In 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first two men to successfully summit Everest, the latter wearing a pair of Bally reindeer boots. That s the kind of press money can t buy, so with the 60th anniversary of the climb bearing down, designers Graeme Fidler and Michael Herz knew they d found their source material. They created a facsimile of the original reindeer boot, with modern comforts like a lighter sole and an updated interior. From there, they riffed. There was an "après-ski" version of the boot in marmot, for those who prefer their footwear not to molt (reindeer does, and as raw as Bally s reindeer skin is, it has a slight Christmas barnyard odor, too). There were also tough, lug-soled hikers lined in cashmere, some seamless to be fully waterproof. The ready-to-wear picked up the Everest theme, too. A parka in calf leather came fully tricked out, if not for a full summiting then for most anything else: It had a detachable hood with cashmere lining, marmot trim, and a down body liner. The collection was rounded out with leather pants, chunky knits, and, for those sans Sherpa, a nice big weekender.
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