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.
