THE NORTH FACE £200

APEX FLEX GTX

Hot because: According to The North Face (TNF), this is “the first-ever” (big claim) 100 per cent waterproof, soft, rain jacket. The aim was to combine the properties of a cotton hoody and an outdoor shell to create a sublimely comfortable jacket that will still keep you dry. Now, this sounds positively idyllic, so how have they done it? Apparently it’s down to the Flexible Woven Gore-Tex fabric – a combination of Gore-Tex protection with soft shell flexibility – which is “an industry first” (another bold statement). It’s hard to know at this stage how much of this is marketing spiel, but if the Apex Flex GTX is the real deal, nobody will be more cock-a-hoop than us. We say: Comfortable waterproofing is the holy grail of jackets. Here’s hoping TNF has found it. www.thenorthface.co.uk