Specifically pertaining to jeans, and as inspired by Scott’s posts at The Sartorialist, I started wearing my winter whites again. One would think that whites were just made for the warm weather (or when painting lol), but guess again. Wearing them during off season adds sophistication to one’s attire, especially when paired with dark winter clothing. It allows you to break the rules when you know how. A co-worker commented that whites during winter can also act as a reflective safety material for on-coming traffic during the darker days… before the empire. Ok, I added a Star Wars line. Geek.

I purchased a pair of orange galoshes by Swims, Norway from Nordstrom, Vancouver, BC. Slipped over a pair of brown or black shoes, the colour combination is G.O.A.T. Of course it’s even more effective for protecting leather shoes during wet days.

A Nordstrom sales personnel informed me about their minimal floor layout, and how he can see one end of the floor display to the opposite end display. Compared to other retailers with convoluted floor layout displays. Similar to cars with minimal dashboard designs, where the objective is to convey a clean surface; so, the driver can better focus on the road. In Nordstrom’s case, consumers’ eyes will better focus on the merchandise.

I was about to purchase a pair of brown shoes with straps. Upon deliberation, the single strap across the top is akin to those three-strap, toddler running shoes. The strap look signifies an athletic, casual persona vs. traditional laces ups. It’s like a button-down collar on a long-sleeve dress shirt, which has a collegiate, casual look vs. a more formal sans button-down version.

At Atmosphere, the outdoor retailer, I was able to ask them to match a Boxing-Day price reduction on a pair of Gore-Tex Solomon shoes. The sales personnel suggested if I can come in on the Black Friday, but I said that I couldn’t; so, he agreed to offer me the discounted price a day prior. I prefer to wear waterproof GT shoes during rainy-day commutes to work, or when coaching soccer during match days. Although during warm days, the GT fabric is toasty.

I love waterproof clothing, especially for the wet days here on the left coast. I have waterproof cycling gear, including waterproof shorts from Scotland by Endura; waterproof sailing drysuits by Bomber Gear, which can also be used for stand-up paddle boarding; if I had more waterproof gear, I’d be a duck.

Atmosphere is a great little retailer that can have items not carried at the other larger retailers. In fact, their only BC warehouse location, located in Langley, allows you to purchase the 1st warehouse-sale clothing item at 50% off, and get this—get the 2nd item for free. Their discounted shoes area has awesome deals too.

This week I returned to Atmosphere to purchase a Thule Crossover 32L backpack, and again they honoured my request for a Boxing-Day price match. I use a Thule roof-rack and bike-carrier, they’re reliably well-built and the company has a great reputation for manufacturing those products. In this case, their bag was well thought out as well with roomy compartments using sturdy materials.