When you're going up North, you'd better know how to layer. Designer Stefan Miljanich often looks to travel and history to inspire his collections, but occasionally his journeys lead him astray. Last season's South Pacific Spring struck an off note. But this season's offering, inspired by Admiral Robert Peary's voyages to Greenland and the North Pole in the early 20th century for the retro-mountaineering vibe, found Mr Miljanich back in fine form. Between the piled-on styling and the cooler casting, there was a freshness to the whole. Styling this aggressive is a gambit; then again, so is a trip to the North Pole. Pull it apart, and there were fine pieces : distressed and washed leather jackets, including one with a fur hood, topped chunky alpaca hand-knitted patterned sweaters and denim jackets that were belted and worn with tucked-in Japanese selvage jeans and sturdy Chippewa boots, or cozy plaid shirts paired with distressed cotton chinos, cords and jeans. Good Admiral Peary would be surprised to find himself inspiring looks like these (though you could walk on an ice floe in those crushing Chippewa hiking boots). But as inspirations go, Stefan Miljanich got it right this time. The man who can't find a few items to covet in Gilded Age's kitchen sink of a this collection must either really hate Winter or really like being cold.
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