I’ve seen moleskin blazers often in the past, I never really dug into the fabric. It was originally produced as a sturdy and comfortable fabric for farmers and hunters, and transitioned to military and factory use. I won’t go into the details, you can read more here if you’re curious, but it’s a dense cotton fabric that is shorn and brushed on one side for softness — and it’s the same as corduroy without the wales (the ridges).

When I saw that Outerknown had released a more modern cut shirt in moleskin, the Lost Coast Moleskin Shirt, I had to give it a try.

Material

This moleskin is 100% organic cotton described as “woven tough and brushed for softness. It gets even better as it breaks in over time”.

While I’ve only been wearing it for a bit over a month, I already feel it getting softer without feeling like it’s wearing out or getting thin. The “Curry” color I have is also garment dyed (I assume they all are, but it’s not specified). This will also add to the improvement with age, as the color will likely fade a little at wear points. While they warn about color transfer, I haven’t seen any issues, but something to watch out for in the darker colors (think dark indigo denim).

Fit & Style

Outerknown lists this as their “Relaxed” cut. I stuck with my normal XL (the size I have in their “Classic” cut BBQ Shirt) and it fits well. It has room for layering with a long or short sleeve t-shirt, but if you intend to wear it as an over shirt, you will want to size up.

Even though the cut is “Relaxed”, it is good-looking and modern. It gives you room to move (since there is no stretch to the fabric) while not looking baggy. It is long enough to tuck in, but I wear it untucked with either jeans or other workwear style pants. The natural corozo nut buttons add a little sustainable flair.

It fits and looks great for an all-around weekend shirt — tough enough for the shop but with the good looks for (socially distant and outdoor) drinks with friends. The Curry color is great, with more of a brown tone than yellow.

Performance

Outerknown makes a big performance claim with this shirt “Tougher than a flannel…one of the best fabrics you can wear in cold weather.”

While I can’t yet judge if it is tougher than a flannel in practice, it certainly seems so. The density of moleskin fabric does make it a great cold weather shirt, as claimed. I found that it does a great job cutting the wind. For me, it’s comfortable on its own even into the low 50s °F, while also breathing well and still being comfortable inside.

Ben brought up the question of if the areas of wear get shiny like corduroy, it doesn’t seem like they do — I’m guessing because the whole outer face is brushed. This is a tough shirt that will get better over time.

Overall

Outerknown did a great job with this modern take on a moleskin shirt. I’ve been wearing it every weekend since it’s been cool enough, and foresee it being a go-to piece throughout the rest of the fall and winter.

Great value at the full price of $98, and a steal on sale. Highly recommended.

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Note: This pullover was provided by Faherty Brand for review purposes.

With the pandemic and work from home still part of daily life, a good pullover has become an essential part of my wardrobe now that the weather is changing. My office is located in one of the cooler portions of my house, so I often find myself adding and removing layers throughout the day. Lacking a nice looking pullover, I had been resorting to a sweatshirt or one of my technical mid-layers, not the best look for video calls. Enter the Faherty Brand Epic Quilted Fleece Pullover which solved that and more.

Material

The fabric is a three-layer, double-knit jacquard. The faces are cotton with a poly layer in the middle for insulation, bringing the content to 67% cotton, 33% polyester. An interesting part of the material is that rather than being stitched, the quilting looks like it’s fused through the fabric — no loose threads here.

The hand feel of the fabric is super soft, which is likely why the care instructions are to machine wash cold, inside out — the website states tumble dry low while the tag says lay flat dry. I haven’t seen any pilling on either side though, so that’s a great sign for long term durability. One note: it does not dry quickly.

Fit and Style

I am on the cusp of L/XL sizing, and since the large short sleeve button down I have from them fits closely, I decided to go with the XL for plenty of room for layering. A large would likely have fit, but I’ve been enjoying the extra room.

Faherty Brand states “”Sweatshirt-level comfort with extra polish” was our M.O. when designing this midweight layer.” and I think they hit that spot on. The quilting, chest pocket, snaps, and ribbed cuffs and hem make this a great looking layer. I’d have no problems wearing it into the office.

Performance

This pullover exceeded my expectations in performance. I was able to wear it over a t-shirt on a windy 40 °F day and be comfortable outside walking the dog. The ribbed hem was welcome here, keeping the wind out.

It also breathes well enough that I was also completely comfortable inside. The snap neck adds to the versatility, allowing for some adjustment of heat retention.

The only downside to the performance is how long it takes to dry. Definitely not something you’d want exposed to wet weather.

Overall

The Epic Quilted Fleece Pullover is just that, epic. It looks great from casual to business casual and is comfortable in a wide range of temperatures.

While I likely would have hesitated with the $148 price point before wearing it, but I think it’s fairly priced for the level of finish and quality of the materials.

It’s also available in a CPO style, for anyone who prefers a jacket over a pullover.

Recommended.

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Note: Wildly Goods provided these items for review.

