christa assad

Today was one of those Indian Summer days in Oakland: 80 degrees, haltingly sunny, with a warm breeze coming off Lake Merritt. What more could I want, except maybe a spontaneous happy hour with my pottery posse girls? Whitney packed us a picnic, and as the sun set we basked in the changing light.

I was wearing my new Carhartt Boyne jacket when the wind picked up a little — what a perfect choice for the early evening change in weather. It’s a cozy, fleece hoodie that zips up to reveal the Carhartt script logo, with deep front pockets and long enough sleeves for my extra-long arms – hooray! I also like that I can roll it up into a ball and stash it away in my hand-bag without worrying about wrinkling or crushing the fabric: it’s durable and made for portability.

Lucky for me, I also have Carhartt’s new Alpine Vest (love this “Blue Dusk” color), because you never know when the Bay Area weather is going to throw you a curve ball…as soon as the sun sets the temps can drop fast. I layered the vest over the jacket and kicked back to catch the last rays of sun. While some might marvel over my wearing down-fill in California, those of you who’ve been to Northern Cali know the secret: after all, the coldest winter Mark Twain ever spent was a summer in San Francisco! Luckily I have TWO hoods (yes, the Alpine Vest sports one, too) just in case.