Outfit Of The Week 3/17/24 – 3/23/24

This week’s edition of “OOTW” features an outfit that came together somewhat by accident.

As is fairly common with quiet weekend days, the boys had watched a bit more TV than usual and were getting a little squirrelly. In order to head off the inevitable quarrels, I pulled the classic “go outside and play” parent card.

My youngest son got his boots and coat on quicker than my oldest son, so I stepped outside with him in order to keep him supervised. I wasn’t planning on staying out for very long, and if I did, my intent was to sit and keep an eye on the boys while they played in the yard.

Since it had rained recently and the snow has been melting, my son wanted to watch the water run down the sides of our driveway and into our culvert. Then he wanted to walk down the road to see where the water emptied out. At this point my oldest son and my wife joined us and we wandered farther down the road on what became a nice little family jaunt.

Down our road and around the bend, we discovered an entrance to a series of hiking trails! We’ve lived in this house for the last three years and didn’t realize that was there! We walked along for about another ninety minutes, exploring rivers and beaver dams.

Suffice to say, I was NOT expecting to be out and about for over two hours! Luckily, I was dressed relatively well for the adventure. The only problem was that I wasn’t wearing any socks! My rubber Hunter boots are fleece lined, but it would have been nice to have some extra padding and insultation on the hike.

Up top, I had on a thin, blue, herringbone flannel shirt from Lands’ End.

Because it’s a bit lighter than a regular flannel, and because it isn’t a plaid pattern, I find this shirt works well in circumstances where a regular flannel would be either too heavy or too informal and an OCBD would be too light. I wear this shirt around the house and sometimes under a jacket or a sweater (as you see here).

My sweater was an Aran cardigan I got from my in-laws this past Christmas.

You can never have too many Aran sweaters! This sweater worked especially well on this day because it was St. Patrick’s Day. The connection was unintentional. I just like Aran sweaters.

My pants were a pair of Dickie’s jeans. I got them for like $30 and they have solved all my jeans problems, namely, finding a pair that has plenty of belt loops, isn’t in a skin-tight fit, and not overly expensive.

As I already mentioned, my boots were my black, rubber, Hunter boots. They are fleece-lined, which makes a difference when one isn’t wearing socks! After trudging through mud, snow, and water for two hours, my toes were feeling a little chilly, but not overly uncomfortable.

Once the first frost hits, I strap metal spikes to the bottom of my boots. I don’t take them off until all the snow has melted for good for the year (about the same time I swap out my studded tires). I took a nasty spill in the driveway a couple years ago and I’ll never go another winter without spikes. They make me feel much more confident, especially when I’m carrying the children.

I didn’t really think too much about my outerwear when I stepped out the door. I just grabbed whatever was on top of the rack.

My jacket was my Barbour Dalkeith. It’s roomy enough to layer over a sweater, but it’s till quite trim and fits more like a sport coat. It has a wool lining, which makes it fairly good in (not too) cold weather.

My hat was my brown Akubra Federation IV. I would have put on my Stetson Roadster, but it was still a bit damp from sweat from my wood-chopping session earlier in the day and I wanted it to air out. The Fed IV is just about the most perfect brimmed hat you can buy. It has great proportions, like a wide brim and tall crown and the crown comes “open” when purchased, which means it doesn’t have a crease in it. Putting your own crease in a hat is fun and allows you to customize the look, and then change it if you wish! I think I paid like $140 for my Fed IV. That’s hard to beat.

After we got home from the hike, my boys demolished their dinner and slept like rocks once we got them into bed. That crisp, mountain air really does wonders!

Have a wonderful weekend!