Object Lesson: Life Force

The test of finding the right winter coat can often be as perilous as the bitter cold itself. A good find strikes the delicate balance between withstanding the stresses of miserable conditions and the preservation of smart street style. (Because regardless of what the weather channel says, nobody wants to look like the Michelin Man.)

Alife NYC's Grey Goose Expedition Coat, the product of a collaboration with famous outerwear brand Canada Goose, is one such dead-on example, marrying high-fashion dogma with high-tech cold-weather innovations. Such a meeting of the minds was bound to be ingenious: Canada Goose has been turning out quality outerwear for 50 years, field-testing their products in some of the coldest places on earth (South Pole research facilities, the Canadian Arctic), while Alife NYC has been outfitting the savviest style seekers for seven years in one of the coolest places on earth: New York City.

The Limited-edition Grey Goose Expedition parka is the result of Canada Goose's first-ever collaboration, and celebrates the company's 50th birthday. "In 1999, when we opened, co-branded, double-labeled goods just didn't exist," says Matt Fontana, Alife NYC's general manager. "We really invented the concept. So, when Canada Goose wanted to introduce its products to a more fashion-conscious marketplace, they came to us."

The Grey Goose Expedition coat draws the best details from both worlds, with a slim silhouette, cool cargo pockets, and a Silver Fox Fur Ruff, plus every weather-related feature you can think of: a moisture-resistant Teflon-treated Actic-tech outer shell, an elasticized nylon snow skirt, premium down fill, 100% down-proof nylon lining. It all adds up to keeping you snug and stylish—that is if you're one of the lucky 150 who can snag one before this limited-edition piece is sold out. Frostbite be damned.

A collaboration between Alife NYC and Grey Goose yields an old-school coat for the new-world man.