MANY of the big names in fashion this season have drawn huge inspiration from the outdoors. Think hiking boots, shearling lined jackets, classic checked shirts and nordic knits.
These lines of clothing hark back to the days of the original alpinists; throw an old length of rope over your shoulder, pull on those long boots with red laces and tuck in your socks and you’re halfway to looking fashionable already.
What some of us will really like about this resurgence in classic outdoor gear is that we can finally buy rugged clothing that will last the test of time. What’s even better is some designers have also worked with modern fabrics such as Pertex, Polartec, Primaloft and Goretex giving their clothing lots of practical appeal as well as ‘rugged’ looks.
Ralph Lauren embraces this concept more than others this year and it has a great interative website entitled ‘Rugged Icons’ where you can while away some time pouring over some great outdoor clothes. My faves include the orange Nylon Hooded Down Parka which ispictured above ($695), the Navy Nordic Wool Fair Isle Button Sweater (£195) and the Daly Suede-Shearling Boot ($595).
But you don’t just have to look at Ralph Lauren to find rugged items. High street shops like River Island also have some great clothes on offer like this Navy Fair Isle knit for £39.99
Or this grey marl long sleeve rib cardigan for £39.99
In short, every man needs a strong pair of boots, some thick socks, a warm chunky knit and a hardwearing jacket.
It’s great to see the fashion houses agree.
Photos courtesy of Ralph Lauren and River Island.
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