I am a vest girl. Always have been and always will be. I have confidence that I know a good vest when I see one, and this is definitely a good vest.

 Not only is the Ard Topsail a total eye-catcher, there are also many small features that make it an absolutely gorgeous, functional piece.  It is incredibly comfortable with a full satin lining inside that is visible in the arm-holes and hood and, in my opinion, tips it toward the scales of being more attractive and less the chunky, generic vest look. The exterior is a shiny diamond-patterned nylon with rectangular panels stitched in, and really cute front pockets that close with little Velcro tabs. The vest has two zippers in the back that, when unzipped, make it become larger or smaller. If you want to wear it all snuggly and more fitted  (try going out on the town with jeans on) you can keep them zipped; while if you want to layer it up and have it drape over your snowpants, you can unzip. The polyfill insulation is warm but not excessively thick, think mid-weight.  And there is always the faux-fur hood liner that can make it look more wintery or snaps out when you are in a spring-like mood. The vest is appropriate for several on and off the hill apparel choices and it one of the items that caught my eye the quickest out of this year’s outerwear line.