Easy Gift: Smartwool Diamond Hat & Scarf

Smartwool has so many wonderful holiday gift options for all ages.  Even a pair of their colorful socks would make an excellent gift or stocking stuffer, there are so many great things to choose from, and their products scream quality.  I love their stuff especially for outdoorsy types because wool is the ultimate choice for travel and outdoor activity, keeping you comfortable by regulating body temps.

Check out their Diamond Popcorn Scarf and matching Hat.  I am madly in love with the Polar Purple, which is a soothing periwinkle purple-blue.  I don't see it on their site at the moment, but a quick google search shows you where to find it.  It's two-toned and looks great and comes in other colors, even basic black. 

This would be a fabulous set for the person you're not quite sure what to give.  You can find Smartwool online or locally at shops like REI, and food co-ops (it doesn't get easier than picking up a gift while you're grabbing groceries).

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Icebreaker Cascade Hood

Need something bright and cheerful to ease the transition into winter?  Icebreaker has come out with a Magenta hoodie that is a great tonic for gray-sky blues.  The Magenta Cascade Hood combines feminine looks with rugged function.  It's Real Fleece, meaning real wool that's soft, cozy, and fuzzy on the inside.  Wool is awesome.   It's a sustainable material that keeps you warm in the cold and wicks away moisture when it's hot, so it's ideal for outdoor activity.  When you break a sweat hiking, for instance, the wool will wick that moisture away from your skin, keeping you dry and warm.  It's also odor resistant, so when you're camping or traveling and can't do laundry for extended periods, no big deal. 

The Cascade Hood has figure flattering lines, and I love the pocket on the front just big enough for an id and credit card.  As for fit--this is where things get tricky.  Icebreaker runs small and tight, so I recommend sizing up.  If you like your clothes a little loose, the way I do, consider sizing up two sizes.  Normally I take a medium in most things, I'm an 8/10.  In Icebreaker that translates to large and in this case, extra large.  Once I figured it out, the fit was perfect. 

Icebreaker makes some fabulous undergarments too--really nice in cold weather, and I spotted some on their site in this fun color.  Sizing for undergarments was true for me (mediums), go figure.  If you purchase directly from Icebreaker, they exchange sizes for you without charging shipping, so it's low risk, and once you find your fit, you'll love their stuff.  Find the Cascade Hood HERE. 

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Ibex Juliet: Autumn Must Have

Ibex has some exciting things in their new fall line.  My favorite:  the Juliet.  It's a top, it's a base layer, it's a jacket.  And it's Soft.  It has a figure flattering cut, and I love how the sleeves come down a little over your hands for that extra warmth.  I'm always pulling my sleeves over my hands, but this does it for me, and I like this better than the sleeves with the thumb holes.  Speaking of sleeves, the right one has a discreet goat logo, you have to look for it to see it.  I love how Ibex is not in your face with their logo, but if they were, it's so artistic and cool looking I wouldn't mind at all.  It's fun to find the goat on their clothes.  The neckline is also very flattering, and adjustable with the zipper so you can get just the right amount of warmth.  It's a full zip for more versatility, if you start getting too warm, just unzip, also giving you a bit of a cardigan option.  It comes in several great patterns (making me want more than one), I'm crazy about the patterned charcoal gray. 

So, aesthetically this is a win, functionally even more so.  Wool will keep you warm while wicking away sweat (great on the trail), and it won't hold odor (great for when you're on an adventure and can't do laundry for a while).  The weight is perfect, very light, but considered mid-weight.  I want more of this weight at 18.5 micron wool, it's perfect, and incredibly soft and cozy.  Ideal for travel, this is perfect for on the plane and will add very little bulk to your bag doing more than its share of jobs.  Ditto for any outdoors activity.  It's a peice that could be considered heavy duty function-wise, but it's heavy on fashion and femininity too.  Just perfect.  If you need something to get you excited about cooler weather, this is it.  Sizing runs true, I'm an 8/10 and medium is a great fit.  Find it HERE.

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prAna Spring is Here!

A friend asked me the other day if I'd seen any signs of Spring yet.  Robins?  Buds?  A little, but it's still a bit early. Happily, there is one fabulous sign of Spring I can point to--prAna's new Spring line.  I love prAna, it's one of my favorite clothing companies.  They are ethical, socially responsible, use eco friendly materials, and I trust them.  Not to mention, the clothes are gorgeous and functional.

