From the Field and to the Fall

field notes from UTMB and style notes from my favorite sartorial season

Salut TOGS, Hadley here. Are you reading this on the substack app? If not, you seriously should-it’s a way better experience that way.

UTMB is over, Hollywood stars are wearing suede shirts to Telluride Film Festival, and the blues of the sky have gone from bright and crisp to rich and deeply hued…IS IT FINALLY FALL?!

Sartorially speaking, there’s no season I love more. The layers, the fabrics, the colors…the temperature drops and my excitement to get dressed soars.

This week I’ve compiled an autumn themed what I’m wearing and what’s on my wishlist. But first a live-from-the-trail TOGS recap of the fashion found at UTMB.

From the Field

UTMB felt “quieter” this year—if you can call having 50,000 people descend into a small narrow valley whose population is normally around 9000 “quiet”. Maybe it was the weather (biblical), or the state of the outdoor industry (adjusting?), but it felt there was less in your face brand activations than previous years. I could go to my local coffee shop without waiting in line for too long. And even managed to find parking on days I braved the crowds to cheer on friends and strangers alike. I’m sure other valley residents had different experiences, and I’m sure anyone in the hospitality industry is thankful for this week which has been quiet, quiet, quiet since the race infrastructure and tourists have all packed up and traveled home. Whatever each person experienced, there’s no doubt that UTMB is a spectacular experience.

Looking back at my reporting from UTMB last year, not too much has changed. Boys are still crushing the running inspired lifestyle game. This time it was Nike ACG that was winning the style race. Brown is still a color I’m drawn to more and more for on and off the trails (more on this below). And TNF won again for the best team kit with their Flora Alpina print that looks great in person and is very commercially viable (so much so that it’s pretty much sold out). I’m wondering, A.) why the internal buyers didn’t purchase more and B.) what took any brand so long to utilize one of the best parts of mountain wandering—alpine flowers! Hats off to the print team at TNF for this one.

Other trends to note…

• Based on my very non-scientific observational data, the most used trail running vest is Salomon for both amateur and pro runners.

• Norda’s trail running shoes score highest on the TOGS approval rate running based purely on looks. Multiple toggsers applaud the shoe for it’s functional use too. I hope to test them out soon before giving the final stamp of approval. Their collab with @yaboyscottjurek meme account was the most visible brand activation, or at least the most fun looking, and I was digging the humor behind their ironic Power Hiker hat even if camo is not for me.

Nike Boys

• Hoka’s blue Mafate 5’s were everywhere, which makes sense given they are the title sponsor. The blue was too reminiscent of the app button on an apple product and don’t get me started on the pink female version, but overall a brand marketing win.

• Satisfy is a vibe. You could spot an athlete or devotee a mile kilometer away. In many ways the brand is a welcomed contradiction to the normal running attire and in many ways is becoming a caricature of itself. I love their colorways, but after trying some pieces on specifically for running vs lifestyle, it’s fit for a straight framed man not a short, curvy, athletic woman. I’m curious to see their upcoming women’s line, particularly the lace, as lace is a fabric I’ve tried a million times to push on outdoor designers to utilize for ski touring, particularly bras and tanks. Their cool-kids-only vibe is so intense that it made me cautious to even go to their pop up store. When brands are “cool”, I find it’s a fine line to walk (or in this case run) between creating a culture and alienating potential customers.

TFF—

I’m sure Kellyn will have more a better report from her home town, but the fashion scene at Telluride Film Festival is the perfect transition from UTMB to what I’m wearing and dreaming of wearing this fall. Lots of brown, lots of layers, and lots of textures. These days my excitement for the day is fueled by a combination of getting to wear my favorite clothes, a new episode of the ridiculously bad/good The Summer I Turned Pretty, a new book to curl up with, or cooking a new recipe. All hail the Autumn!

What I’m Wearing This Fall

• Short Sleeved Sweaters (this, this, or this) because late summer is often the only time they make sense.