Fashion: Aprés Santa Swingin’

by Katharine Dyson

Go Beyond Yuletide Red and Green to Fill Your Closet with a Spectrum of Color and Comfort

What do you really want for Christmas? Maybe a red Maserati GranSport Spyder; a set of platinum and 24-karat gold Honma MG 701sticks ($36,000); a hot new black lace teddy from Victoria’s Secret or — let’s get real — a Tour Edge Bazooka GeoMax driver? What about lying in a Cabana overlooking the Caribbean in Jamaica’s SuperClubs’ Hedonism II listening to the palms rustle while an expert masseuse soothes tired muscles?

Go ahead. Let your imagination fly. Think faraway places, new experiences and a whole new closet full of hot things to wear.

This holiday season rolls out a merry amalgam of golf fashions in jewel-like colors and techy fabrics guaranteed to put a happy smile in your stocking.

New lines from golf fashion designers are sure to splash the fairways with dazzling hues and body-hugging performance pieces enhanced by asymmetrical details like bold slashes of color, abstract shapes and flowers with a twist.

If you’re wondering what “Santa” should wrap up for that special golfer in your life, here you go ...

For Her

If her look is tall chic redhead dressed in Pucci and Prada sandals, check out Aphira’s “Harmony” line of shirts, shorts and skorts rendered in gold, black and white, accented by metallic buttons and buckles. A fun, vibrant look, shows up in Aphira’s “Vitality” line with dynamic prints, energetic strips and fun color blocking while their “Energy” fashions in hot pink and orange are upbeat with a big secret: they’re designed to make her look slimmer. “Tranquility” strikes a low-key tone in lush aqua and copper, though with Aphira, the element of surprise continues to pop — bold strips on one side of the collar, flowers detailing the Cap-sleeve petal top, a layered skort with side pocket are strong statements for today’s fashion-forward golfer. www.aphira.com

For chilly early morning tee-offs in the desert (or any time you can see your breath), this Kate Lord Performance half-zip pulover made of 100 percent micro fiber with fleece, keeps you warm without the bulk. Heat up, too, in dazzling colors: pink, orange, apple, Caribbean blue, black and yellow. www.katelord.com

Always on the forefront of golf fashion, Lija (pictured, opposite) continues to strike awe in the hearts of style-conscious women with new colors, patterns and innovative designs. Lija’s classic crewneck, for example, adds a pop of color with ribbed inset panels at the shoulder. Mostly cotton with a touch of lycra, the sweater comes in navy, rain, chili and black. Pair it with Lija’s multi-hued honeycomb skort in a stretch-cotton fabric. You’ll love the sexy contrast stripe and slit in the front. www.lijastyle.com

Greg Norman’s new women’s collection goes tropically vibrant with marine blue, coral reef, wildflower purple and coqui green. The Clubhouse Polo in Play Dry fabric plus stretch has a stylish elongated placket. We also love Norman’s convertible-collar, zip-front jacket with plaid trim and an overstated convertible collar. These items wear well, wash well and look well every time you swing a club. Or don’t.

Nike’s very chic golf clothes are typified by the short-sleeved Sphere Contrast Polo in very sharp marine and white. The Sphere dot polo in tropical teal or mist blue is accented by an abstract design of dots radiating from one side. Very cool.
It’s back. Fairway & Greene has revived the Pom-Pom Ped. Made with fine Mercerized Peruvian Pima cotton with Lycra added for better fit and performance, The Ped is available in a dozen colors. Great stocking stuffers.

And ah, the fine soft touch of cashmere. Who wouldn’t want more than one from Fairway & Greene’s Northern Lights Collection. Classic and beautifully made.