Check out this new Berry Scallop fabric in the Quinn Dress.  I think it should be called Flaming Lotus.  It's an energizing sumptuous beautiful print that flatters.  The Quinn dress is one of prAna's best pieces in my opinion, it's butter soft and crazy comfortable, doesn't wrinkle and is light weight making it perfect for travel.  It's the kind of garment you can wash in a hotel sink and it will dry very quickly, hold its shape, and look fabulous throughout your trip.

It dresses up or down and flatters the figure, and there's a built in shelf bra for support.  This dress is made of 45% recycled content so it's eco friendly to boot.  It's a wardrobe must have, find it HERE. And by the way, if you need something stunning for Valentine's Day, it's available at stores like REI--go treat yourself!

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prAna Cord Skinnies and Sundress for Winter Escape

prAna is such a fun company.  They make colorful comfy travel friendly clothing for people who are living passionately.  And, they have a heart for community.  By using earth friendly fabrics, doing various outreach programs, utilizing fair labor practice, and offering up a positive philosophy, prAna is one of those brands you can feel good about.  With that said, they also have great fashion sense.

Check out these Trinity Cords.  They're like skinny jeans, but cords--perfect for winter.  They look great with boots and booties.  They're thin, which is a great thing and hard to find.  Corduroy can be stiff and uncomfortable, these move with you and they're super soft.  I love the Coal, a charcoal grey color,  which is a nice break from black, but slimming and low profile.  They come in several other colors for variety.  A touch of stretchiness helps these pants hold their shape. 

For your winter escape to someplace warm, I love the Quinn Dress.  It's butter soft and falls at a perfect knee length.  Not too short, not too long.  The neckline is very flattering and feminine while still being functional, there's a built in shelf bra for support.

This dress is perfect for travel, it's lightweight and would be great in a dressy situation or on the beach.  It's made with recycled polyester and is fast drying and low maintenance, something you could easily wash in a hotel sink.  Pull it right out of your suitcase wrinkle free.  It comes in some fabulous colors and patterns, you will probably want more than one. 

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ExOfficio Hoodies for Winter Travel

Need a hoodie for your winter travel?  Hoodies are awesome on the plane for helping to regulate your body temperature and giving you that extra layer when you need it.   When it gets hot and stuffy, you're just a zip away from comfort.  When you get really chilled, or just want to get some privacy, you put your hood up, headphones on and it's like having a "do not disturb" sign. 

If you are going somewhere warm you need a light weight hoody, someplace cold, you want fleece.  Either way, ExOfficio has you covered with some great options.   For your trip to the tropics, the DriLattice Hoody is flattering and functional.  It's ultra light weight and thin, perfect for a hot climate.  You'll need something on the plane and this will double as sun protection.

It's rated UPF 15 and will wick moisture away from you on hikes and during activities.  It has thumbholes--great for when you're riding a bike, and a stripey pattern for added style.  It's wrinkle and odor resistant and dries fast. 

The Jandiggity Fleece Hoody is butter soft and super light weight.  I love how thin it is while still being warm and cozy.  It has a secret pocket on the sleeve perfect for a hotel key, credit card or id.  The longer length is great and it has a subtle grid pattern.  This is not your typical bulky fleece that you put on and feel like you just gained ten pounds, it's very elegant.  It comes in some great colors--enough to make you want more than one. 

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Two Must Have Tees

Want an eco friendly, cute, comfy tee that will take you seamlessly from Summer to Fall?   Smartwool and Ibex have some wonderful options.  I love the feminine details on this Flight tee from Smartwool.   It has ruching at the shoulder and a graphic on the side depicting flight.  The super flattering fit is comfortable and generous and it feels great on.  This would work great with jeans, skirts, or yoga pants. 

The Merino Logo T is a fun versatile tee.  This tee also has a feminine cut and looks cute dressed up or down.  The fit is true to size.

I'm very fond of Ibex's cool logo and this tee features the goat logo in the center of the shirt.   It's small and unassuming but adds a little spice and keeps things interesting.   

Both tops are perfect for travel and outdoor adventures because they don't hold odor, pack great, and help regulate your body temperature. 

  I'm an 8/10 and took mediums in both tees.  They are comfy and seem to get softer after each wash.  Both tops come in several fun colors and are a must have for the low maintenance adventure wardrobe.

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Outdoor Underwear Roundup

When you're traveling or backpacking, you know every little thing you pack is important.  You want the best functioning stuff you can find and you want to be comfortable and look good.  And you want to keep that weight down.   Everything should be fast drying and wicking, even your underwear.  That way you're more comfortable and can hand wash your stuff in a hotel sink or the back country to wear the next day.

Wool underwear has been around a while, but I was never that interested.  It just didn't sound very comfortable to me.  Well guess what--it's so comfortable it's luxurious.  Of course it is, wool keeps you cool when it's hot and warm when it's cold, I just never equated it to under garments.  Now I'm hooked.

