How to style a technical top
in which Team TOGS styles the Arc'teryx Naya Cropped Jacket for mountain and city life: one jacket, 6 ways
Welcome to TOGS! Here we explore the culture of fashion in the outdoors, test clothing and gear, poke at trends, and bring you interesting stories from people who sport in style.
Hello readers!
After the success of our “How to style a sweater” letter back in April, we’re back again with another styling “How to,” this time giving you some ideas on how you might incorporate a technical top into your wardrobe.
If you’re new to this type of letter, here’s our approach: each of us here at TOGS takes the same unisex article of clothing and styles it in one sporty way and one less sporty way for everyday life. The result is six style options and a whole lotta inspiration.
This week, we’re each giving our take on the new Naya Cropped Jacket from Arc’teryx. The Naya is super light, incredibly breathable, soft—and not sticky!—on the skin, and comes in a modern, versatile silhouette. It’s listed as a women’s style, but with a size range of XXS to XXL, we find that it works well regardless of body type or gender.
Here’s how we each wore it.
Kellyn
Wearing the jacket in color Habitat in size S -
I live in a high alpine desert in Colorado with a brief but magical monsoon season when our skies suddenly darken and swell, bursting with volleys of lightning beneath purple clouds. It downpours, then the clouds split open and the sun comes blazing back out thirty minutes later.
A cropped, lightweight, packable rain jacket is all I need this time of year—or any time of year, for that matter—and I was thrilled to put this one to the test.
Having grown up in Colorado without owning a rain jacket until my mid-twenties, I have an aversion to the crinkly, suffocating styles of yesteryear. This one is soft, quiet, and breathable without sacrificing any waterproofing.
Look 1
There’s a 20% chance of an afternoon drizzle on this spring day, but still warm enough for a skirt. A good chance to microdose the thigh exposure without fully committing to shorts, I say. This look is casual enough to go walk around town, weatherproof enough for inclement weather, and still whimsical enough to wander through the hot air balloon festival and feel festive—
I also tried this version below—the hat swap I'd make if the occasion called for something slightly dressier, or slightly more European.
Look 2
Here’s what I’m wearing for a little Sunday happy hour hike on a mellow trail near my house. I’ve opted for roomy, comfy hiking pants that are practically trail-legal pajamas, a knit tee, the rain jacket, and I’ve layered the Sonii Utility Vest also from Arc’teryx (wearing Sea Salt/Small) for two reasons. 1.) It’s cute. 2.) It’s just a bunch of pockets. As we’ve written about before, one of the many advantages the mighty vest provides is that it allows the wearer to slap on numerous additional pockets at any given moment. I needed a few more compartments for snacks, a camcorder, dog leash and dogs bags. Peep the back bottom pocket that I’m obsessed with—
This is the perfect amount of rain jacket for me here in Colorado, and because it’s so breathable, I can also wear it when I just need a little extra warmth or wind-break. I found the cropped (but not too-cropped) silhouette to be so flattering, layer-able, and allowing for fun layers to peek out from the bottom. Endorsed!
North
Wearing the jacket in color Pineberry / Black in size XL -
I live in rain jacket country—the Pacific Northwest—which is something I didn’t think of as particularly distinctive until I wrote a a rain jacket roundup back in January.
From friends and readers alike, I learned that, in many places, rain jackets are not part of the daily casual uniform.
But here on the soggy, foggy coast of Washington State, rain jackets are what kids wear to school and what parents wear to work and what volunteers volunteer in and what dog walkers walk their dogs in etc. etc. etc. Everybody’s wearing rain jackets all the time!
Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean they always enjoy wearing them. Often, the move is to reduce your exposure time to your technical shell by molting it as soon as you possibly can. You can then reveal your actual style as it exists (dry!) beneath it.
What if it were different? What if your rain jacket could enhance the look of the clothes it protects? Well, that’s why I was excited about the Naya. It’s got a handsome stand collar, a clean, cropped fit, and comes in this lovely “Pineberry” pink color, which has just enough depth to not read as babyish, nor Millennial Pink-ish, nor too feminine for my own purposes. And I got my hands on it just in time for the rhododendrons to bloom and June Gloom to kick in!
Look 1
For this outfit, I wanted to put together a workday outfit that jived with the casual office culture here without going too GORPy or too normie. This is something that TOGS’ male readers have requested, so here’s one approach to dressing for an office that ~maybe~ lives a different lifestyle than you do.
I wanted to keep the basic elements conventional while also leaning into some fun small details that make the outfit feel considered and quietly distinctive, at least compared to normal office wear.
On top, I wore this shirt from Manresa, which looks like a polo from far away, but is cut more like a mechanic’s shirt, made with a nice cotton chambray, and swaps buttons for a front zipper.
I paired that shirt with these double-pleated chinos from Alex Mill. Not only are these pants soft and comfortable, but the pleats get to show off a bit when worn with a cropped shirt and jacket, hence my selection here.
On my feet, I wore Merrell 1TRL’s Hut Moc 2 Leisure, a 2024 model that is shockingly hard to find online. (I picked them up off the garage sale rack at REI). They’re super light and pair a trendy Wallabee-style upper with a Hydro Moc-style outsole. Just the sort of juxtaposition I like!
Color-wise, I’m a sucker for an all-blue outfit (I call it a “bloutfit”)—and what better to pair with blue than this lovely pineberry pink?
Look 2
I recently told my friend that I didn’t wear much color because I’m partially colorblind, to which she said, Bullsh*t! That’s your fear speaking. Stop playing it so safe!
