playing in the snow outside at a resort, I liked loosening the drawstring for a more straight up-and-down look that didn’t ride up, as the elastic does when I’m bending and stretching.

Here’s where the real value of the Aritzia Super Puff Shorty comes in—the 700+ fill power of the jacket is engineered to deliver warmth to -4°F. It’s made with 90 percent down and 10 percent feathers. (That’s even warmer than Canada Goose’s 750 Fill Power Responsibly Sourced Down, which is rated to keep you warm to 5° F.) So although I was skeptical of such a short jacket keeping me warm, I felt cozy in it thanks to the aforementioned fluffy filling, the ability to cinch the cold out of the bottom of the jacket by tightening the drawstring and the little extras of coat design that made the coat really warm. I’m talking soft-brushed cuffs with thumbholes and a snug fit to keep my body heat in and cold air out; a tall, down-filled collar that kept my neck cozy; and a removable hood that’s so ingeniously designed that you don’t notice the zipper or Velcro fastening. And that French-imported glossy taffeta fabric? It isn’t just chic, it’s water-repellent and wind-resistant.