Yves Salomon Puffer and Down Jackets: The Doudoune Edit

Yves Salomon down jackets, which the Paris house calls doudounes, are filled mostly with 95% duck down and 5% duck feathers. They come in three shells: weatherproof technical fabric, Loro Piana wool and silk flannel with a waterproof membrane, and Loro Piana cashmere with a Storm System membrane. Most add a detachable collar in fox, mink and curly lambskin. Coveti prices run from $1,770 to $7,960.

Key facts

• Fill: most styles list 95% duck down and 5% duck feathers; a few list 90% down and 10% feathers.
• Shells: waterproof technical fabric (polyamide and polyester), Loro Piana flannel (95% virgin wool, 5% silk) and Loro Piana cashmere.
• Trims: detachable collars and hood trims in fox, mink and long-haired lambskin; several hoods and bibs also come off.
• Mittens: five styles come with matching mittens trimmed in fox, mink and flannel.
• Warmth: several product descriptions rate the insulation to minus 10 degrees Celsius.
• Price at Coveti: from $1,770 for a short technical jacket to $7,960 for a long double-breasted flannel coat with mink.
• House: Yves Salomon is a Paris fur house; the family settled in France in 1920 and the brand says Maison Yves Salomon was born in 1980.

What makes an Yves Salomon down jacket different?

Most luxury puffers are about the quilting. Yves Salomon down jackets are about the trim. The house started as a furrier, so its doudounes are designed around a collar, a hood bib and a cuff that can be swapped, removed and stored. The body does the warming; the fur and shearling do the finishing.

The second difference is the fabric. A large part of the new delivery is cut from Loro Piana fabrics, in two forms: a wool and silk flannel with a waterproof membrane, and a cashmere with the Storm System membrane. Those jackets look like tailoring from across the street. The flannel ones in particular read more as coats than puffers: smooth, unquilted, closed with fabric-covered press studs.

The third is that many pieces come as a set. Five styles include mittens, and several have a removable bib, so one jacket can change weight through the season. That is useful if you only want to buy one winter coat.

Technical fabric, flannel and cashmere: the three shells

Choose the shell first. It decides how the jacket looks, how it handles rain and what it costs.

The technical fabric jackets are the practical choice for wet cities and mountain weekends. The flannel jackets are the ones to wear over tailoring to the office. The cashmere jackets sit between the two and are the lightest to the touch.

Detachable fox and mink collars, and the mittens

Almost every new Yves Salomon down jacket has a trim that comes off. On the flannel styles it is a fox fur shawl collar, a flat mink collar and, on the most formal piece, mink lining the hood and front facing. On the technical styles it is a fox hood trim, a mink bib and a collar in airy long-haired lambskin that the brand compares to cashmere.

The removable trim does three jobs. It lets you wear the jacket plain when the weather is mild. It makes the jacket easier to clean, because the fur can go to a furrier on its own. And it lets you change the look: a short flannel jacket reads sporty without the collar and dressy with it.

The mittens are the most charming detail. The Short Flannel Down Jacket with Detachable Fox Fur Collar and Mittens comes with flannel mittens trimmed in fox that clip to the jacket. The Fitted Flannel Down Jacket with Mink Fur Collar and Mittens has mittens with a mink wrist trim. The Waterproof Down Jacket with Mittens and Fox Fur Trim and the Long Belted Waterproof Down Jacket with Fox Fur Trim also include matching fox-trimmed mittens, and the product description of the Short Technical Down Jacket with Detachable Fox Fur Collar mentions mittens that clip on too.

Long puffer coat versus short down jacket

Search for a long puffer coat and you will mostly find quilted sleeping bags. The Yves Salomon versions are cut closer. The Long Waterproof Down Jacket with Lambskin Hood Trim and the Long Waterproof Down Jacket with Fox Fur Hood Trim are proper long technical coats with press-stud side vents, so you can walk in them. The Long Straight Down Jacket with Detachable Fox Fur Collar and the Long Down Jacket with Detachable Mink Fur Collar are straight, flannel and clean enough to wear over a suit.

Short jackets are the better choice if you drive, carry a crossbody bag and want to show off the trousers. The short flannel styles are boxy; the Fitted Flannel Down Jacket is shaped at the waist with a drawstring. The A-line down jackets flare from the chest, which gives room over a knit and a feminine line.

A rule of thumb: a long coat for a cold city where you walk, a short jacket for a car-and-chalet winter. Coveti’s coats and jackets categories hold both lengths.

Puffer jacket with fur hood: the hooded styles

If a fur hood is the point, these are the hooded doudounes in the new delivery:

• Long Waterproof Down Jacket with Fox Fur Hood Trim: a soft fox trim frames the hood and detaches on milder days.
• Long Waterproof Down Jacket with Lambskin Hood Trim: straightened long-haired lambskin around the hood, a fur-free option.
• Short Hooded Down Jacket with Mink Fur Lining: mink lines the inside of the hood and the body, so the fur shows only at the face.
• Iconic A-Line Down Jacket with Mink Fur Hooded Bib: a removable bib with a hood in long-haired mink, closed with press studs.
• Long Hooded Double-Breasted Down Jacket with Mink Fur: Loro Piana flannel with mink lining the hood and front, both removable.
• Hooded Cashmere Down Jacket with Long Curly Lambskin Trim: a removable hood in Loro Piana cashmere with a curly lambskin collar.

