Oh, Outlier. Your Keirin Cut Dungarees are so comfortable, resilient and good-looking that ever since putting them on it has been hard to get excited about any other pants in the dresser drawer—even a pair of fancy Marc Jacobs jeans excavated from the bottom of a clearance pile. This damn rain shirt looks to be cut from the same attention-ensnaring cloth. Well, not technically the same cloth—this guy is lined with Superfine Merino wool, for starters—but this combination of their Soft Core Wool Vest and Supermarine Rain Shirt has us thinking fondly of the nylon coach’s jackets we’d buy at the sporting goods store in high school. A grown up and refined version that’s essentially a cozy, water resistant dress shirt. - jt

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I know this: if we show too many of the details from the forthcoming Isaora Autumn/Winter 2012 collection, I will lose my head. For now, I share select looks to give you an idea of where color and texture is heading for the technical fashion line; much of it, we believe, will project its way into the high end tech market that has yet to hit full throttle Stateside. Eyes on Isaora, please.

Photography: Luca Merli/Selectism.com

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Some nice video action from Secret Forts, a peek into the world of NY outerwear label Owner Operator. “Launching their second season of classically inspired, mountain ready outerwear, Owner/Operator, the New York based, two man Mountain apparel making team, continues to evolve both technically and design-wise.”  Simple technical-wear with a classic feel made by a couple of snowboarders. Good stuff.

Technical sportswear on its way for 2012. UVU, a new line from Dominic Stansfield (previously of Duffer and Stansfield), has taken on the considerable talents of KTC China. A factory responsible for some of the best sportswear out there, these guys mean business. The ethos of the brand is simple, perfection over, well, anything else. Driven by some of the most advanced fabrics available, “UVU innovations include the use of nano-technology fabrics, waterproofing Japanese spun jersey and oxford fabrics. Sweatshirts and shirts with bonded seams.” Just to make sure everything is fully functioning each item is pushed to its limits “tested in the most extreme climates on earth, from the arctic to the tropics.” Keep an eye on UVU for some future friendly sports garms.

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The search for contemporary technical outwear has lead to spending considerable time in fly fishing shops over the last few months. While LL Bean and Patagonia offer similar cuts and looks to Simms, the Bozeman-based fishing outfitter has the better details. Dedicated to fishing since its inception in 1980, Simms moved from Jackson, WY to Montana in 1993. That year they forged a bond with W.L. Gore, pioneering breathable waders.

The relationship with Gore is clear in the Simms jacket range. The G4 Pro uses Gore-Tex pro, making it super light, breathable, and clearly waterproof as well. Importantly, the G4 is the only jacket that Simms produces with pit zips. Of course, there is the question of pulling off a technical fly fishing jacket as casual wear. But since the jacket is simply awesome in its technical features it hardly matters.