Heard. So: here’s something I’d wear for a summer cruise around the neighborhood trails and beaches. It’s got yellow, purple, blue-green, green green, mustard, black (I must), and, of course, pink. Not a bad spread, no?
In terms of the independent pieces, I opted for clothes that were soft, comfortable, and—because I can’t resist a bit of hijinks—easy to move in. On my head, I wore a ripstop hat from Hart Workshop (sold out, sorry!), then went with a long sleeve-under-short sleeve look, combining the 100 % Merino striped long sleeve from Icebreaker’s new “Designed in Japan” collection with a heavyweight cropped tee from Abercrombie. Below the waist, I wore the Activities Short from American Trench, and my trusty Norda 002s.
In this case, I think the cropped jacket pairs especially well with the short-ish shorts, which would otherwise be overcome by a longer silhouette, leaving me looking like Pooh Bear or, worse, a triangle. Longer jackets certainly have their benefits, but for a warm weather rain coat like this, I’m all in on cropped!
Hadley
Wearing the jacket in color Black in size Small
I first saw the Naya jacket at the Arc’teryx Academy in Mammoth this winter and I was obsessed. I truly love anything cropped.
Now you may be saying, how functional is a cropped raincoat? And to that I say, very. At the end of the day, unless you’re also wearing rain pants or an ankle-length poncho, the rain will collect somewhere, whether the coat hits your high hip bones or your hip creases. The function comes in because the cropped jacket works so well with fashionable sport and street styles. It’s a jacket you can bring into the mountains and the city. Style is a function!
At nine months, I’m past the point where any clothes look normal and past the point of sports being anything more than a waddling walk around our village, so for this letter, I put my styling cap on and dressed two of my favorite friends here in Chamonix. Maybe it was because I grew up without sisters, but one of my favorite activities in the world is styling my friends. Piling clothes onto the bed, or taking friends shopping in Paris, playing around with fits and styles and colors….that’s the kind of activity that makes my heart soar.
Both of these women embody the TOGS dichotomy of adventure lovers who, during the week, work badass jobs saving humanity and nature, which brings them to cities like Paris, London, and Geneva. Credit cards don’t exist in Europe, so we need our clothes to pull double-duty as much as possible; the Naya jacket is where it’s at for working in the city and the country.
Look 1
One of my favorite parts about the village I live in is that there are hiking trails right from our door. And add to that luck, a lot of my friends live in this same village, so there’s often very little friction in finding someone who wants to take a quick jaunt outside.
It’s been both a hot and rainy spring here in Chamonix and C’s first look is perfect for a hike in such weather. The Naya is short and light enough not to feel like you’re creating a heat trap, but it still keeps you dry during the on-and-off drizzle.
I love working with reds, tans, and blacks. One styling trick is that no matter what colors you choose, try duplicating all or a few of them twice in your outfit. Black jacket+Black Socks. White stripe+White hat. etc etc.
P’s look is perfect for a day at the crag, where there’s a good chance you’ll be leaving the crag in the rain.
I like climbing in high-waisted pants and cropped shirts/jackets, in order to work around my harness. I also love a stretchy jean so as not to feel like I’m head to toe in technical clothes. There’s something iconic about climbing in a button-down—an ode to those OG climbers who did the same.
And because sun damage is real, peep that lightweight bandana to keep the chest protected (or as a head bandana for a stylish scalp UV protector).
Look 2
For P’s look, we thought about a day running around Paris where it’s sure to be both hot and rainy and you’re sure to walk a lot. What I love about a cropped sporting jacket is that it functions so well with high-waisted bottoms, whereas a normal, hip-length cut would kill the vibe.
Wearing monochromatic looks seems easy in concept, but actually requires a deeper think on proportions and textures. If you read my series about ski wear, you know that misproportions are a big pet peeve of mine, particularly in the outdoor world. All hail the Naya for giving us another option.
Parisians love black, and are becoming more sporty by the year, but by having a delicate lace top underneath, P could easily slip into a cafe chair with a glass of wine and not look or feel out of place.
C’s outfit might be peak preggo-fomo for me. I miss those shorts, I miss those boots! This is an outfit that would be perfect for Paris, Geneva, London, or Copenhagen. We talk a lot about sandwiches around here—sport sandwiches where you bookend your street looks with a sporty top and bottom. This idea also extends well to color. The brown hat and brown boots work so well to keep the whole look intact, much better, for instance, than if you did a brown hat and black boots.
The cropped jacket rules again by keeping the silhouette fashionable, which feels far more intentional than a hip-length jacket would when mixing street and sport.
This week it’s all about the Naya jacket, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to shout out the Sonii Utility Vest which I’ve worn for weeks on my twice-daily pregnancy walks. We were lucky enough to test a few different hiking garments for this letter, and I’m so thankful this piece was in the mix.
My walks aren’t all that long, but having a way to carry my house key, a small snack, a water bottle, and my phone in case my other water breaks is essential, but bringing a backpack feels burdensome, and fanny packs aren’t at all pregnancy-friendly. But this vest, this vest is PERFECT. I went with my normal size as I know it’ll serve the same hands-and-bag-free function post-maternity too (and as P displays, is city approved).
There you have it, folks! One jacket styled 6 ways, in a few different sizes, on a few different bodies. Stay tuned for more of these types of letters and thank you to Arc’teryx for making a rain jacket that we want to wear!
See you next time,
TOGS
Who makes the white wide brim hat? Been looking for one with a drawstring !
Tooo goooood need more of these in my life 👏👏👏