American designers Sam Shipley and Jeff Halmos make a yearly pilgrimage to Colorado. "The Jeff and Sam annual summit", they called it at their showroom, with their usual chummy good cheer. This season, it provided the inspiration for their collection. Shipley & Halmos aren't in the thrall of seasonal trends, but they do continue to tweak their collections. The synergy between formal tailoring and sportswear served as the expertly translated design language of the collection. While remaining truthful to their philosophies of individualism and modern classicism, the designers explored themes of nostalgia and cold weather retreats. The Colorado theme this year sent them in the direction of outerwear, which hasn't been a focus until now, and served as the foundation for each look, which are normally typified by bold and warm hues. Suddenly they found themselves turning out suede-patched puffers, three-quarter-length car coats, lined shirt jackets, and Patagonia-style fleeces. Even their suits got in on the action. "How can we make suiting more of an outerwear piece ?" the duo wondered, and answered their own call by cutting theirs in an extra-heavy Italian wool. Their usual array of jeans, casual chinos, and affordable suiting rounded out the range, as did footwear that might stand up to Rocky Mountain conditions if you were careful : a hybrid desert boot/hiking boot, offered with both contrasting and matching laces.
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