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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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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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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