Brompton Oratory Jacket: High-Tech Jacket With Old-World Style
At $400, the Brompton Oratory isn't cheap, but it does take the place of two jackets
Like its famous, transforming, overpriced bike, Brompton’s new Oratory is a transforming, overpriced jacket. Designed to be very practical on the bike, but stylish and smart off the bike, the Oratory is the sartorial equivalent of the English folding bicycle.
Obviously, PVC and Goretex are out, and cotton is in. This cotton is spun from threads coated with silicon, so the water runs right off it. The lapels have been returned to their functional origins and now do up to the neck, sealing you in and also revealing reflective material beneath.
The sleeves have fold-out, reflective cuff extensions, and round back a hi-visibility flap pulls out from a pouch and dangles down to protect your rear end from rain. The lining is breathable.
And there’s more. There are underarm “pit-zips” for ventilation, a headphone cable channel and even a pocket in the sleeve for your Oyster Card (the RFID cards used on London’s Tube). This last is very clever, as you can just touch your sleeve onto the reader as you carry your folded bike through the gate.
Finally, the back shoulder panel is tailored like a hinting jacket to open up when you hunch over the handlebars.
And the price.?The Oratory Jacket will cost you a wallet-emptying £250, or $400. Ouch. I’ll stick with the plastic trash-bag I always carry in my bike’s toolkit.
Oratory Jacket product page [Brompton]
Via: Gadget Lab
