This is my last article in this round of reviews on the new luxury apparel brand Nikovian and their new limited edition Invictus line. So far I have been impressed…and to be honest with you, the more I ride in these products the more I love them. It isn’t a reach to say that both of the breeches have become my favorites in my riding rotation.
This round, I’m chatting about the Nikovian Invictus Equestrian Standard Breech which I got in green (I love the color!). As discussed previously, after receiving the product in a beautiful gift box and knowing the price point, I had high expectations and the products did not disappoint. I have the same wonderful things to say about this breech as I do the summer weight ones (and if you want more in depth explanation of these things below, please visit that review as well as I don’t want to be too repetitive here).
- The large elastic waistband inside gives extra support to the core and helps keeps things tucked in and tidy which is fantastic. It also lends more structure to the 4 way stretch fabric to make both pair look more professional.
- The hardware is just stunning. I mean really. Beautiful custom hardware on the button heads and the logo on the back is just perfection. I really appreciate this attention to detail in a product when I’m looking at buying something more luxury.
- Same for the sewing and quality of the sticky seat. For the price, I expect excellence…and these are quite close to perfect. The sticky seat is just sticky enough. The silicon printing is flawless. AND there’s been no damage or wear to that sticky seat in at least a dozen wears and washes. I mean…wow. Also the sewing has been rock steady. No loose threads. No quality issues on any of the three products I have from Nikovian at all.
- They are very pretty and I get lots of compliments when I wear them (more on that in a minute).
- Even better they’re very comfortable and after laundry day, each of these breeches get reached for first in the pile. I’ll go more into comfort in a minute as well.
- The size range is fabulous and I appreciate them catering to a larger size range than most brands.
- Everything has washed super well and still looks brand new after 3 and a half months of heavy wear (each item gets worn each washing cycle for me…so…a LOT).
I do have to walk back a previous statement:
Previously on the other review I discussed how the breech doesn’t fit me particularly well due to my body shape and mentioned how they might be my least flattering breech I have…however I now have to take that back. I think that maybe some of my self consciousness with my curves (I still haven’t come to terms with them honestly and feel that my body is different in my head than it looks in real life, so it always shocks me to see myself in photos to this day). Anyways…I have to take it back. Just yesterday one of my barn buddies came up to me and were like “are those THOSE breeches?” She has been talking to me about them and wanting to buy some though the price is putting her off a bit. She told me straight out that my butt looked AMAZING in the breeches…especially when I was riding. LOL. How does your butt look good riding? No idea. But I’ll take it. I also have gotten a bit more attention from males when wearing these out in public than I usually do in my regular go to riding gear (which isn’t necessarily a good thing unless you’re into that kind of thing or looking for a new “friend” but you know…take that as you will). So maybe these are actually flattering…or at least accentuating. I just have on a certain pair of critical goggles that thinks accentuating my “assets” is a bad thing.
The fabric on the standard breech is more structured, so therefore I think generally a bit more attractive on my aging body. They’re also very professional and nice looking and I am not concerned at all about wearing these to a clinic or show (if there was a show color I’d use). I do think that the waistband is still a touch too high for me personally or they need to add in a tummy panel below that for mums as it still accentuates that area in the saddle with the waistband really locking down my upper abs but no support for the lower abs (I have some high waisted jeans that have that and they are wonderful). In fact, if they did add in a reinforced tummy panel in the front…these would literally be the best breeches on the planet. The waist band does still ride up over my rib cage when riding as well, but it doesn’t bother me, just looks a bit funny to me (but evidently other people don’t’ think so). I do still wish the lower leg had a little more stretch in it with the Standard Breech fabric since I have quite large calves many days due to an issue with lymphatic drainage…but oh well…almost all breeches have this problem unless they’re very stretchy tights. I realize I’m a bit of a anomaly there in my body shape. I have been able to remedy the riding down issue by wearing a belt (which covers up the pretty hardware, but comfort wins out). I might or might not have the issue solved by getting a bigger size…but it might just make it worse as the top will be bigger.
After more time riding in these, I’m impressed even more with them and their general performance. I am never uncomfortable riding in these breeches. I’m never wiggling around trying to get the crotch area to fit comfortably so I can really sit deep. I’m never feeling restricted in the knee. I can literally do full splits and all sorts of stretches and yoga poses even in the Standard weight breeches. The Standard breech performs wonderfully in both VERY hot weather 100+ degrees…and cold wet weather (down to lower 40s and raining). I don’t get cold in them while riding…and I don’t get hot in them while riding. Now I certainly get cold in them sitting on a chair and doing nothing but watching lessons…but I get cold in ANYTHING doing that. As I mentioned earlier…these are actually my favorite breeches I have now (both these and the summer weight) so I wear them no matter the weather now! If I had to pick one, I think the Standard weight are my favorite between the two. If you live in a freezing cold climate (regularly riding in the 30s and below, you might want to aim for some other breeches made for that…as these won’t be warm enough on their own).
As mentioned before, the zipper does some weird pulling and doesn’t lay flat and therefore shows (which is fine…but it brings a lot of attention to itself with the shiny gold). It’s not as bad on the Standard weight breech as it is the Summer weight ones, but it’s still there. You can even see on their model in the photos of the product on the website she’s having the same issue…so there you go. I do hope that they can perhaps address this with a little more fabric in the zipper area in the future.
I expect when breeches are in the $200 + range to see some really excellent quality, unrivaled comfort in the saddle, hold up to heavy wear, and be beautiful, and pull compliments. These do all of those things. While at first I may have hesitated a bit to spend the money on a pair of breeches like this especially from a new brand, I’m actively looking forward to their new release and potentially having more colors. With all of the new equestrian clothing brands popping up everywhere with easier access to manufacturers than any time in the past…you’re sure to see a LOT of new interesting looking brands coming through the pipeline (I swear I see a new one almost weekly). However next time you see one look at their pricing…and then look at their patterns. There are a lot of brands using the same manufacturers with the same patterns, buying cheap mass created tights and hybrids with different printed branding and calling them luxury. Then look at what a brand like Nikovian is doing. Unique patterning and well thought out features. I have less of a problem paying a high price when I’m buying something of really great quality and I’m happy to say from my experience so far, Nikovian’s quality is excellent.
I have become quite a fan of this brand, especially the more I use the products. It’s easy to like a product the first few uses. It’s another thing entirely to have that product become your favorite of ALL that you own of that type many months later. I wouldn’t mind replacing my entire closet of breeches for Nikovian breeches. My initial hesitation on the price is no longer a huge issue, especially for the breeches. I think the quality is there to demand the price.
Note: For sizing purposes I’m 5’9″ and wearing a size Large from Nikovian (Equestrian Stockholm shirt size Medium).