Sorry for the informal nature of this review! I bought this gi instead of receiving it from a manufacturer for review, so I feel somewhat better about this quick and dirty go over ;)
This is a pearl weave 550g jacket in white with deep magenta floral embroidery on both upper arms, surrounding the iconic capital F of Fenom fame. The pants are a looser, classic cut versus Fenom's other, slim cut and they're made of a nice soft twill instead of ripstop. The drawstring is fabric not cord. The pants have doubled fabric from mid thigh all the way down to the bottom hem which I especially like. The waist has two belt loops, each about a quarter of the way in from the outer hip. There's also some stylish embroidery across the top of the right thigh which says Fenom Kimonos in dark magenta and silver thread.
I didn't measure pre wash, sorry. I bought an A1 jacket and A2 pants (love that Triin allows separate sizes!) because this model didn't come in A1C (curvy) and at the moment I'm definitely, insanely fat. I'm not posting pics of me in the gi, but I'll tell you I weigh about 20 lbs more than I usually do and haven't figured out how to add six inches in height.
The top and bottoms were both too big when I took them out of the bag...sleeves too long, the bust area bulged outwards in a peculiar way when I closed the lapels, and pants definitely about 2" too long. But after one wash in hot and a long dry on high heat, they're absolutely perfect. Ok, fine, I'm 5'2" 154 lbs. :( Interestingly the bulge in mid chest disappeared after washing and drying. The jacket is a good length from top of the shoulder to the bottom hem and closes with good coverage across the chest.
I found this gi extremely comfortable to train in....The pants are very soft, the cut is just right as far as being roomy, not form fitting, for my fat rump without having extra diaper material wadded up between my legs, with a slightly low rise but still no plumber's crack.... and after the wash/dry the length is ideal, right at ankle bones. If my behind didn't stick out so far, the pants would be longer, probably long enough for someone even 5'6" or 5'7" tall or so. The sleeve length also adjusted to just skimming my wrist bones, but if I had longer arms I could easily shrug my shoulders back at an IBJJF gi check and pass.
Note the gi is nice and light; website says an A1 weighs 3 lbs 1oz.
Very well made as Fenom usually is except a small one-inch section on a front interior side of the lapel with one row of stitching undone. Nothing significant though.
This gi is available for only $95 from:
http://www.fenomkimonos.com/products.html
Here's Sally Arsenault's excellent review of this gi, too:
http://breakingmuscle.com/martial-arts/product-review-fenom-pearl-weave-gi
Can't wait to try the navy blue gi with pink F and ripstop pants next; it's an A1 top, A1C slim cut pants.
2 comments:
Why do I suffer from gi envy?? :( I want a Fenom so much. It might be my Christmas present to myself.
Thank you, Georgette! A1 pants length is 36-37 inches from the waist to the bottom of the leg, A2 38-39 inches. I need to write about the pants when I get a chance. It is interesting how some women prefer a very fitted pants, and how some absolutely hate them. I went from only wearing slim pants to loose cut pants last year. It probably has a lot do do with the weight fluctuation (winter weight, about 7 lbs of fatty cushioning) and not wanting to feel like I'm about to bust open at seams. Women's weight can fluctuate a lot so I always recommend to get a slim cut pants for skinny days and curvy or loose cut pants for the days when you feel heavy and bloated.
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