The straight, horizontal or diamond stitching of traditional puffer jackets has a simple purpose: keep the batting in place. The compartments created by the stitching keep down or polyfill from wandering, which would ultimately create cold spots. But who says there's only one way to make a coat? As a concept, the puffer coat has cartwheeled into a format for a more sculptural approach to outerwear. Designers are using exaggerated shapes, blocky colors and gestural paneling to create humanist and even sci-fi-influenced takes on coats. Swipe through our pulls for some of the best next-gen puffer jackets.