‘Performance Dress’ — Our reporter Chelsey Magness loved this multifunctional, genre-bending piece of outerwear. “It is a fashionable, cute, sophisticated, and outdoorsy piece all in one,” she said.
Nau makes the Tech-Nique Dress out of a softshell fabric most often found on jackets. It is designed for hiking, biking, and light outdoor activities.
The company uses a DWR-coated recycled polyester for weather protection. The dress has a sleek, modern look like most all Nau products with its “tech” features hidden in a design that can pass inspection at work, school, or any semiformal gathering. $200; available in August
—Editors and reporters Stephen Regenold, Sean McCoy, Jason Magness, Chelsey Magness, Sam Salwei, Yoon Kim, Patrick Murphy, and Amy Oberbroeckling contributed to this report. See part I of our “Best In Show” awards here.