Wool has the added benefit of being odor and moisture resistant, so it's perfect for when you can only have a few pieces.  Check out this Siren Cami and matching Hipkini by Icebreaker.  I love the feminine details--I don't care if I'm out in the middle of nowhere, I still like to wear pretty things under my clothes.  But this is subtle, it's not overly girlie, it's more elegant and fits in perfectly with a natural setting.  I also like Icebreaker's Siren Tank which can be worn alone or as another great layering piece. The straps are adjustable for a more custom fit.   The tank is gorgeous in black and can easily be worn alone as a top.

Sizing on the Icebreaker can be tricky for me.  I wear a size 8 pant and with the underwear, the medium is perfect.  On top, I'm a 10, and usually a medium in most things, however with Icebreaker I tend to take a large.  With the cami, I could have gone medium.  Icebreaker offers free shipping and returns so you don't have to worry about getting the right fit, you can easily exchange if you need something different. 

Ibex makes some wonderful undergarments as well.  Check out these cute Balance Briefs which fit and feel great.  I love their Ibex goat logo on the front--I am not a logo person.  Normally I really don't care for logos much at all and wish they weren't there.  Ibex's logo is more like art, I love it and was happy to see it on the underwear.

The Woolies Camisole is great for layering or wearing alone.  The Ibex is especially soft, and a little thicker than the Icebreaker undergarments.  I found the underwear to run small, so you might want to order up.  I needed a large for the underwear, but for the cami, a medium was fine.  I think you could wear this as a tank by itself with a pair of jeans or skirt, it's butter soft and very cute.

Next we have Smartwool.  Of course they make great underwear, their socks are fabulous and so are their clothes.  Smartwool also has a cute and unassuming logo by the way, not found on the  underwear.  I love their camis and the underwear also does not disappoint.  It comes in a hipster, thong, and bikini styles and my favorite is the bikini.

Size-wise, I take a medium in the Smartwool, usually both top and bottom.  They're a great weight, and super comfortable.  Now is the time to stock up on Smartwool, Ibex and Icebreaker, and I have found some amazing and irresistible deals on all three brands on Amazon and Departmentofgoods.  I found some things I couldn't believe I was getting such a great deal on--I found some hundred dollar tops for $30, so don't let the expense of wool put you off, there are great deals out there.  And even if you do pay full price, the wear is so worth the extra cost, this stuff lasts forever and it's so high performance I find it to be worth every penny.

And last but not least, Ex Officio underwear is legendary for being the perfect underwear for travel and adventure.  Have you heard about the person that took one pair of underwear around the world and they were in perfect shape when they finished their trip?  That was Ex Officio underwear.

I love the Give-N-Go Lacey Low Rise Bikini.  They are feminine, come in pretty colors and fit great.  I took mediums in the Ex Officio underwear and they were very comfortable.

The Give-N-Go string bikini is cute and fits great.  You would never know these two styles are performance underwear at all.  There is a texture to the fabric which makes them easier to clean, you can work up a lather with very little eco friendly soap.  I don't know how they did it, but this underwear is feminine and also hard core at the same time.  I'm new to Ex Officio, but so far I can really see why people love this brand. 

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Go Lite this Summer

Are you planning any trips for this Summer?  Or outdoor adventures?  If you like to travel light, and most of us would rather have less to carry, especially with airlines charging so much for luggage.  And if you're headed for the woods, you know that every ounce counts.  Check out GO LITE for some fantastic options in clothing. I've just discovered them, and let me just preface this by telling you I don't think I have never been so excited about travel-outdoorsy clothing.  It's affordable, it's cofortable, and they even list the weight in the clothing descriptions for those that are really conscious of weight for packing. 

Now, what women want to know, are they--flattering?  I've only tried on three pieces so far, but I can answer that with a resounding Yes!  And I'm excited because I find this rare in adventure-wear.  I am not an athletic clothing type, I'm more of an Anthropologie type, and I also like very clean lines and simple cuts.  Yes, I love to get my hands dirty and get out there in the woods, but I want to look cute doing it.  Right?  Don't you?  So much of that type of stuff is cut in an unflattering way, or just looks frumpy and even if no one is going to see me, I still want to feel comfortable and cute out there on the trail.

Also, I have a curvy body type.  I wear an 8 on the bottom and a 10 on top,  Mediums usually do great, sometimes smalls in things like yoga pants, and in athletic clothes, sometimes a large on top.  I don't like my clothes to be tight fitting, I want that comfort but I don't want to look like I raided my man's closet either.  There are little things clothing designers can do to add femininity, subtle things.