If she loves to shop and, you know, carry a lot of stuff, she’ll need a really good bag. Larger than a bread box, this grand white tumbled leather bag can be used as a pocketbook and laptop case, and is spacious enough for an extra pair of street or golf shoes — perfect to bring to the course or the office. The tote also has all kinds of extra pouches inside to hold little things women carry. One converts to another purse, complete with strap, and there’s a pocket for your cell phone, a key string and a flap with an interior zipper. www.fairwayandgreene.com

For Him

If your guy likes to keep things simple, even on yucky days, you should have a winner with Dunning’s combo layering of body-hugging (they call it “compression”) pieces and outerwear. Who wants to bulk up like the Hulk only to peel off layer-after-layer as fairways heat up? The beauty of the Dunning system is you only have to buy two pieces. For starters, there’s the lightweight Interface Pro Compression Long Sleeve Mock. It promises insulation, muscle support and moisture wicking and is designed to keep you loose, dry and comfortable even when you’re trudging through wetlands looking for your lost and last ball. The fabric is 88 percent polyester; 12 percent spandex — the stuff that keeps the garment hugging your body.

Then add Dunning’s Interface Thermal Windshield Vest. It comes in a four-way stretch and while it blocks the wind, it is still breathable, a good thing. Or if you’re a big spender, buy him the Tour Stretch Thermal Jacket, which will do everything but cook breakfast.

It may not keep the wind and rain out in a Category 5 hurricane, but on any other day, the Players Shell by Ahead should do the trick. Mostly polyester with a bit of spandex, this half-zip jacket is lightweight, practical and sharp. Comes in great macho colors like royal, graphite, stone, scarlet and onyx.

For the best of both worlds, luxury and practicality, go for performance cashmere sweaters from the Greg Norman Signature Series. They keep their shape — no bagging here — thanks to a bit of Lycra. And for a lighter-than-light polo with all the good stuff — moisture-wicking, UV protection and a wrinkle-resistant personality — try Norman’s Play Dry polos.

For die-hard cotton fans, get Greg Norman’s Ultimate shirts— no pilling, curling or shrinking. Specializing in high-quality thread, expect luxury fabric blends like Pima cotton and polyester. Norman’s cotton blend works beautifully in pants styled with the “denim” look and detailed with five pockets.

If you’re a feelie kind of shopper — we’re talking clothes — you’ve got to love Fairway & Greene’s Merino long sleeve crewneck or their lisle classic stripe shirts in 100 perecent Egyptian cotton ($81.95). Fairway & Greene has been making men’s golf shirts for a very long time and the quality shows. Feel it.

And you can almost smell the outdoors in their new Big Sky Collections, featuring the rich colors of nature — cobalt, heather, cedar, adobe and persimmon. The sweaters are fine Italian Marino wool, which layers well under the water resistant suede jacket.

Cutter & Buck’s expanded argyle zip mock, a classic half-zip sweater, catches your eye with its colorful pattern design. This is a piece the woman in your life will steal. It’s a beauty in soft grays and blues.

And you can’t miss with Cutter & Buck’s Nano CB DryTec LuxeTM Benson Polos. For such a long name, the story is simple: It’s a well-engineered shirt with a classic look and comes in seven colors. Or for a huge color range (16 colors), choose CB DryTec LuxeTM Dimension Polo in a luxurious, jacquard weave.

Raingear

When you’re shopping for raingear, remember quality counts. Just ask Woody Austin. Playing a close-to-the-water shot during the recent Presidents Cup, he lost his balance and fell face-first into water. After his big splash, he shook off his Zero Restriction jacket and pants, emerging completely dry within seconds. He went on to drain three straight birdies earning a crucial half point for the United States.

No wonder he’s a ZR fan.

For men, Zero Restriction’s waterproof Gore-Tex apparel includes the Tour-Lite Traveler’s Jacket, which quickly converts to a half-sleeve or vest with a zip while The Tour-Lite slacks zip off to shorts. Superman needs these.

For ladies, ZR offers the Featherweight pants and jacket. I love the pass-through feature of the pants: makes it easy to access your slacks. www.zerorestriction.com

Accessories

Buckle up with Fairway & Greene’s handsome belts in black and chocolate, made from the real thing — farm-raised American crocodile. Other stocking stuffers bound to be appreciated are the silk neckwear collection and custom-knitted golf and dress socks, made of Peruvian Pima cotton with lycra for extra performance.

Sunny Side Up

Protect your eyes with the glasses Mike Weir and Paula Creamer wear — Sundog. The Sundog Weir Golf Signature Series with the new cristec Premium Polarized styles not only look great, they are a comfortable fit and do what they’re supposed to do by blocking out all the bad rays. www.sundogeyewear.com  FG