A few months ago, , Kelly Slater鈥檚 surf-fashion-eco-concious apparel company, launched its first ever women鈥檚 line. And we, the women editors of 黑料吃瓜网, are here to tell you that the collection听really, really rocks.
I tend to be skeptical of outdoor听companies鈥 forays into the world of lifestyle apparel. The end result, especially for women, tends to be too beige and too boxy.听Granted, Outerknown is known for making sharp-looking, wearable men鈥檚 stuff, so I guess I shouldn鈥檛 have been surprised by the quality of the women鈥檚 clothes. But still, it鈥檚 rare for a company to nail a brand-new collection for lady shredders听and that is absolutely what Outerknown appears to have done.
A few weeks ago, the company shipped a box of eight products to our Santa Fe office for our staff to test. (We did not specifically request this gear, nor did we pay for it.) We did happily wear the clothing throughout the month and found that it appears uniformly well made (durable, sturdy fabric that鈥檚 still soft and supple) and that the cuts were fun and cute.
Take my favorite piece, the . If Carhartt partnered with Lululemon to make a full-length jumpsuit, I imagine you鈥檇 get something like Outerknown鈥檚 S.E.A. It鈥檚 made from a mix of cotton and linen, which makes for fabric that looks burly, yet feels buttery. I can鈥檛 imagine I鈥檓 going to run into any wear issues with this thing, at least not for years. I鈥檝e worn it to work, then into my garden, and it鈥檚 ideally suited to both places. Do I look like a mechanic? A little bit, yeah. But at least I feel like a sexy one when I鈥檓 in it.
Really, the only obvious flaw we鈥檝e seen across the collection is in sizing: many pieces seem to run pretty small and I鈥檇 suggest sizing up if you鈥檙e thinking of buying. The extra-small and small seem to run fairly true to size, but the medium and large were tiny. One of our editors ended up with a large cropped sweatshirt, even though she almost exclusively wears medium in other brands. I guess that鈥檚 the skinny surf industry for you.听
Here鈥檚 what the other editors had to say about the pieces they tried.
Vintage S.E.A. Tee ($48)
I鈥檓 always on the hunt for chic basics that will last. checks all the boxes: high quality, a nice cut, and thoughtfully made. The Vintage S.E.A. Tee鈥攖hat stands for Social and Environmental Accountability, referring to the ethical standards behind its manufacture鈥攊s knit and dyed in Los Angeles, and sewn in Mexico in a Fair Trade Certified facility, meaning the makers have been paid a premium to produce it.听鈥擜li Van Houten, editorial fellow
Currents Dress ($128)
is lightweight and flowy, and the fabric is semi-sheer鈥攁ll things that add up to keeping you cool on warm days. Plus, it鈥檚 super cute, with big bell sleeves. The dress is made entirely of organic cotton, which uses less pesticides than conventional cotton. 鈥擜V
Solstice Hoodie ($118)
I wear everywhere from at the climbing gym to the office. At first, I was a little skeptical of how the shorter crop would look on my long torso (I'm 5鈥11鈥), but the sleeves fit perfectly and the mid-section hits just below my bellybutton鈥擨 wear a workout tank underneath for a layered look. The Solstice is fitted enough that it鈥檚 flattering but baggy enough that it hides my post-climbing burrito babies. 鈥擜bigail Wise, online managing editor
Costa Shirt ($98)
This is . Wear it with black pants and flats to dress it up or denim cut-offs to dress it down. Plus, the linen-nylon blend looks even better a little wrinkled, ideal for tossing it into the bottom of a suitcase. 鈥擜W