When I first heard from Nikovian in fall 2022 they had just started up. There wasn’t a lot of info on them. Their social was new, their website was new, there were no reviews, there was literally nothing except a website, two Youtube promo videos and some IG photos. And having just come off dealing with a company that was a little bit of a scam…I was a little concerned to jump in working with them, but took a shot. Then I received the product. The rest is history from there.
I’ve now done 4 reviews for them with nothing scoring under a 9.4… And their breeches are literally my favorite on the market. Period. Even after HEAVY wear (I wear these breeches EVERY laundry period and wash them after every wear) they don’t look any worse for wear. They’re perfect. Even better, the brand has actually listened to their customers feedback over time and made adjustments to the products to make them better. It’s honestly a very impressive start for a young company and to be so open to REAL feedback is so unique (as a reviewer I can say that…some brands DON’T want to hear anything isn’t perfect). So when the founder reached out to me this fall to let me know there were show breeches on the way and asking again for my feedback, I of course said yes. I also had to tell her I wouldn’t be showing for some time with show season over and with the show schedule here in so much flux losing 2 show locations for 2024. Guess what? She said…”wear them schooling.” She didn’t NEED photos of these breeches at a show to prove that they’re worthy of showing in. She just wanted my honest feedback on the performance of the new products. Such a breath of fresh air. I’m happy to say this particular product made a good impression.
So today I’m reviewing the Nikovian Knee Patch Breech. As a dressage rider I usually ride in full seats…but my recent experiences with knee patches have actually adjusted my thinking on that a bit. I was actually very excited to try these…though scared of the color (as I’m also scared of white). As I think many of us are. Neither show tan or show white is particularly forgiving or flattering for a lot of people. When I got them and pulled them out of the box I was honestly terrified again for two reasons. One…they look absolutely tiny (I do recall feeling that way about my initial box as well actually). Two…getting in and looking at them…the material is different than the regular breeches so I wondered what a difference that would make. They seemed similar in fit once tried on (and the tan ones actually have the same % material make up as the regular breeches) but the material is different. It’s got this dot texture to it up close which is a little hard to explain but you can see it if you look closely. I will say after wearing and riding in them…I find no difference between the fabric on the tan breeches and the regular line ones. They wear the same. They ride the same. The white breeches…not the same experience, which I’ll get into in that review.
Despite the size looking terrifyingly small pulled out of the box, once tugged on it was clear the size was correct (and even after washing and wearing they never got back to the tiny tiny fresh out of the box size so you don’t have to do that “OMG can I get in these” dance every time you wear them. I am not a hunter rider, but I now I hear a LOT about the rise from older riders as the style for a long time in the hunter world has been a lower rise…which isn’t great for many body types. These are just as high a rise as the other Nikovian breeches are…so they may be a LOT higher than your standard hunter breech, but they are going to look very trim under a show jacket and they hit in just the right place for a shadbelly/tailcoat if you are lucky enough to be showing in those classes.
Anyways! Onward! If you have seen any of my other reviews you will remember I mentioned the hooks on the waistband needed to be moved over in relation to the zipper to make everything lie flatter…and guess what?! Look at this!
Nikovian quality (as I’ve mentioned before) is excellent. The buttons are top notch. The zips are smooth and high quality. The fabric is quality in the hand. The stitching is perfect. The embroidery is perfect. These have a minor styling detail different from the main line with the zip pocket removed (which makes sense for showing) and that right pocket becoming a normal phone pocket and the pocket on the other side removed for again…showing minimalism. Quality can’t be knocked.
I can’t give much comment to the grip honestly as…I’m a dressage rider and I don’t need or really use the knee grip with my relaxed leg…however it’s pretty sticky because of the larger bands of silicone and I think it’s a cool look! So I’d imagine it does the job in a jump saddle just fine. I do however love riding in them, even without any grip for me in my dressage saddle. They’ve made it to my “ride regularly” pile as I’ll never need them for a show…and I really love them. They are comfortable in the saddle just like the other Nikovian breeches. There’s no discomfort, rubbing, restriction, or any other issue with these. Just nice supportive compression. No tight knees. No annoyance. They’re comfortable on the ground as well.
I thought they looked very nice in the saddle. Flattering. No emphasizing of cellulite or anything else. However…as expected on the ground there isn’t a complete cover up of that issue. It’s hard to distract from it in a light color (the darker breeches show it too…but since they’re darker it’s just not as obvious). On the ground if you’re looking for cellulite cover these aren’t going to remove it completely in harsh light (but mask it great in non direct light), but in the saddle it’s not an issue (and that’s the most important to me at shows). Honestly…I don’t expect a breech to completely make this disappear…and I think it would be unfair to expect that…so this is not a knock for them for me. I think they do a MUCH better job than most breeches across the board and specifically any light color breech. It’s just going to show it some. In previous attempts to wear breeches this color…I’ve ended up in tears…or worn a shirt untucked and a big jacket. This color is NOT flattering for me… but this brand managed to make them comfortable and supportive and attractive! I don’t feel like or look like a naked sausage. Thank you Nikovian. To be honest… I would NOT share photos of myself in any other show tan breeches I’ve ever worn. I would absolutely just never have shown you them…as it was NOT pretty. I honestly just wouldn’t have worn them in public without being forced to either…these…I’ve worn to the grocery store.
Really…more important to me than how I look is comfort (as I’m getting up there in age now and are realizing looks really don’t matter anymore). I started riding in my green Nikovian breeches at shows this year because I honestly didn’t care about the look so much anymore and just wanted the gear that I could perform the best in. That’s after all the goal of showing…to put on your best ride…not to win a beauty contest (well…at least in dressage). Anyways…performance-wise these are FANTASTIC. Love them.
They did show quite a bit of saddle dye transfer after the ride which always is a cute look in light colored breeches (but I have this problem with ALL breeches and my saddle). The dot texture strangely seemed to attract saddle dye more than the rest of the fabric somehow. As you can see after wearing and washing…the dot pattern in the fabric I mentioned is more noticeable when looking up close. It’s pretty minor and not really an issue after washing. All other dirt and staining washed out easily and the breeches and they look plenty clean for more showing. They certainly cleaned up just as well as any light breech I’ve had in terms of saddle dye. And cleaned a lot better than most with regular dirt and goo. The fabric just does a good job repelling normal stuff I think.
Because of the quality and how well my Nikovian breeches have held up, I honestly can’t fault the price. I used to think it was a bit high…but I now think the price is more than fair for what you’re getting! I am hoping for more colors yet again in the future. They really are my favorite breeches. <3
I really love the tan knee patch breeches from Nikovian and I can’t give them a higher recommendation. Best show tan colored breeches I’ve ever tried on (honestly…how I look in this color is a large part of the reason I went dressage…HA!). The other times I’ve worn this color…I literally wanted to cry (or actually did cry). I feel like I look good in these, which is the Nikovian miracle. Nikovian carries sizes from XXS to 3XL because they actually care about suiting every body! I am 5’9″ and wear a large in these for your reference. <3
