My husband recently asked why I never wear the robe he bought me. It’s a lovely one, made of plush bamboo terry cloth, and it garnered so many online raves that he spent what we both consider to be a ridiculous sum for something you wear after a bath. But for two years it’s hung unused on our shower-room door, and I figured I just wasn’t a robe person. Turns out I am but only if it’s made of fleece and doesn’t actually look like a robe.
What converted me? The Kari Traa Røthe hoodie ($100), an extra-long zip-up made of high-pile polyester. From above the waist, it looks like a typical casual midlayer. There’s a drawstring hood, a zippered chest pocket that’s big enough for my phone, and the stretchy, striped cuffs of a track jacket. It just so happens to extend down to my knees, like a snuggly lap blanket. That presentable aesthetic is key. I can wear the Røthe for various Zoom meetings and online work appearances, and no one on the other side of the screen has
December 2020 was an emotional month, a reflection on what was an emotional year.
Outside editors limped toward the light of January with a mixture of hope and exhaustion. Here’s the gear that got us over the finish line and that we’ll keep using in 2021.
Kari Traa Long-Sleeved Base-Layer Top ($75 and Up)
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Photo: Courtesy Kari Traa)
Each time I step out the door this winter, I’ve got on a 100 percent wool undershirt by Kari Traa. These are some of the warmest base layers on the market.
They’re also soft, stretchy, and strike a nice balance between sporty and feminine. The tops range from $75 to $120, depending on your preferred style, and you can pick up a pair of leggings to match. If you decide to sleep in them after a long day of snowshoeing and then continue wearing them for the next two days (yes, guilty), no one’s gonna notice, thanks to their odor resistance. Tasha Zemke, copy editor