As mentioned in my last review on the Melody Mesh Show Coat, I received this shirt from R.J. Classic to try out and review for all of you. My experience with the brand had been limited due to me thinking they were just a Hunter/Jumper brand…so I’d tried a few of their sunshirts but nothing else. When I found out what was coming, this item (the Aerial Short Sleeve Show Shirt) was the one I was most excited about. Not only did it look lovely, but it was made with a fabric technology called 37.5 which my husband RAVES about in his cycling gear…but I’d not experienced yet. I was excited to get to see what all the fuss was about.
When I got the shirt, I was not disappointed. It is really pretty with some fun styling elements that make it look a little less boring than just another traditional white show shirt. I loved the textured sleeves and the dot perforations on the collarbone area. Very pretty.
The fit was good with a large fitting me fine (but I probably could have gotten away with a medium). (They carry this shirt in size XXS – XXL…so quite a range of sizes to fit most people). Being used to wearing more fitting shirts schooling, pulling on a looser show shirt was a bit weird to me at first…but it always is (and most of my school shirts aren’t second skin tight). The fabric was a little rougher feeling than I expected from other modern fabrics, but it wasn’t irritating or anything. Just different than a lot of the fabrics I’m used to on show shirts these days. However…this fabric is important!
So what makes this fabric different…that’s the most important part of this review. From the 37.5 website “A study at CU Boulder recorded up to a 26% increase in athletic performance while wearing thermoregulation clothing powered by 37.5® Technology.” Also from their website: they use minerals…not chemicals…to work their miracles. And those minerals are permanently embedded into the fibers so they never wash out or wear away, even with heavy use. They don’t trap bad smells. They’re also designed to biodegrade faster when tossed in a landfill (learn more about the sustainability of the fabric here).
So how was the performance? Well as I mentioned in the other review…it was a gazillion degrees when I wore this shirt the first time. Seriously…it was well over 100 degrees. A few people got heat exhaustion. Many people scratched. Some straight up stopped in the middle of their tests and left. I wore a coat in my first test. I took it off for the second test. For both I was comfortable. I did not overheat. I didn’t get overly sweaty (like I tend to do). I didn’t notice a major difference between wearing the coat and not (which says good things about the coat)…but I felt so good in my second test without the coat that we went out and got a huge score and got reserve high point for the show. I typically score bad in the heat.
It was very easy to stain treat and clean. Stains came out. Washed cold, hung to dry. Nice. The price is also just right for a nice show shirt (especially one that will help your performance!).
I’m absolutely wearing this again at my next show in September where it is guaranteed to be a scorcher again! I’d absolutely buy this product…and any others with this fabric technology for future purchased. Looking at picking up some of their training shirts with the same fabric tech! Thanks again R.J. Classics for sharing your products with me and making me a new customer of yours!
