Martha Stewart Just Invented the 'Puffer Shirt'—But Are We Ready for It?

We're talking about the Short Sleeve Quilted Down Puffer Vest, a mashup of the classic down vest and a short sleeve jacket that Stewart herself has dubbed "the new sweater." But is it all that? I took one for a spin around a rainy fall day to see for myself.

First I noticed how counterintuitively glam it felt to slide my arms into the four-ounce down-filled short sleeves and zip up the slim body of the jacket. As I put my hands in the fleece-lined pockets, I started to get it. "You can put your cell phone in there, then zip it up and you can go ride a horse, you can ski down a hill and you will not lose your cell phone or your credit card," Stewart told QVC viewers in late 2018, when she sold thousands of the jackets in less than 10 minutes.

While I don't foresee wearing Stewart's "new sweater" during such breakneck pursuits, I will be happy not to have my credit card go missing when I'm wearing this to run errands. And I concur with Martha's assessment that the cap sleeve is "so pretty" and that it makes the style so versatile, pairing well with everything from T-shirts to silk blouses. "It really is the new sweater and I want everyone to have one in every color," Stewart said; there are nine hues to choose from, including dusty blue, mercury and my favorite, golden. While this isn't the thing for a super-sexy date night, we predict officemates will be admiring it during chilly afternoons and girlfriends coveting it when we meet for a drizzly matinee.

So how did Stewart come up with the idea for the style, anyway? She's gobbling up inspiration from her enviable front row seat at life's rich pageant, whether it's being turned on to cannabis sitting next to Snoop Dogg on television (so now she makes CBD gummies) to travel. "I saw something like this when I was visiting China a few years ago," she recalled. "I said oh my gosh, it is so lightweight and feels so luxurious."

My takeaway? While I may not be jetting to Shanghai or hauling pumpkins around my 156-acre estate just for kicks like Stewart, I'm feeling chic and cuddled just the same as her in my down "new sweater."