Last winter, I found myself headed to a mandatory appearance at a snooty conference held in a ski village in the Swiss Alps. It was the carry-on traveler's nightmare, requiring semicasual wear for daytime seminars, coat-and-tie for evening business, and black-tie gala on the final evening. Add in the snowy weather and ski gear, and the whole thing was a recipe for a steamer trunk.
However, thanks to an Origami Coat from Cronan Artefact, I managed to fit everything I needed in my carry-on. At first blush, the Origami looks like a blazer on steroids, with big lapel flaps and a welter of buttons. But all those buttons plus rollable sleeves allow you to morph the Origami into everything from a chic jacket to casual sportswear to a weather-tight button-down for braving the elements between hotel and conference center. Best of all, the Origami so thoroughly changes personalities that only a significant other would notice you're wearing the same coat. For a closet nerd like me, it was a delight to wear something so blatantly practical and comfortable and still get compliments from attendees whose husbands were trapped in stuffy business suits.
But you don't have to travel to cold climes to love the Origami - I use mine nine months out of the year in San Francisco. Cut from a wool fabric, it fits unobtrusively into the button-down scene; the basic Origami comes in a hemp canvas for warmer climates. All designs are unisex, but I particularly recommend it to guys who have to wear business dress but are looking for an alternative to the three-piece clone.
Basic Origami Coat, in dark charcoal cotton twill: US$335;other fabrics available by custom order. Cronan Artefact: +1 (415) 241 9111, email artefact1@aol.com.
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Feats of ClayThe Way-Distant Future
Origami Coat