Anyone who moves from cotton socks to wool socks, will quickly tell you how much better life is on the wool side of the world. Comfort, odor — all of it is better. I really love testing socks, so when Wildly Goods reached out, I couldn’t wait to see what they had to offer, and I am glad I got these to review — they are outstanding.

Material

These socks are a blend of 80% Extra-Fine Merino Wool, 16% Polyester, 3% Nylon,1% Spandex. I am surprised by the low spandex content as they seem like they would have more than that. But I am not surprised by the high merino content, and the ‘extra-fine’ here is no gimmick — they are among the softest merino wool socks I have ever tried. I can’t find anything detailing out how fine a micron they use, but I would guess it is below 18 micron.

The one downside to this blend is durability, and while the socks are still holding up perfectly for me, they are getting quite fuzzy. Something I will need to keep an eye on.

Fit & Style

When I wrote my notes for this review, I wrote that these are: half hiking sock, half athletic sock. Meaning they are not quite as thick, or compression prone as a true hiking sock, but they are also not quite as ambivalent as a basic athletic sock. Wildly Goods seems to agree, as they note: “hybrid design blends the features of high-end hiking socks with everyday comfortable socks”. That is spot on.

I can easily wear these rucking with boots or any other heavy duty wear, as I can slip them on with a dress boot or sneakers and be comfortable all day. I think these socks strike the perfect balance. They won’t be dress socks for anyone, but if you wear dress boots, you could easily wear these most days.

They will replace athletic socks for just about anyone though, and they will also be the socks you want to pull on to be cozy next to a fireplace.

Performance

Ok, so let’s talk about performance, and with these it is very straight forward. There is a huge amount of merino in these, so they are odor resistant. I would say 3-4 wears and you’ll notice nothing. Soak them in water after each wear and you could go for a very long time.

There’s no true compression. But the socks are padded strategically, and vented on the top. Overall they wear very comfortably no matter what shoe you are pairing them with. Just excellent. But the true standout feature is how soft they are. They are just cozy to have on your feet, they feel like you are cheating a bit.

Lastly, I washed and dried these like I would a cotton t-shirt. They are getting fuzzy looking, but otherwise I have not noticed any ill effects, so you are likely fine to treat them as you would any other sock — which is a must for me.

Overall

When I last did a round up of socks, the now discontinued Outlier Megafine sock was my top pick. These will replace those, since these are available. In a lot of ways these are the same but with less compression.

I would love to get these in solid colors, as I think you could then really get away with them in most situations. As it is, I am going to wear the heck out of the two pairs I have.

Here’s the thing about these socks: they are $20 for two pairs. That’s an insanely good value for socks of this quality and performance. Get on it.

Highly recommended.

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This shirt caught my eye first because of the pattern, and second because I have never owned a madras shirt. So I thought I would give it a go, as I live in a state that is nearly always decently warm.

Let’s dive into this shirt, because I do like it quite a bit…

Material

So first, madras itself is an entire thing, not just the material or pattern. It’s like a combination of the two, so I am not going to refer to this as madras cloth. Rather this is a lightweight Taylor Stitch fabric. And, in that case it is an open weave, 4-oz. 55% Organic Cotton, 45% Linen.

The translation here is that it is super breathable and light weight — not see through at all. It’s soft, not super wrinkly, but more rumply. The hand feel is fantastic.

Fit & Style

This shirt is all about style and in fact there is an entire history of it. The pattern — the feel — of this shirt is sublime. The fit is the same as all other Taylor Stitch button-up/downs I have tried.

Which is to say the fit is very trim, with slightly shorter sleeves than you might like. But the biggest issue with the fit is the cuffs, which are generally too narrow to fit most watches under them, and I think that is criminal.

So the style, and design of the shirt is on point, but the cut remains problematic for Taylor Stitch — they need to relax their cuts more.

Performance

Here is what Taylor Stitch says about the performance of this shirt: “…incredibly comfortable, breathable, and rugged shirt”. I can get behind that, the cotton gives you the comfort, and the weave and linen give you the rest of it.

Overall I think it generally stands up to those claims, as air passes through it nicely and it is too thin to stay wet for long. It’s not going to break any records on performance, but it will generally be comfortable in much of the heat you might experience. There are things that perform better, but I am not sure there are many that do it with the style of this shirt.

Overall

So, this is a good lightweight shirt — it’s a good light layer, or comfortable shirt for the evenings. This is a really hard shirt for me to review, because I do really like it, but I have a hard time saying it is on par with most of the performance minded shirts I review here.

So, I’ll sum this shirt up like this: it feels like a late summer sunset — warm, cozy, and something you want to stay in for a little longer.

They are on last call here.

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Taylor Stitch has quite a few standard items that they make in different fabrics. The Camp Pant is one of them, and I’ve been testing the pants in the Dark Olive Boss Duck. You can also find these in Corduroy, Wool, Herringbone, and Reverse Sateen.

Let’s dive in.