For a hood without a coat, the Padded Hood Bib in Water-Repellent Technical Fabric is a down-filled hooded bib you can wear under a parka, from $460.

How warm is an Yves Salomon down jacket?

We only repeat warmth figures from the brand’s product descriptions. The Loro Piana cashmere jackets, the Short Waterproof Down Jacket with Airy Lambswool Trim, the Short Waterproof Down Jacket with Lambskin Shearling Bib, the Waterproof Down Jacket with Mittens and Fox Fur Trim, the Long Belted Waterproof Down Jacket and the Long Waterproof Down Jacket with Lambskin Hood Trim are all described as rated to minus 10 degrees Celsius. Other styles do not state a figure.

The fill is consistent: 95% duck down and 5% duck feathers on most styles, with 90% and 10% on a handful, including the navy long fox-trimmed coat and the long mink-collar flannel coat. The brand does not publish fill power, so compare warmth by the stated rating and by length. A long coat with a hood will always feel warmer than a short collar style with the same fill.

The Yves Salomon down jackets to buy now

1. Short Waterproof Down Jacket with Airy Lambswool Trim in Camel

The entry point: a short technical jacket with a removable long-haired lambskin collar and insulation rated to minus 10 degrees. From $1,770.

2. Long Waterproof Down Jacket with Lambskin Hood Trim in Black

A long puffer coat with a removable lambskin hood trim, press-stud side vents and hidden ribbed cuffs. From $2,310.

3. Long Waterproof Down Jacket with Fox Fur Hood Trim in Navy

The classic puffer with a fur hood, in a waterproof technical fabric. Navy is softer than black. From $2,720.

4. Long Belted Waterproof Down Jacket with Fox Fur Trim in Camel

Mid length and belted, with a removable fox collar and matching fox-trimmed mittens. From $2,630.

5. Waterproof Down Jacket with Mittens and Fox Fur Trim in Charcoal

Mid length with a waist drawstring, a detachable fox collar and mittens. From $2,410.

6. Cashmere Down Jacket with Long Curly Lambskin Collar in Black

Loro Piana cashmere with the Storm System membrane and a large removable curly lambskin collar. From $3,990.

7. Fitted Flannel Down Jacket with Mink Fur Collar and Mittens in Grey

Loro Piana flannel, shaped at the waist, with a removable mink collar and mittens with mink wrist trim. From $4,310.

8. Short Flannel Down Jacket with Detachable Fox Fur Collar and Mittens in Camel

Boxy and sporty, with fox on the collar and on the mittens that clip to the jacket. From $4,690.

9. Iconic A-Line Down Jacket with Mink Fur Hooded Bib in Black

The house’s A-line shape with a removable tone-on-tone mink hooded bib and zipped side vents. From $4,850.

10. Long Straight Down Jacket with Detachable Fox Fur Collar in Beige

Straight Loro Piana flannel with a flat fox collar and chin strap, the long coat that looks least like a puffer. From $5,580.

11. Long Hooded Double-Breasted Down Jacket with Mink Fur in Brown

The most formal piece: double-breasted flannel, mink in the hood and front facing, and a belt with a small pouch. From $7,960.

Frequently asked questions

What is an Yves Salomon doudoune?

Doudoune is the French word for a down jacket. Yves Salomon uses it for its down-filled jackets and coats, which usually pair duck down padding with a removable collar, hood trim and bib in fox, mink and lambskin. The shells range from technical fabric to Loro Piana flannel and cashmere.

What is the fill in an Yves Salomon down jacket?

Most styles list 95% duck down and 5% duck feathers in their composition. A few list 90% duck down and 10% duck feathers, including the navy long fox-trimmed coat and the short navy jacket with mink trim. The brand does not publish a fill power figure.

Are Yves Salomon down jackets waterproof?

Many are. The technical fabric styles are described as waterproof, windproof and water-repellent, and the Loro Piana flannel and cashmere jackets have a waterproof membrane. Check each product page, because the wording changes from style to style.

Which Yves Salomon down jackets come with mittens?

The Fitted Flannel Down Jacket with Mink Fur Collar and Mittens, the Short Flannel Down Jacket with Detachable Fox Fur Collar and Mittens, the Waterproof Down Jacket with Mittens and Fox Fur Trim and the Long Belted Waterproof Down Jacket with Fox Fur Trim all include matching mittens.

Why are Yves Salomon down jackets made with Loro Piana fabric?

Yves Salomon uses Loro Piana wool and silk flannel and Loro Piana cashmere for its dressier down jackets, paired with a waterproof membrane. The result looks like tailoring but keeps out wind and rain. These styles cost more than the technical fabric jackets, from $3,990 at Coveti.

Does Yves Salomon make a fur-free down jacket?

Some styles use lambskin instead of fur, such as the Long Waterproof Down Jacket with Lambskin Hood Trim and the Short Waterproof Down Jacket with Airy Lambswool Trim. Lambskin is still an animal material. The house also has a fur-free line, Météo, in wool and lambskin.

Shop the full range on the Yves Salomon brand page, compare the parka in our Yves Salomon Army parka guide, and see how the house stacks up in Yves Salomon vs Moncler vs Mackage.