Posts Tagged women’s clothing
Columbia Sportswear’s Fashion and Function for the “It Girl”
Columbia Sportswear didn’t get so popular without some clever marketing and equally clever design to back it up. After spending 16 hours surfing the manufacturer’s booths at the winter Outdoor Retailers show, it was easy for me to get a little cynical. Are there really major noticeable differences between 500 fleece jackets or 200 different pairs of hiking socks?
I capped the show off though with something that reminded me why there’s a lot to celebrate about the current crop of wonder apparel: a fashion show from Columbia. The company slid me into a VIP seat next to the runway where I could be dazzled by their form-meets-function collection for women that will be hitting the stores this coming fall.
I gotta say I like their attitude. They say this collection is for the “it girl” out there, who may be in her 20s but may be a 40-something mother. She bikes, she snowboards, she hikes, but she works, she pounds the city pavement, and she runs errands. What she wears needs to be comfortable and warm but look good. Her clothes need to do more than one thing. They need to do what they promise without a lot of fuss.
That’s my paraphrasing of a more finely-tuned marketing message, one you’ll surely have seen a lot of by this time next year. Based on what I saw, touched, and tried on, however, they back up the hype with great technology and design.
Enjoy the fashion show video above, especially if you thought that being warm in the outdoors and looking great had to be mutually exclusive.
For more on what’s out there now, visit Columbia.com or search for Columbia at your local retailer, REI.com or Backcountry.com.
Posted by Tim in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on January 24th, 2010
Best and Worst Travel Gear of 2009
We’ve been cranking out first-person reviews of travel gear on a daily basis and trying out lots of things as we hike, backpack, explore new cities, and navigate airports. Some items disappoint, some thrill, some defy expectations, so here’s a list of what worked and what didn’t in 2009.
Kara Williams
Item I used on the most trips this year
These Lucy capris pictured above are comfortable and stylish—they can go from the hiking trail to the dinner table. I wore them on the top of the Continental Divide in Colorado, to Maya ruins in Belize, to an ecological preserve in Mexico, and eating lobster in New Hampshire.
Worst piece of crap I gave up on
This battery-operated mosquito repellent is a travel-gear don’t. The blue plastic fan looks like a toy, so it’s dangerous to young children. Plus, it’s dorky and doesn’t work.
Most useful item for $20 or less
The Flip & Tumble bag. A reusable shopping bag that compacts into a tiny, squishy, 3-inch ball is a must-have for any traveler. Use it to tote items to the pool, buy groceries at the local market, or protect packed clothing from dirty shoes on the return trip.
John Gordon
Item I now cannot live without
It took a long time, but I’ve finally found a Bluetooth headset I can love. Motorola’s Endeavor HX1 (pictured at the top) offers excellent audio quality for normal conversations and true bone-conduction technology, like special forces use, to knock out extreme noise. Voice prompts make it easy to use.
Worst “Do we really need this?” item
Some things I just don’t understand, like Planesheets for covering airline seats. Besides the dubious claims of cleanliness, I’d just feel a little weird being the only passenger on the plane sitting in a zebra-stripe seat.
Most questionable travel app
iPhone and iPod users are familiar with the marketing line, “There’s an app for that.” Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Without Fear app is supposed to calm white-knuckled flyers. There’s a screen that says, “This is natural. We know you’re scared. You’re going to be OK.” Like that’s going to help.
Never leave home without it
My AT&T Tilt 2 smartphone (same as the HTC Touch Pro2) lets me keep in touch with friends and clients whether I’m at the neighborhood store or in another part of the world. Sure, AT&T sells a lot more iPhones than this model. When the iPhone gets a real keyboard, can tether to my laptop and lets me swap out the battery, I’ll consider it.
