Since we started Everyday Wear we’ve been reading people’s glowing reviews and recommendation of lululemon business casual wear. We gave in this summer and chose some pieces to try.
My first is the Evolution Polo and seeing that we are in the middle of a heatwave, it is a great time to test it.
Material
The material is a blend of 82% Polyester, 10% Lyocell, 5% Lycra® elastane, 3% X-static® nylon. It also contains an anti-odor technology.
Silverescent® technology, powered by X-STATIC®, inhibits the growth of odour-causing bacteria on the garment”
This is a light- to mid-weight fabric, not as light as something like the Proof 72-Hour Merino Polo (our review), but lighter than the Ministry of Supply Apollo 3 Polo (our review).
The fabric has a subtle knit texture with no technical sheen, giving it some visual interest over the typical non-pique polo. The addition of the 5% Lycra® adds great stretch in both directions.
Wrinkle resistance is unfortunately missing. While it doesn’t wrinkle further while wearing, it comes out of a wash and hang dry with wrinkles like what you see in the photos.
Performance
The performance is middle of the road.
The polo wicks sweat well, but it doesn’t dry as fast as I would like (although even in a light color, it doesn’t show strong sweat marks). Despite the fabric being damp, I didn’t find it uncomfortable in 90°F+ heat and high humidity.
When it comes to the odor resistance claims, the technology seems to help give the polo more odor resistance than a traditional synthetic option, but it’s nothing amazing. I’ll put it this way, on a long travel day, you won’t smell by dinner time, but you likely won’t get a second days wear.
The unique part of the performance is the stretch. It is by far the most stretchy polo I own (and stretches equally in both horizontal and vertical directions). So if stretch is the main feature you are looking for in a polo, this might be a contender.
Fit & Style
The fit is straight and the length works both tucked and untucked. With the sizing chart, I ordered my usual XL, and it fits well.
Both the subtle texture and sharp collar make for a polo that works from casual to business casual.
Overall
The lululemon Evolution Polo is a middle of the road performance polo, with its biggest differentiator being the high level of stretch.
At $88, I don’t think this is a great value. Not recommended.
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