So…if you’ve been here long, you know by now I love Nikovian‘s breeches. I have many pairs at this point (6 maybe?) and I wear them all every single wash cycle (except these white ones…and the tan ones). The tan gets used less because they’re knee patch…and I’m a DQ…but they’re still very nice (just aimed at a different part of the sport than I’m in). In fact…I like my Nikovian breeches so much…the green Nikovian Standard Breech has become my show breech the last two shows. I’ve been showing in a brown/green/black combo because it suits my Robin Hood freestyle music…and because I freaking love these breeches. They’re just so comfortable and perform so well (and they’re gorgeous).
If I can show in the same breeches I school in…I’m going to show better (at least that’s my experience). Since the rules have changed on colors…I’ve been getting SO casual with my show gear that I’m basically wearing schooling gear. I’ve done away with white breeches. I’ve done away with white gloves. I’ve done away with stock ties. It’s not a surprise maybe that the last few shows have been the most chill and most comfortable of my life. All is well…until Nikovian goes and makes a white show breech and sends them to me. Darn. You’ve ruined my plans to never wear white pants again Madison! How dare you!
In all seriousness…I’ve now bought a few colored coats (pink…lavender…yup…I did) to go along with the white breeches from Nikovian. I’m probably still wearing the green for the next few shows as I’m still showing this freestyle music (or maybe I can be pink Robin Hood? Can I pull that off?)…but things have for sure changed in the “I’m never wearing white breeches again” department.
First, I should warn you that these aren’t exactly the same as the Standard Breech in green and black you know and love. If you’re buying them expecting them to be the exact same…they’re not. There’s a few differences…namely the fabric. The fabric on the white breeches (at least this iteration…It was mentioned they might go back to the old fabric for the next order) is less stretchy than the OG fabric. The OG fabric is 78% Nylon, 22% Spandex. The white fabric is 81% Nylon, 19% Spandex. I imagine that they tried a new fabric for opaqueness…or maybe more structure to be more flattering?…I could be wrong…but that’s my guess. There is also a dotty pattern on the fabric if you look REALLY close up (same as the tan ones). The zip pocket has also disappeared (makes sense for showing) and there is only one phone pocket.
So that notice of fabric change being announced…lets get into it.
So what’s the same? The embroidery, the high end gold hardware and branding, the comfortable wide waistband is all exactly the same. So is the sticky seat…still incredibly sticky. So is the overall shape and cut of the breech. Same sock bottom as the newer Standard Breech. Still incredible quality on the sewing and fabrics. All of the things that I loved about the old Nikovians are still there except the fabric.
So as mentioned…the fabric is different. Is this a good thing? Bad thing? I’m not sure. I will say it’s not as easy to do yoga in this version. There’s for sure more restriction (but it’s not as bad as some…just…not as stretchy as I’ve come to expect from Nikovian). That has unfortunatly made them less comfortable doing things out of the saddle (walking, grooming, sitting in a car…). These tend to ride down more as they’re less stretchy due to my body conformation (I’ve had this problem with jeans, leggings and breeches my whole life). My legs are very…tubular…so anything that fits my legs is generally too big in the waist. This fabric does make this more of an issue with these breeches. The waist is actually maybe not tight enough for the tightness of the legs for me. Or said another way…the legs are too tight for my body shape. Which is disappointing as this brand for sure is one of the few that helps out the curvier figures…but these are a little too tight in the leg for me. So when I’m walking or working on the ground, I end up having to hike them up from time to time. This was never a problem with the other Nikovians (and wasn’t even a problem with the new tan ones)…just these white ones. A little bit of an annoyance. If they were schooling breeches…they wouldn’t be at the top of my pile…I’ll say that. However I’m never schooling in these again…so it’s not as important to be able to do barn chores in them comfortably. So not a deal breaker.
How do they ride? Well they ride like Nikovians! I didn’t notice a difference in them from their other breeches riding. So for riding performance they’re still just fabulous (so I will not mind showing in them). I cannot fault them under saddle.
How do they look? They look great. I mean…white breeches are TRICKY unless you’re a certain body type that isn’t most of ours. I think these did a great job smoothing my lumps and bumps and they were opaque enough I wore a dark purple shirt tucked into them and you could barely see anything at all so that’s a huge plus for white breeches. I mean…do they make my cellulite go away? Absolutely not. Nothing will do that…but I don’t feel self conscious in these at all. I mean…people did look at me funny for wearing white breeches to school in (well to have a lesson in). Some went so far as to give me the “what the heck are you doing weirdo?” look. HA! It’s cool. I look good in them. I wasn’t worried about it.
How did they clean up? Well…they’re white breeches. They’re never going to be white again…but that is expected. I for sure got some saddle dye transfer on the seat (as I do all breeches) because my saddle just does that. It looked pretty rough after riding I will be honest and I was worried they were already trashed. I also got a large spot of something else on the leg as well that I was worried about as it was a spot that would be seen while sitting in a saddle. I got home and immediately stain treated them with OxyClean spray and scrubbed them a bit with a toothbrush. I let it sit for a while and then washed them as normal…on cold (yup cold because I don’t want to damage them) and then hung them to dry. The leg stain came out completely. The saddle dye transfer came out about 75%. Impressive. This is the cleanest I think I’ve ever gotten white breeches without soaking them in boiling water with Oxyclean…which damages the hell out of the fabric. So I’m quite happy with how they washed up.
I also wanted to show you how high they are (I mean…you see that). Because of the super high waist, these are ideal for shadbellies / short tail coats. I’ll be pulling them out next year 100% when I pull my shadbelly back out to do PSG because they look fabulous with my coat. No tummy pooch sticking out below my tail coat here.
They are a touch more expensive than their Standard Breech, and I’m not sure why. Maybe the fabric. Are they still a good value? Yes. I think for the quality of the breech the price is right. I’ve paid similar for other breeches that didn’t hold up NEARLY as well as Nikovian has for me. After a year and a half of regular wear (we’re talking at least 70 rides in the original green ones I own)…the sticky seat is still just as sticky…the fabric is still bright…the stitching is still tight. Everything about them is still just as perfect as they were out of the box (minus some saddle dye transfer). No other breech or tight in my life has ever held up that well that long. I expect these will hold up just as well (other than they’re white breeches…so I am sure they will stain more as I keep using them as all white breeches do). I don’t expect I’ll wear these 70+ times either as we only show 3-6 times a year.
All in all, I do strongly recommend these if you’re looking for a new pair of white breeches to show in. As I mentioned…I already bought some new colored coats to wear with white breeches now that I’ve got these in my life. I’d previously sworn off white breeches for the rest of my life! They are a comfortable ride in the saddle and quite flattering (which is a miracle for white breeches). It’s hard to say if I’d like them in the OG fabric better or not…as they might not be as flattering? Or they might be. There’s really no way to know if this was a change for the better without having the other to try (which don’t exist so I don’t). They are not as comfortable on the ground as the other Nikovian breeches are, but they are certainly the best white breeches I’ve tried in my riding career. And if you are shaped a little bit more straight than I am (like most people are)…the issue of the fabric being a little more stiff isn’t going to be a concern for you at all I don’t think.