Material

Boss Duck is Taylor Stitch’s workwear fabric. I believe there were iterations before this version, but here it is a 12 oz., light stone washed blend of 54% hemp, 30% recycled polyester, 14% organic cotton, 2% spandex.

That’s a mouthful, but what it comes down to is a heavy, tough workwear fabric that feels soft from the start. When I looked up the content, I was surprised to see the spandex listed. I hadn’t noticed any stretch in the fabric while wearing, but now that I’m looking for it, I can feel it by hand as just a slight stretch in the horizontal direction.

The hemp content here is what helps increase the fabric’s strength, gives it a great texture, and gives it some performant features.

Fit & Style

The Camp Pant and the more workwear styled The Chore Pant share a cut. I find it to be relaxed without looking baggy or sloppy and something that should fit in well with the trend towards less slim pants. These styles also come with a button, rather than zip fly.

The fit is spot on where you don’t ever feel restricted, even though the fabric doesn’t really have stretch to speak of. This is also helped by the availability of even and odd waist sizing, as you can make sure you have a good waist fit. This is important because the waist is the only place I occasionally noticed the lack of stretch.

To be noted — this fabric comes in the old 36” inseam, but they are currently transitioning to 34” inseam and offering free mail-in tailoring.

This style could find its way into a business casual wardrobe (front slash pockets, rear patch pockets), although not in this fabric. The hemp texture, for me at least, keeps it in the casual realm. It looks really sharp with a flannel or other casual shirt for the weekend.

Performance

The high hemp content of this fabric not only helps with the durability and abrasion resistance, but also with the breathability. I found these pants to have a wider range of comfortable temperatures than a standard cotton or cotton/poly workwear pant in this weight.

Even though they are breathable enough for a warmer day or heavy work, I also found that the weave of the fabric seems to keep cold wind from cutting through the pants — something I was wondering about when wearing these comfortably before the temperatures dropped. I’d call these three-season.

Overall

The Camp Pant in Olive Boss Duck is a great use of workwear fabric in a less-casual cut. These are at home anywhere from on the weekend hanging out with friends, to chopping wood or woodworking. The fabric is three-season for the northeast temperatures, and wouldn’t be too heavy for the colder months down south. They come broken-in, and I expect them to only soften up more with wear.

At $128 they are certainly on the high end of the pricing spectrum. I’m not sure I’d pay quite that much for them, but if you can grab them during one of Taylor Stitch’s sales, I think they are a great value.

Recommended. Buy from Taylor Stitch for the full line-up, or Huckberry for a more limited selection.

NOTE: where possible all product links on this site may earn the site money when you buy using those links.

When Steve ordered his Warpstreme ABC pants, I ordered them with the Tech Canvas — the weather just prevented me from testing them sooner. These are yet another take on a ‘modern 5-pocket’ or, modern jeans if you will. I’ve been testing them off and on for a while now, and overall: meh.

Let’s get into why.

Materials

The material is surprising on this. The make up is 49% Cotton, 45% Polyester, 6% Elastane, but that only tells part of the story. When I sat down to write this, I was surprised it had so much cotton, because it’s not soft like cotton at all. This is a thick, slightly scratchy, very heavily textured pant. ‘Canvas’ is an apt description, but it’s more of an open weave canvas, as they are breathable.

They do feel very durable, but only time will tell on that. They have a rough hand feel, and ample stretch.

Fit & Style

Fit overall was slightly smaller than true to size, so the 34 sized I ordered fits a bit tighter than I would ideally like, but I am not sure the 35 would be tight enough. They also fit very slim (a classic cut is available), and I find that my calves are always pressed on the material. Overall I think the slim on these is too slim.

I typically wear a 32” inseam, and I found these about a half inch shorter than I would like. So no matter which way you cut it, you might want to size up one notch if you generally find yourself on the cusp.

As for style, they are solid. The cut is fine, not the best, but fine. While the material looks ‘normal’ and has no sound while walking to give it away. If you can wear jeans there, you can wear these for sure.

Fit and style: nothing special.

Performance

There are three stand out things on these pants from a performance perspective:

1. The movement/stretch of these pants is fantastic. Even for the very slim fit, they never bind and always move easily. That’s great.
2. They breathe very well, almost airy feeling. So even though the pant is thick in looks and feel, they do breathe.
3. The last one is a weird issue though. They breath too well to work in cold weather, and they aren’t light enough to wear in warm weather. Which leaves essentially transitional weather and greatly limits the pants. They kind of need to make up their mind here.

They don’t dry fast, or have any other outstanding performance features — unless cuffing your pants and seeing a reflective stripe is a must for you.

Overall

Overall: they are fine, not great, just fine. The best comparisons are to Outlier Slim Dungarees ($198) and Western Rise’s Diversion Pants ($138). Given that these ABCs come in at $128, I don’t see anyway to justify the over the only slightly more expensive Diversion pants which perform better and are more comfortable.

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