It’s November so naturally I’m shopping for a new down vest. In the past few years, I’ve gotten sidetracked by Rocky Mountain Featherbed and Western Mountaineering. But this fall, I’m checking back in on an old friend, Crescent Down Works. If you recall, Archival did a collaboration with CDW back in the day using Swiss knit sourced sourced from Centralia Knitting Mills (now permanently closed). Here’s what it looked like:

Although I own my own XS version of this collaboration, I’m looking for an ultra light down iteration for the summer. My goal: doll up like the summer fit models in a Japanese e-shop, pairing puffer with an Orcival striped shirt, Patagonia stand up shorts and possibly sockless Aldens or clunky brogues. Current shopping obsession: new ripstop down vest from Crescent Down Works (they seem to be phasing out the old 60/40 fabric vests). Preferred Style: Down Italian Vest. I love CD@ because they offer smaller sizes for women and children and continue to innovate funky down styles. See this new hooded pullover (my caching Fall wishful purchase).

Nostalgia tour. Here are some snaps from a CDW factory tour I did with Tom around 2012:

And here are some of my favorite fit shots from older Japanese blog posts:

Now it’s your turn. Here’s the ingredient list. Design your own!