Tim Leffel
Worst Case of Greenwashing
There was plenty of greenwashing to go around this year and the “green gear” tag keeps making its way onto things that really aren’t. I debunked plenty of these, but the most obvious one was this Altus Lumen LED light that burns through four AA batteries in an hour. Decent product otherwise, but the bombastic claim of being “the world’s first sustainable portable LED light” turned out to be based on one factor: the shell is 75% recyclable—provided you pry it all apart and separate the pieces when the thing dies.
What I used the most this year
There were plenty of items I tried out and then put on a shelf. The new things I tried that became a permanent part of my ensemble included the Tom Bihn Aeronaut carry-on bag (pictured at the top), my Teva Omnium sandal shoes, and pretty much everything I put on from ExOfficio—including their underwear. And I almost never pack my bags without a pair of Tifosi Optics sunglasses and some kind of Keen Footwear shoes.
Item that caused the most mixed feelings
I have to admit the Starbucks Via instant coffee tastes ten times better than Sanka or Folgers, but at $1 a serving, it sure better! If you already like the over-roasted, burnt taste of Starbucks, you’ll like this stuff. Even if you don’t, instant coffee that’s drinkable would be worth packing on a camping trip or when staying any place where hot water is more readily available than real coffee.
Honorable Mention – Past year’s standout that keeps coming back:
Travel gear item I would gladly do infomercials for
Only real travelers who have used it believe this $99 SteriPEN Traveler is for real. It looks fishy, I’ll admit: you stick this in the water you’re going to drink, the light kills everything, then you can drink away. But I, my wife, and my daughter have used this daily in 9, 6, and 4 countries respectively without getting sick. ‘Nuff said.
Posted by Tim in Adventure Gear, Business Gear, Kids and Family, Travel Light on January 1st, 2010
Ex Officio Women’s Travel Clothing: Savvy Skirt and Nio Amphi Roll-up Pant
Now I know why my colleague Tim digs Ex Officio travel clothing so much. This brand understands that ideal clothes for the road (or plane or cruise) need to be lightweight, versatile, functional, comfortable and stylish. My Savvy Skirt and roll-up pants from Ex Officio fit those criteria and more.
The Savvy Skirt is made of “lightweight scrunch cloth,” which means you can literally ball it up and throw it in the bottom of a piece of luggage and it won’t matter a hoot — it’s thoroughly wrinkle resistant, since it’s already “wrinkled.” At 33 inches long, it’s the perfect length for my 5-foot, 9-inch frame (petite women may find it too long), and the wide stretchy waist makes it ultra comfortable. Plus, the skirt is cute — the flirty bottom (almost mermaid style, the way it hugs my hips) flares out a bit and swishes when I walk.
But I think the feature I like best about the Savvy Skirt is that it can be worn as a skirt or a halter dress with a tie at the neck (a necessity, since I’m not, er, chesty, and it would slip down without the tie). I’ve used the skirt/dress most often as a bathing suit cover-up, but it would make a fine item of clothing for a travel day, sightseeing or dining out on vacation.
The Nio Amphi Roll-up Pants are designed to be worn in and around the lake or river, with fabric that is engineered to “dry quickly and resist wrinkles, water and stains.” But there’s more, the nylon fabric is also treated with “sun guard,” so it protects your legs from harmful UV rays.
I like that the pants fit me beautifully in the waist. They are “mid rise,” so they don’t hang as low as many pants do these days (do I sound like a Granny here?). If they were a bit big in the waist, however, I could use the hidden drawstring to tie them a bit tighter. Length-wise, they’re a bit short on my tall frame, so I don’t foresee unrolling them to full-length; but that’s okay, I love the capri, roll-up style anyway. Two other nifty features I appreciate: an “undestructible” button (don’t you hate it when your sewed-on buttons fall off?) and two hidden-zipper “security” pockets.
Truly, the roll-up pants are versatile — I wore them hiking and out to dinner on a recent weekend getaway to Keystone, Colorado, and they’ll come along with me on my camping/houseboating trip to Utah’s Lake Powell next month.
