Parkas: The Laissez-Faire Layer

Posted on Jan 28, 2015 by Hamna Muzaffar

You don’t have to be Rick Ross to keep warm in the winter. All you need is the right parka to ward off the freezing weather. Naturally, Hip Hop culture has transformed the parka into a symbol of ease in fashion, overwhelming comfort and a laissez-faire sense of style.

They were initially worn by the flight crews of the U.S. Air Force to ward off the sharp cutting winds. The versatility of parkas are inherent. Truly, they can be worn with just about any garb. Obviously, city men choose to wear their parkas over their suits as a more unrestrictive version of a coat (when you do so, just make sure it’s longer than the suit jacket). The silhouette of the parka works well with a personally-tailored suit since it’s a slimmed down version of a coat and eerily similar to the cut of a blazer. As a line of defense against winter’s charge toward your ears with freezing winds, the reclining hood and drawstring come into the field of play for added protection. Don’t forget, the lining creates more insulation for maximum warmth during those brutal winter days.

Rick Ross is a lucky one though. He can be caught in below zero wearing a tank top swimming in the pool with a few video honeys and still be emanating heat. The rest of us, on the other hand, we’re down to rocking the iconic parka and making a statement without an utterance. Simply, the parka speaks to individual style harmonized with the classic green hue and that makes for a damn warm winter.