Brand: BEAMS x The North Face Purple Label

Season: Fall/Winter 2021

Key Pieces: Only two exclusives here but both are the perfect items for sophisticated winter layering. We'd opt for the navy versions of the jacket and coat; they're as versatile as any black garment but that dark navy hue makes things just a little more interesting.

Buy: BEAMS, but you'll need a Japanese proxy service to cop once these launch in August.

Editor's Notes: It's no secret that The North Face Purple Label kills it every season: it's FW21 collection is as killer as anything it's ever done, putting most style-conscious outdoor brands to shame. Alongside its two yearly collections, though, TNFPL also cooks up exclusive drops for some of its bigger retail partners, like UNITED ARROWS and BEAMS. The latter is receiving two nifty Purple Label layering pieces, epitomizing the Goldwin-operated label's knack for perfecting pieces that to the untrained eye may look boring, but are actually masterful examples of quality construction and cut.

Both built from TNFPL's signature 65/35 Bay Head Cloth, which melds polyester and cotton into a moisture-permeable membrane, an exclusive "soutien"-collared coat and bomber-like field jacket have been realized in appealingly neutral hues. Note that a soutien, or "bal," collar is Japanized English for a stand collar that can be worn unbuttoned and spread open or buttoned and "stood" up for extra wind protection.

Anyways, the coat is cut a little looser than the usual Purple Label piece and both it and the field jacket feature quilted Primaloft insulation, plus the usual spread of thoughtful touches, like button-closed pockets and understated The North Face branding, yielding a perfect blend of adaptable silhouette and advanced under-the-hood tech. Both designs ought to be fairly familiar to BEAMS shoppers, as the retailer often requests similar TNFPL exclusives, but the slight tweaks applied each season make for reason enough to check out the new designs.