Summer has arrived, and with the shortened seasonal hours and warm weather comes the conspicuous reluctance of friends to commit to weekend plans. The reason: cottage season. Even for those without a cottage of their own to escape to, the hope of winning an invitation to a weekend luxuriating on a dock in cottage country is enough for them to politely decline your invite to a Saturday afternoon backyard barbecue.
As one of the cottage-less, I may decline your Sunday invitation to play bocce ball in the park, but not because I am holding out for a lake and a set of Muskoka chairs. For me, summer aspirations revolve around the simple pleasure found in a tent, a campfire and my new portable charcoal grill. The perfect accompaniment to all three, as discovered this past Victoria Day weekend at Grundy Lake Provincial Park, is an experienced and resourceful campfire chef (my boyfriend) and a trusty dog (necessary to protect the edible loot from covetous raccoons). What would not, and did not, immediately pop to mind as an imperative when roughing it in the great outdoors, is attire — that is, fashionable attire.
As something of a utilitarian personality, my immediate concerns when it comes to packing for camping are warmth and disposability (if S’mores should accidentally get smeared all over my outfit, I’d like to throw away those clothing items without regret). But, when camping with your boyfriend — assuming you’d still like to maintain some degree of attraction between — the toss-away wilderness Jane look may not be the most ideal way of approaching a camping trip.
This past journey up north being last minute and my first of the year, my wardrobe couldn’t be helped. You can’t exactly be dressed your best if your boyfriend tells you to just use your shirt to wipe your hands after eating a pile of saucy ribs, or when you yourself consider using one of your T-shirts as a oven mitt to grab the baked potato from the campfire. But I wouldn’t deem my choice of outfits a complete lost cause this time around — at least not the days spent wearing Beaver Canoe. A staple in my backpack, this collection of sweats from Roots (begun in 1982 as a partnership between Roots and Camp Tamakwa) is, in my opinion, a must when taking part in anything involving canoes and chopped wood.
Both cozy and durable, my own Beaver Canoe sweats have lasted me since the early nineties when the iconic logo reached the height of cool, ranking just above the old circular Club Monaco logo sweatshirts. Those looking to add or replace a Beaver Canoe top will delight in the nostalgia that the classic kanga hood in park green will inspire, available for both men and women. The well-sized hood is a plus after dark; I utilize mine to shield my noggin from mosquitoes come twilight and pull it on snugly at bedtime to stay warm.
Penchant for wearing sweats while camping aside, a little dirt under the nails does not preclude the right to wear stylish, structured outfits. Campers, as much as cottagers, needn’t opt for activewear when preparing for their weekend getaway, particularly not we Canadians.
For the ladies, New York label Built by Wendy (a personal favourite), available at Robber, boasts a spring/summer collection that will see you through all the activities the Canadian Shield has to offer. Designed by FIT graduate Wendy Mullin, the line is darling in its femininity and cool in its unbuttoned sensibility, a combo that has earned it a long list of celebrity clientele including the high priestesses of hipsterdom themselves: Sofia Coppola, Zooey Deschanel and Kirsten Dunst. Considering Mullin’s resume, it’s no wonder. As the founding designer for Steven Alan’s showroom, former stylist for bands including legendary female punk rockers Sleater-Kinny and freelance designer for Kim Gordon‘s X-Girl collection, as well as Mike D‘s X-Large — Mullin is an old hand at designing fashion for those who care to look fashionable without seeming like they’re trying.
This is an ideal look for a weekend in nature, when trying to look good gives you an air of being high maintenance. For an afternoon hike on the Bruce Trail, try the line’s spruce-coloured, finely knit, palm-stripe tank made with Japanese cotton paired with the dense jersey roll-up shorts in navy. If a romantic picnic for two on the beach is in your plans, import a touch of Mediterranean charm with a custom-printed Marrakesh ruffled summer dress, inspired by Turkish tile designs. Or, for sunset drinks on the dock, embrace the nautical theme and slip into a striped jersey boatneck dress with braided belt. As for a night sleeping out under the stars (for those who aren’t terrified of being drained dry by the mosquitoes and are also warm blooded to boot), the spring/summer collection has one of the cutest nighties kicking around this season with its combination of chambray dots and pink.
That said, adorable as Built By Wendy’s nightie is, this camper will stick with wearing her Beaver Canoe sweatshirt mummy style — some things are sacred.
Toronto-based writer Jennifer Lee is the editorial director of FILLER magazine, an online fashion and culture journal. She is also the co-editor of Hardly magazine, an arts-centric online teen publication for Canadian girls. Her column, The Dressing Room, appears weekly.