True story: I could become an authorized Patagonia clothing retailer. On a recent trip inside my closet I discovered no less than 15 items of outerwear from the sustainable brand, and that didn’t include the pants and shirts my husband stockpiles as if he’s bracing for an upcoming glacier climb. Despite this embarrassment of fleecy riches, as soon as the temperature dips below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, we find ourselves purchasing yet another Patagonia pullover or waterproof shell (it’s like a disease, I tell you). But this year, I think I stumbled upon the one thing that could trump them all (and might push pause on our Pata-dependence … for the time being): the Patagonia Better Sweater. Like a fashionable mashup between a fleece jacket and a cozy knit sweater, the Better Sweater jacket is more streamlined than your run-of-the-mill fleece. It comes in a bevy of fabulously named shades (like “Dark Walnut,” “Violetti,” and “Cochineal Red”), and with the recent addition of the Better Jacket for men and women, it will become your cool-weather country-weekend jacket of choice. Perhaps it costs more than you want to spend on foul-weather gear (hence the smile-and-wink “Pata-Gucci” reference), but when it’s this comfortable and adorably hip, how can you say no?