Visit the company website to purchase the ExOfficio Savvy Skirt ($60) or the Ex Officio Nio Amphi Roll-up Pants ($65).
Posted by Kara in Travel Light on July 30th, 2009
Lucy Activewear: Comfortable, Stylish Travel Clothes for Women
Are you a PracticalTravelGear.com reader who Tweets? That is, you’re active on the social-networking site Twitter? I sure am (follow me at @karasw), and earlier this month, one of the travel folks I follow on Twitter wrote: “If you love comfortable, flattering active/travel clothes… I love Lucy. Check em’ out at @lucyactivewear.”
Of course, I’m always on the lookout for comfy travel clothes that don’t make me look frumpy, so I clicked to learn more. While the bulk of the Lucy collection is for yoga, running and indoor-gym enthusiasts, new items include “tops” and “bottoms” that are indeed ideal for plane and car travel, as well as day hikes and outdoor sightseeing excursions.
Check out these Lucy items that I’ve been wearing around town lately. (I can’t wait to pack them for my next trip to Vail & Beaver Creek, Colorado, where the sporty, casual designs are perfect for the sporty, casual mountain towns.)
Hillside Capris
These just-below-the-knee capris just might be the ultimate pair of travel pants (for warm weather, anyway). They are constructed with trademarked “Lucy Flex” fabric (96% nylon/4% spandex), which means the pants stretch without losing their shape. Besides the super comfort factor, the material dries quickly; no cotton means they won’t wrinkle either (so great for long sitting-in-a-plane-or-car days).
Style-wise, these pants are sporty enough to wear to yoga class, on the river or on a hiking trail. There are three subtle belt loops as well as a cinch-tie waist; so you could go either way: pull the cinch tie out if you always wear pants with a belt, or just use the tie with out a belt. Either way, you look put together.
According to the Lucy size guide, the Hillside Capris have an “active fit,” and on me, that means they aren’t too body hugging (that’s the Lucy “sleek fit”) nor too blousy (the “relaxed fit”). These Hillside Capris are just right! Retail for $58.
Solaris Crop
These cropped pants are longer than the Hillside Capri, and they’re made of 96% cotton, so you’re dealing with more wrinkle potential. Still, I love the look and feel of the Solaris Crop. This is another “active fit,” so there’s plenty of room to move around — comfortably, with the 4% spandex.
The marketing copy on the Lucy websites suggest hiking in them on a breezy summer day; but frankly, I think the lightweight pants are too stylish to bring on the mountains. These pants, to me, are more appropriate for a casual day spent window shopping and dining at sidewalk cafes.
The Solaris Crop comes with a matching wide belt that ties in the front, and has two little cinch ties on the bottom of each pant leg. Low button-top side pockets give them a cargo feel. Retails for $68.
Soleil Hoodie
I thought I looked so cute in this top until my husband told me my chest looked droopy in it. Okaaaaaay. This could be due to the gathering and ruching details in the front and the sides. And it runs big; I’m 5′9″ and it’s long on me, so petite gals, beware. My other complaint: the interfacing at the generous V-neck opening is too narrow — after washing, it flips up. I have to iron it down to keep it from popping out; and this is not a good thing for a busy mom who only pulls out the ironing board perhaps once a month.
That all said, the jersey cotton (with a touch of spandex) is incredibly soft and cozy. I’ll throw it over a tank top (see below) and shorts or use it as a beach cover-up this summer. Retails for $58.
Training Tank
I like tank tops with coverage and the Training Tank has it. Simple and classy, it’s another versatile piece that can be worn while running or working out, or pair it with capris (see above) for a casual day look. Once again, the fabric is top-notch: this is made of trademarked “Lucy Tech” material, a combination of cotton, poylyester and elastene that wicks away moisture. And once again, this item of Lucy Activewear is incredibly comfortable. Retails for $28.
Check out the entire “Explore” collection designed for travel and adventures in the outdoors on the Lucy website.
Posted by Kara in General Gear on May 29th, 2009