Take the Manitou Longsleeve Hiking Top.  The neckline hints at a Mandarin which is not only feminine, but comfortable, it has diagonal lines sewn in on the sides that create a slimming look, and the sleeves come down at a slight point on your hands.  These details are flattering and make you feel like you're not just wearing a boring wicking top.  It also has a reflecting logo on the back and one on the front left side.  Functional, but still cute.  And the cut is generous too.  This is perfect for hiking and backpacking and biking, and comes in a bright orange (the Paprika is brighter in person), which I love for visibility.

The Yunnan Hiking Pant is probably the very first pant in this genre that just fit perfect at first try.  You know it can be frustrating trying on pants like this.  For me, I'm either swimming in them, or to get a length that works, it's too tight everywhere else.  These are the perfect length (I'm 5'5) and they are just right.  They are flattering!  I've had some luck with Patagonia in this area, but overall, I find it very very difficult to find pants appropriate for the outdoors that still look good.  And by appropriate, I mean not cotton, no jeans or any material that will stay wet.  You want wicking material that will dry quickly if you're caught in the rain.  They're also very light.  The photo does not do them justice at all, they are a lower-rise than what it looks in the picture and have a great shape.  You could wear them on the trail and then out to dinner, perfect for traveling and everything else.  I would say they are a Must Have, and I hope that Go Lite keeps this style and offers them in black soon, I want more pairs of these.

And finally, check out this Cayambe Reversible Dress.  You get two dresses in one, it's very flattering, butter soft, and perfect for the suitcase.  I love the ruching at the top and there's a little flounce at the bottom making you feel very feminine.  It's very light, you won't even know it's in your bag.

On top of carrying awesome functional clothing, GoLite is a socially and environmentally conscious company.  They're having a 50% off sale right now, so head over there and see if there's anything that you could use for your Summer adventures.  Find them HERE.

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ISIS Coconut Carbon Tempest Jacket

A jacket made with coconut carbon?  How cool is this?  The ISIS Tempest Jacket utilizes natural technology called Cocona.  This is coconut carbon utilizes ground coconut shells to create a more breathable material and reduce chemical materials used in other waterproof fabrics.  It spreads moisture over the surface accelerating evaporation and drying.  Coconut carbon is a recycled and sustainable material.  This is great progress and a win-win for eco friendly technical clothing.

This is a figure flattering jacket.  The seams along the sides create slimming lines and the back goes over the bum.  There's a stash pocket on the inside, the zipper pulls are chunky and comfortable and the zippers are two way and have taped seams to keep them waterproof.   The right pocket of the jacket doubles as a stuff sack making this great for travel or keeping on hand in your bag for unexpected weather.

It comes in some great colors, blue, green, a perfect-for-cycling orange and my favorite, black.  Contrasting patterned white is on the inside--I wish it were black as well, but it is a cheery pattern.  I do really like the little stars along the inner zipper seam.  The hood is adjustable and cinches down and stows when not needed.  This is a soft coat.  The material is flexible and comfortable which is not always the case with rain jackets.  There's even a velvet patch to protect your neck and chin when you have the coat zipped all the way up which is a nice touch.  Great attention to details with the Tempest.

I love the little details like the fortune cookie-esqe note that's in the pocket that says "You are a Goddess" (now on my fridge), and the fun little quotes on the tag like, "Journeys are always more interesting than destinations." I'm new to ISIS, but I have to say, my first impression is great.  Check out the Tempest Jacket HERE. 

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Horny Toad Hoodies for Spring and Summer

Hoodies are fabulous for this time of year when the weather is touch and go and they'll see you right through Summer and the beginning of Fall.  They're good for layering or for when the temperature drops and you want to cover your head or get a little shetler from a rain shower.

I love Horny Toad for their eco friendly fabrics and versatile styles.  They travel well and the colors mix and match to give you maximum options.  The Delectable Hoodie is soft and cozy and has a flattering neck line and raglan sleeves.  It's great to keep in your backpack for when you get chilly and it works for sportier occasions as well as daily casual.  That neckline serves to dress it up and it just looks nicer than your average pullover.

The Zennie Jacket is a zip-up hoodie with some detail seams that create slimming lines.  It's ultra light weight and perfect for Summer.  I'd wear this with jeans or a dress.  Horny Toad is a company with a sense of humor and a heart.  They seem to try to make all their clothes your favorite--you know, the clothes you wear to tatters while other stuff sits in your closet because it just doesn't feel as good.  They use green materials like organic cottons, bamboo, and tencel and are made for comfort and durability.  Find them Here.

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