This segment will feature technical fashion looks for styling reference and lifestyle rationale. Expect to see a mixture of techwear, performance sportswear, and military designs in these sets, as opposed to outdoors-based hiking gear or streetwear products: more supermodern than hypebeast.
Where possible, for items still currently being sold, links will be provided to the official store listing. Else, the brand’s e-store, if still in operation, will be linked to.
Location:
- Chinatown: Sydney, Australia
User:
Outfit Details
- Issey Miyake Men Black Hooded Nylon Vest [ Issey Miyake Men eStore ]
- WINDCOAT Packable Green Translucent Ripstop Coat Bag by Issey Miyake [ Issey Miyake Men eStore ]
- ASICS Black Running Vest [ ASICS Men’s Apparel eStore ]
- Prada Sport Navy Nylon 2-Way Stretch Adjustable Pants [ Prada Men’s Ready to Wear eStore ]
- Danner Tachyon Off-Duty
- Fidlock Nylon 25mm Webbing Belt [ SHELLZINE DIY Belt Guide ]
On trips, I prioritise layering, packability, comfort, and, to a degree, an aesthetic that suits the locality I am visiting. On a trip to Sydney with its mild winters range from 8 to 15C and it’s East meets West architecture, which blends traditional English structures in Australia’s oldest city with modern Chinese developments, I styled the following look with that aforementioned methodology in mind. While it was not intentional, this look is all nylon, which is one of my favourite materials due to its light weight, ruggedness, technical sheen, and excellent wind-blocking capabilities.
The core outfit is non-black, with the large green WINDCOAT and navy PRADA SPORT pants, with the black vests, belt and boots breaking it up to create a busy but not extremely over the top look.
This amount of pockets in this outfit is excessive with 3 in the WINDCOAT, 4 in the Issey Miyake Men vest and another four in the ASICS running vest. Yet, because the design language is relatively subtle and streamlined, it does not stand out like fishing or outdoor gear, as some technical brands veer into. The look remains streamlined and not bulky despite it’s carry volume.
While these are the matte “Off-Duty” versions of the Danner Tachyon, given the nylon sheen on all the clothing, I think the GORE-TEX Patrol version with their additional sheen would have been fine visually for styling. However, the weather was mild and the rest of the look is only mildly weather resistant so the lighter weight matte boots were comfortable and climate appropriate.
The WINDCOAT piece as noted packs into a small carry bag. Being completely honest, I found this transformability to be pretty worthless. The resulting bag is quite big at around 30cm / 12″ wide and not tightly packed. It could have been a lot more compact and folding the coat up by hand gets a smaller footprint. Since the translucent ripstop nylon is very hardy, it did not need the reversibility of transforming into a bag to protect the material while being stowed in a backpack or suitcase either. That being said, it has a great military look with the grey grab handle and coyote brand trims. It is a pity those were not used on the actual coat, which is entirely in the green nylon fabric.
This Issey Miyake Men vest is one of my favourite technical pieces. It’s a lightweight DWR-coated nylon with mesh lining and has a stowed hood with large hook and loop closure neck flaps. It’s 2-way front closure zipper and cord-adjustable hem allows for significant control of the silhouette when worn on it’s own or layered over pieces. Like the rest of the items in this look, it is very packable and light, making it ideal for walking around all day on a trip. Heavy pieces can add up, contributing to fatigue over the day when out for many hours.
The Issey Miyake Men vest has quite a long length, which combined with its cord-adjustable silhouette allows it to be layered over long light coats as I have in this outfit. It’s stowed hood gives some short term head protection if a rain breaks out. It’s this kind of layering versatility that I like using when styling my technical looks, especially on trips.