Ursa Major on the pulse

Here's an excerpt from a recent fashion article in the New York Times:

The arctic weather in Europe may be the simple answer, or perhaps it’s something deeper, but for some reason everybody at the Pitti Immagine Uomo trade fair in Florence, Italy, which closed today, was dressed like a mountaineer. On the runways and on the Renaissance streets, the default look comprised hiking boots, heavy felted, checked-wool puffed coats and scarves as wide as king-size bedspreads.

Fashion rarely follows function or logic, but the fallout from the crumbling financial markets may also be responsible for this back-to-nature escapism. The Japanese have been forecasting this nature-bound, anti-urban trend for a few seasons and avant-garde Tokyo brands and boutiques have gone crazy for original plaid, snow boots and hunting gear of every kind, in the process re-energizing staid American mountain classics like Timberland, Pendleton, Woolrich, Filson, L.L. Bean and Red Wing.

Good to know we have the fashion tailwinds at our back; although we're wary of 'trends' here at Ursa Major! Thanks to Alex M. for passing this snippet along. [Photo source: NYTimes/Pitti Immagine]