This is my second review from the new luxury apparel brand Nikovian and their new limited edition Invictus line. Today I’m going to share my thoughts on the Black Quarter Zip Top. If you want to skip the reading and go straight to the Youtube video, it’s down below (it also covers the other two Nikovian products I am reviewing this fall). You can read the review on the Summer Breech here.
As mentioned in the past review, upon unboxing I was impressed with the quality and presentation of the clothing. They’re gorgeous. I mean…come on. Look at this box! The fabrics are all nice and stretchy. The hardware is stunning. And the sewing is top notch. Anyways…I was a little surprised at first look of the top because I expected something lighter weight. I’m not sure why I expected a sun shirt, but this is a little bit thicker of a material (more similar to the Dapple Bay riding tops in thickness…though WAY more lux of a fabric). Anyways…once I got past my initial confusion about the purpose of this top, I’m in love. It certainly (especially in black) is too warm for a hot summer day in the sun here in California. I’d say it’s good at 80 degrees and below. It is breathable and has that anti-odor fabric (which does a good job when I’m sweating like a marathon runner), but with the heavier weight and the combination of the black color I picked out, it is certainly not a summer sun shirt (and it evidently wasn’t intended to be…I just didn’t read the description).
Okay…moving on. As much as I love the summer breeches…and I really really love them…I love this shirt more. I want one in a bunch of colors. The fabric is super luxurious and comfortable to wear. It’s very soft and buttery feeling and makes me feel like cuddling up on a comfy chair with a book it’s so comfortable. It’s got a lot of stretch as you’d expect, but even being slim fitting and very stretchy there’s no claustrophobic feeling I can get from a lot of heavier type shirts. It’s just simply comfortable. Riding it’s excellent. I don’t notice it at all (unless I’m in the sun and then I’m thinking about how stupid it is to wear black in the summer). There’s no restricting feeling in my shoulders or arms or neck (and some quarter zips are cut such they kinda pull on my trapezius muscles a bit and make my neck feel tense). That’s not a problem here.
The size range for the brand is excellent and very inclusive going from XS to 3XL which is great (though some of the sizes are starting to sell out). And with the stretch of the fabric Nikovian is really covering a huge range of equestrians. The fit of the shirt is slim but stretchy. I don’t see this being an issue fitting many different body types…though if you’re self conscious about your tummy…you probably won’t like this one as it’s form fitting (like most of these quarter zips are). I personally love the fit. I think it’s flattering tucked in and left out, which isn’t always the case for most shirts. The sleeves are long enough on my long arms (and if you’re a little shorter you can roll the sleeve back and get a cute peak of gold around you wrist which was clever design to make the arms work for all shapes).
The shirt is very pretty. Honestly…I was concerned about all the gold as I’m not a gold loving kind of gal…but I really like the black and gold contrast and the lined inner collar and sleeves. It really brings up what is a fairly basic black quarter zip to something eye catching and stylish. The zipper pull is just SO pretty – certainly the most beautiful zipper pull in my entire closet. I feel very in style when I wear Nikovian and I’m not embarrassed to head off to do some non-horse shopping while wearing it. Even better, the shirt material doesn’t seem to attract dust at all and it’s easy to wipe clean of dirt if you say…rub against a dusty tack trunk. My only rather minor complaint is the multiple use of logos/branding on the shirt. I mean…it says Invictus Equestrian in two places and has the logo on the sleeve and the pull tab. I think if it didn’t have the large gold text on the back I probably would love it even more…but large branding isn’t one of my favorite things (even though it’s a trend right now). My hair covers it most of the time anyways. And it does help my trainer see how straight or not straight I am in the saddle (so maybe a plus or minus for you there…ha!).
It has washed well. I washed the shirt in a washing machine with cold water and hung it up to dry. It still looks brand new several wash and wears later. Because it’s black, I can’t give any comment on the fabric staining or not. The shirt dried very quickly on the line and I was able to wear it the next day.
I continue to get comments about how gorgeous each of the Invictus items I have every time I wear them. A friend of mine commented a few days ago when I was wearing Nikovian…and I said “well you wouldn’t like the price, they’re expensive.” Her response was “That’s not a surprise at all. The look VERY expensive.” These items may come with a higher price tag, but at least they look deserving of a higher price tag (unlike a lot of items on the market which are expensive and don’t LOOK expensive). The quality is better than most on the market and the comfort and performance are also excellent for top notch sportswear. I really love this shirt, especially if your budget allows spending a bit more on a quality shirt. Looking forward to maybe more colors coming out in the future!
Hurry up and pick up what you want from the Nikovian Invictus line as it’s limited edition!
