14 October 2014

FEATURE: Autumn Apparel #2

When Helly freezes over.

We recently published a pretty comprehensive guide to some cool new clothing items to protect you from the worst autumn has to chuck at us. Thing is, as some of you may have noticed, our choice of items leant a little more to the Y chromosome. That is why, thanks to our chums at Helly Hansen, we've tested a few awesome autumnal clothing pieces for women.





Blackrock Coat




Starting from the outside in, we wanted an all-round versatile jacket that could protect against the worst of the autumnal weather, while still looking stylish. The Blackrock Coat manages these with aplomb, by being a long(ish) raincoat with a sporty trim.


Waterproof and windproof, the Blackrock carries with it all the usual guarantees that Helly Hansen make with their jackets. Namely, if you're wearing this and you get either wet of feel the cold, the Queen of Norway will personally visit you to apologise. Actually, don't quote us on that, but rest assured that you will be safely wrapped in water-repelling fabric that is nicely insulated (but thankfully not too insulated) with YKK zips, a fixed hood and adjustable cuffs and hem.

We especially loved it for appearing like a heavy-duty outdoors coat while retaining a light and thin body.

£105



Daybreaker Fleece Jacket


When the weather isn't bad enough to warrant the toughness of the Blackrock Coat, we wanted something lighter to throw on during a mixture of activities. The Daybreaker Fleece Jacket is a very thin fleece that provides a surprising amount of insulation, while still looking slick and sporty.

Perfect as either an outer layer on warmer days, or as a base layer during chilly spells, the Daybreaker Fleece is made from Polartec fabric which locks in your body heat while still being breathable. The whole shape of the fleece has clearly been designed to stay as thin as possible, with flatlock seams to minimise bulk and a YKK coil zip front opening.


We found ourselves using it most on relatively warm days as an outer layer, with just a t-shirt or blouse underneath. As we say, we were surprised at the effectiveness of the insulation, despite the thin build.

£45


Skuld 4 Boots


And finally we reach rock bottom with a pair of boots as versatile and as flexible as the autumn weather itself. The Skuld 4 combine luxurious good looks (when we first saw them we assumed they were fancy slippers) with actual outside toughness - all contained within an alarmingly comfortable structure.

The exterior of the Skuld 4 is premium waterproof leather around the lower shoe and softer, more giving suede around the ankle and calf. The faux fur interior is akin to sliding your feet into a sleeping bag, and we found that even the coldest of the recent days, and the deepest of puddles, were not enough to chill our cosy toes. Thankfully, if you intend to pound the pavement in these beauties you're well served by the Helly Grip Rubber sole which we found to be tough as old boots, while retaining a good degree of flex.


£130

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