Christmas Gift Guide: Clothes & Shoes

With the festive season fast approaching and the weather on the turn, here at Always in Colour we’ve pieced together an essential winter’s guide full of top pick apparel, footwear, gifts and seasonal necessities to help complement the transitioning months of the year.

If Ivy League aesthetics, preppy underpinnings and appreciations for trans-generational heritage wear is still top of your list for 2021, then Shetland Woollen Co.’s collection of supersoft handfeel sweaters is sure to inspire. Ideal for ensuring you’re wrapped up warm whilst enjoying catch ups outdoors or for gifting to someone you know that admires artisanal tradition, the classic colourings and well-brushed composure of the brand’s Shaggy Crewneck Sweatshirts offer insulation that’s next to none. Good enough for the islanders of Shetland, JFK and Mick Jagger, the Shaggy Crewneck Knit offers superior quality that’s fit for winter purpose, whilst Barbour White Label’s Crook Knitted ½ Zip and Morpeth Fisherman Crewneck Sweatshirt celebrate British fieldsport tradition with respect to quality crafted artisan styling.

In keeping with noted outdoor orientated trends, our collection of Always in Colour fleeces includes premium long sleeve layers from the likes of Patagonia, Carhartt, Columbia Sportswear and Seattle-based outdoor enthusiasts Kavu. Practical in design and well suited to active settings, high-pile fleece silhouettes such as the Patagonia Retro Pile Fleece Jacket, Carhartt Prentis Pullover Jacket and Folk Funnel Fleece are designed to lock-in warmth with respect to vintage hiking aesthetics, whilst admirers of eco-friendly fabrications can enjoy sustainably sourced options such as Patagonia’s Classic Retro-X Jacket and plain weave Synchilla Snap-T Pullover. Sleeveless solutions such as the mesh lined Kavu Cooper Fleece Vest are ideal for those looking for quick and easy under or over layering options when it comes to transitioning into the springtime months of 2022.

Although not an altogether new trend, but one that has gained in popularity over the course of 2021, utilitarian Japanese streetwear has continued to inspire us here at Always in Colour. Outdoor orientated everyday apparel from brands such as CMF Outdoor Garment, Manastash and Taion address Westernised origin with respect to technically advanced Japanese design, with premium Taion fleeces, Manastash jackets, such as the Monster 700 Version 2.0 Jacket, and multifunctional apparel from CMF Outdoor Garment such as the Slash Shell Jacket, heat retaining 850FP CMF Down Coat and kimono inspired Haori Shell Jacket designed to help provide a comfortable and functional wear across all seasons, including the colder festive period.

The perfect gift for admirers of both cut-and-sew tradition and expressive custom graphics, our continually expanding selection of t-shirts include creative designs from Perth-based Lo-Fi and Nike Sportswear, such as the Remain In Light T-Shirt, Solar T-Shirt and both Nike’s folkloric Fantasy T-Shirt and ‘80s themed Black Light Tie Dye T-Shirt, whilst colour block designs such as the returning Carhartt Chase T-Shirt and Patagonia P-6 Logo Responsibili-Tee T-Shirt find themselves well placed next to our own exclusive selection of Always in Colour t-shirts. If longer layers are what’s sought after this festive season, then Nike’s advanced Therma-Fit Fleece Hoodie and Therma-FIT ½ Zip Fleece are designed to deliver amplified insulation to suit, with other sportswear inspired sweaters such as the Nike Swoosh Tech Fleece Hoodie and Nike DNA Crewneck Sweatshirt celebrating the brand’s notorious Blue Ribbon Sports legacy with respect to the demands of the colder months of the year.

For creative expressionists, visionaries and sneakerheads alike, the revolutionary Nike React Vision, Nike Overbreak and N.354 Nike React Live Premium offer a noted futuristic appeal through their distinctive DIY aesthetic, with archive revived favourites such as the Free Run 2, Air Max 96 II and Free Run Trail combining all-terrain functionality with an appreciation for throwback appeal. Part of the brand’s evolving Project X series, the ‘73 inspired Nike Blazer Low X makes for the perfect gift for original Blazer enthusiasts, whilst the Daybreak Type, Waffle Trainer 2 and the New Balance 237 is well suited to those that admire streamlined and classic Nike track-side charm.

If being active on your feet is reflected in your desire to be active in terms of your environmental footprint, then Veja footwear offers plenty of choice to suit any necessitated setting. Recent collaborations with designer Rick Owens brings a contemporary twist to their selection of V-10, Campo ChromeFree and V-12 shoes, whilst sustainability minded Novesta’s selection of All Leather German Army Trainers, Marathon Trail Shoes and Star Master Shoes combine traditional Trampkey design with anatomically shaped craftsmanship for an exemplary day-on-day wear.

Inspired by British heritage and the UK’s industrialised ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s era, Stepney Workers Club footwear offers a vintage aesthetic styled with resilient everyday functionality in mind. Outdoor orientated stylings such as the Dellow Ramble Boucle pair chunky soled styling with a heritage woolen blend construction for elevated textured comfort, whilst the sportier Dellow S-Strike offers a creative variation styled in either premium leather, suede or cotton canvas. For those after something in addition to footwear, Stepney Workers Clubs socks also feature the brand’s iconic ‘Freedom of Sport, Freedom of Thought’ tagline across their cosy and AW21 friendly constructions. Birkenstock sandals are ideal for those looking for casual slip-on comfort, whilst ‘winter sandal’ SUBU’s Nannen, Packable and self-titled Subu Sandals are designed to provide your feet with the same quilted insulation as winter jackets are equipped with.

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