I have
despaired at times while reading the fine Clothes
in Books blog of my blogger friend Moira Redmond as she has posted photos
and images of women wearing purported winter clothes that would not allow the
wearer to survive an hour in actual winter weather. (I exaggerate. They would
survive but would soon be enduring frostbite and needing medical attention.)
At last
I now have a chance to show some actual winter wear connected to a book that
will permit a woman to still look fashionable before the world.
Helen
Mercer, the stylish and beautiful governor of Alaska, is an amazing character in
Tundra Kill by Stan Jones. As set out
in previous posts she was clearly inspired by former Alaskan Governor, Sarah
Palin.
In the
book Jones has Mercer wearing a red Helly Hansen parka. While it is April on the
Northwest coast of Alaska winter’s grip is still strong upon the land.
As Ms.
Palin is constantly photographed I was able to find photos of her in actual
parkas. They are even red parkas. From looking at photos of Ms. Palin in a
variety of clothes she loves red.
It seems
women in red attract attention in mysteries. I enjoyed Red Mandarin Dress by Qiu Xiaolong and wrote both a review of the
book and a post on red mandarin dresses. I wonder if Ms. Palin has a red
mandarin dress in her closet of red. She would wear it well and look stunning.
I quibble
abit with the lack of anything on her head in her parka photos but am confident
that as soon as the cameras were turned off she would have put on a cap or
headband.
I think
she looks great in her parkas.
In the
interest of truth she may not be wearing Helly Hansen parkas in the photos.
Here is a photo of an actual Helly Hansen woman’s parka.
For the
woman headed into real winter weather I can recommend a Helly Hansen parka. Style
and warmth for less than $500.
****
This is really interesting, Bill - thanks. I think you're absolutely right that there's clothing with the label 'winter,' that wouldn't really keep a person warm in a full-blown Northern winter. That parka, though, looks like it's genuinely warm as well as stylish. Who says you can't have both?
ReplyDeleteYour post actually gets at something deeper, though - authenticity. It's one of those things that authors benefit from checking on if they don't know from experience. For example, authors such as Anthony Bidulka and Gail Bowen (Louise Penny, too) understand about Canadian winters. They show that when they discuss warm clothes such as parkas. I like it best when other authors do the work they need to do to find out if they don't have that sort of first-hand knowledge.
Margot: Thanks for the comment. New fabrics and linings for parkas have made style and warmth possible in the same parka.
ReplyDeleteAnthony, Gail and Louise have lived through winters where you must respect the weather. When it is -30 and a biting wind it is a real peril not to dress warmly. Authors from warmer climates can now see what resident of cold weather areas are wearing through searching events and activities in the North. There is no reason for an author to damage their credibility by not researching the clothing worn in the place and season of their story.
Fabulous post Bill - so glad to get the lowdown on the red parkas! And I hope you will continue to be our practicality/fashion adviser over at Clothes in Books. I always think of you whenever I find a picture of someone out in the cold in what is clearly an inadequate outfit...
ReplyDeleteMoira: Thanks for the kind words. You inspire me with your knowledge and passion for clothes in books. Never fear, I will continue to watch out for the ill clad woman or man heading into winter weather.
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