With temperatures dropping and the sun beginning to set a little earlier than the day before, we have no choice but to accept that winter is on its way (and will be here very, very soon).
If you live near the mountains, that’s welcome news. You’re no doubt anxiously awaiting that beautiful first dusting of snow, so you can get out and hit the slopes for yet another round of winter sports. For those of us in the city, however, winter is a somewhat less joyous time… a time that typically means running from building to car; ducking inside stores on longer excursions to warm up; and constantly being bombarded by strong, bitter winds that somehow manage to make their way through whatever it is we’re wearing.
But despite the challenges that living in a city during winter presents, there is hope. Helly Hansen – the brand that’s been creating the most rugged, high performance outerwear for the past 130 years – recently unveiled their 2012-13 fall/winter collection, and included is the Flow Down Parka. It’s a gorgeous piece of outerwear that not only features a style that’s perfectly at home in the city, but also one that boasts the warmth and protection we’ve come to know and love from the best of Helly Hansen’s mountain-ready ski jackets.
At the heart of the Flow Down Parka is… you guessed it… down. Down, as you probably already know, is easily one of warmest, most insulating materials on the face of the earth. But the problem with most down outerwear is that it’s overly bulky. Down is stitched inside baffles, and the result is an overly puffy coat that makes you look the Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters – not exactly an endearing style trait.
The Flow Down Parka is different, however, because the down is stitched into pods, not baffles. As a result, you get all the benefits of 700+ fillpower European goose down, but without the huge amount of added bulk typically associated with it. In addition, the spaces in between down the pods create channels throughout the interior of the coat, allowing the heat generated by your body to exit the parka while still maintaining the parka’s overall warmth. So while the Flow Down Parka keeps you warm in the most frigid of conditions, its temperature management always keeps the parka’s internal temperature at a comfortable level.
From there, the Helly Flow Down Parka notes a huge assortment of features that you’ll absolutely love in a winter coat. Four enormous front pockets that fit seamlessly into the Flow Down Parka’s design are perfect for keys, your wallet, your cell phone, and any added extras you need to carry. The faux fur hood – one of my favorite design elements – adds a superb layer of protection in the harshest environments. Best of all, the hood features a velcro adjustment on the back, so when you’re walking through the city and want the warmth of the hood with full visibility, you can adjust the hood so that it remains farther back on your head. On frigid days with blisteringly cold winds, loosen the velcro, and the hood is big enough to completely envelop you and keep your head warm and toasty. And lastly, I love the exterior material of the Flow Down Parka. It stretches, so it’s not restricting and it’s comfortable to wear even when being active; but it still manages to excel at keeping moisture and cold air out – a must from any winter coat.
Put it all together, and the Helly Hansen Flow Down Parka is an exceptionally awesome choice for anyone seeking the perfect marriage of style and warmth in a single piece of outerwear.
To learn more about the Helly Hansen Flow Down Parka or to pick up your own, head over to the official Helly Hansen website. Pricing for the Flow Down Parka is $650 in either men’s or women’s variants, and it’s available in either black or espresso flavors.
You can also check out the photo gallery below to see the Helly Hansen Flow Down Parka in action.
