SCENE | Aether LA

Way back in 2012 when the Tomboy Style book came out, a men's outdoor apparel company called Aether offered to throw a party to celebrate the book in San Francisco. They were just then about to launch their first women's collection, and I was excited over its promise. Almost two years later they have a great collection of women's jackets and clothing for people who are serious about staying warm and looking good. Aether is all about the intersection of performance and aesthetics—jackets that look as appropriate in the city as they do on the slopes. In all seriousness, if Aether had existed when I lived in Chicago, I may have never moved back to L.A.

Aether has always been headquartered in Los Angeles, but just recently decided to open a store inside the office, mostly because people kept coming in trying to buy things. The thing I love most about Aether is that the two founders are men, but they are as turned off as I am that women's active and outdoor clothing is often created in "feminine" colors and cut in a way that looks awful. "We don't shrink it and pink it," they told me. Thank you Aether, for making outdoor performance jackets for adult women.

If you're in L.A. and need a jacket for Mammoth or Big Bear or any kind of cold weather adventure, check out their new store [6100 Melrose Ave.] and test out a jacket in their freezer! And you can see the entire women's collection online.