STYLE
Outdoors
Fashion Goes Outdoors From a guy’s perspective BY DENNIS ANDRES
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When Mike Crowe talks about what he wore on his first nature adventure, he sounds like a pioneer. In Ohio in the 1970s, he dressed in tight polyester shirts, boated in cheap swimming trunks and walked in uncomfortable flip-flops. “Sweating like crazy,” he and his friends wore tube socks and lathered in baby oil, walking without sunglasses or a hat, boots, poles or a backpack. Step aside, pioneers: The trails of nature are becoming fashion runways. A revolution in gear and apparel is completely changing the experience for exercisers and explorers. Instead of getting in the way of the fun, outdoor couture is facilitating it.
HOW IS IT HAPPENING? First, stores founded by outdoor lovers—L.L.Bean, Eastern Mountain Sports and REI, the co-op—have expanded
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to serve the market for adventure. Got a compass? You might need one to navigate the enormous Cabella’s & Bass Outdoors stores serving those who hunt and fish. Besides clothing and gear, they offer clinics, books and good advice. These stores include brands launched by outdoor entrepreneurs. Kahtoola MICROspikes made in Flagstaff, AZ, Buff tubular bandanas, and the simple canvas Tilley hat were created by founders to cover their own outdoor needs. Today, their users swear by them. Apparel like this is proving that there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. Hi-tech and environmentally safe accessories such as insulated sleeping bags, tents, bug repellents and sun lotions are making the outdoors feel like
