Tuesday 10 May 2011

Walking on the wild side...





How many times can the 60/40 mountain parka be incarnated or the Maine fisherman jacket re-invented before the streets of our cities are awash with young, keen exploring enthusiasts and extras from deadliest catch ? Not long I reckon... Sometimes we can fall into a trap of buying the same stuff under the guise of a different label, I would know, as I'm as guilty as anyone - my wardrobe being packed up with parkas of all colours, creeds and credentials.

Thats why this next offering of daily jacket fodder really caught my eye. It's different. It's Leopard print. 'WHAT?', I hear the staunch protoganists of beige and black scream through the eternal passages of the world wide web. More Betty Lynch than boy around town, yeah? But that's what I like about this ace collaboration between London based Goodhood and R Newbold - its going to take more than a pair of Fracap boots to pull this off with any real style and without looking like a homosexual extra from the Jungle Book.

R Newbold has been a steady presence in my wardrobe for a number of years, obtaining pieces when and where I can. It's a rare commodity these days, being stocked only by a small number of UK retailers. All the really good stuff is for the Japanese market and my hours spent trying to use google translater while drooling over zozotown are no ones buisness. That's why it's a pleasing scenario when diamonds like this crop up available for a UK purchase.

I realise that walking around in a space age Leopard print parka isn't everyones idea of looking fresh, but then I've never been one for playing it safe when it comes to clothing... I think this jacket is killer !

The details are endless, with my favorite aspect being the perfectly sitting hood, white contrast buttons and deep bellow pockets. It definitely holds a military feel (a parka, i hear you again scream) but the print alone marks this out as a really class effort from that often untapped resource that is Goodhood. Nigel Carbourn offered up his 'cloud camo' navel parka at the start of the season and many scoffed, I think this envokes a similar reaction, just depends what side of the fence you're on.

I'm off to practice my prowl...

Saul

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