You know the Nuptse, The North Face’s best-selling high-collared puffer jacket. It’s pillar style for the brand, albeit a retro one, with its contrasting collar and yokes, adjustable cuffs and 700 fill goose down. First debuted in 1992 (with input from athletes and mountain climbers), it’s named after Mount Everest’s neighbor, and it was meant for summiting such mountains. And although the jacket is versatile enough to aid climbers on these kind of missions, it’s actually streetwear fans that pushed the Nupste into the fold.
They appreciated the jackets simplicity: long, wide baffles (the separate pockets where down is stored) and its oversized silhouette, which looked good fully zipped up or worn wide open. In The City — yes, New York — it was what everyone wore once temperatures dipped, and for good reason, too. Not only was it warm, but the nylon Nuptse Jacket came in a number of colors, which you could coordinate with your sweatpants, sneakers and folded toques.
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And, lucky for current fans, these iterations didn’t disappear with time. There are still loads of options to choose from — including, as of this month, a fleece option, too. Available in four colors, the new High Pile Nuptse Jacket is made from 100 percent recycled fleece, Heatseeker Eco insulation and 600-fill recycled waterfowl down. The soft exterior is truthfully the only real difference between this version and ones prior, so it still has the handy draft flap (to keep the cold breeze from slipping between the front zipper), a stowable hood for when it starts raining or snowing and pockets at the hips and inside (with zippers, to boot).
The North Face isn’t just experimenting with materials, though. There are new colors, too — like Harbor Blue, for example, an almost-teal that’ll stick out on a crowded sidewalk or a snowy slope. For longtime fans of the style that simply want the fleece, not a far-out new color combo, there are safer bets as well: the famous pairing of Ponderosa Green and stark black, as well as plain brown and all-black.
The North FaceDARK OAK
