Sarah Jessica Parker Wore Some Incomprehensible Pants, but Her Secret Coat Trick Is Brilliant

Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images Sarah Jessica Parker

Sarah Jessica Parker and Katie Holmes may very well be engaged in a secret competition as to who can get away with wearing the most baffling pants in public. When Parker wears the jeans we haven't seen in a decade, Holmes counters with some billowing paper bag pants. Parker ups the ante with the pants the public loves to hate, and Holmes strikes back by going on a tour of the widest-leg denim we've seen in ages. With the ball now in her court, Parker's latest pants might have just made a winner of the much talked-about Sex and the City reboot star.

On a walk through her native city of New York yesterday, Parker wore a hybrid pair of sweatpant-leggings that, while utterly confusing, look undeniably comfortable. Their thick-knit material hangs loosely from the waist all the way down below the knee, where they suddenly (and alarmingly) transform into stretchy, skin-tight calf-huggers. (The exact pants have yet to be ID'ed, but this similar pair is arguably more wearable and only $26.)

Upon closer inspection of Parker's outfit, we were thrilled to discover that weird pants aren't the only common denominator between her and Holmes. Beneath her Gerard Darel coat, Parker wore an ultra-thin, lightweight puffer vest — a winter dressing hack Holmes has also been known to pull in the past. "I think layering is the trend," Holmes previously told InStyle. "I have a black, skinny puffer from Uniqlo, and you can put it underneath another big wool coat."

The secret-puffer strategy is actually brilliant, especially for days when it's cold enough to warrant a heavy coat and then some. But it's also a genius trick for when you're leaning towards, say, your second warmest coat but don't want to sacrifice comfort outdoors. This sneaky layer adds little to no bulk while providing invaluable warmth, and it's even super easy to compress to packable size if you want to stash it in your purse later.

Best yet, this Parker and Holmes-validated piece might be the most affordable and effective update you've ever made to your cold-weather wardrobe. Starting at just $27 and available on Amazon, Nordstrom, and Uniqlo, shop the best layerable puffer vests below.

Get the look:

Amazon Essentials Women's Lightweight Water-Resistant Packable Down Vest
Shop now: $27; amazon.com

iClosam Women's Winter Puffer Vest
Shop now: $28; amazon.com

Columbia Women's Voodoo Falls 590 TurboDown Vest
Shop now: $130; amazon.com

32 Degrees Heat Women's Packable Vest
Shop now: $35; amazon.com

Uniqlo Women's Ultra Light Compact Vest
Shop now: $30 (Originally $40); uniqlo.com

Patagonia Nano Puff Vest
Shop now: $149; nordstrom.com

Patagonia Down Vest
Shop now: $179; nordstrom.com

Gallery Quilted Vest
Shop now: $85 (Originally $150); nordstrom.com

Tory Sport by Tory Burch Quilted Packable Down Vest
Shop now: $248; nordstrom.com