Fish
in water.
As
well as drooling over gadgets, LEGO, and anything that can both fly
and carry a camera, here at The Test Pit we love to try out new kinds
of clothing... especially at this time of year. There is something
about autumn that really appeals to us, as the cooler weather lends
the opportunity to tool up with layers and accessories. While
considering who to wrap ourselves up with this autumn, we came across
something a bit fishy. We check out clothing from Weird Fish.
Weird
Fish design comfortable, casual clothing with a urban and university
feel, for both men, women and children. As the northern hemisphere
has predictably started to plunge once more into autumn and winter,
the current catalogue of clothing is heavy on chunky outer layers,
jackets, hats, scarves and Weird Fish's signature Macaroni
sweatshirts. To get a taste of the range we were sent a small
selection of items to try. This pleased us, especially because it
seems like summer ended three damn months ago and we're in dire need
of insulation. Let's take a look, shall we?
Printed
artist t-shirts
Originally
Weird Fish were just t-shirt makers, creating fishy-themed artist
prints and putting them on high quality cotton shirts. That practice
still continues today, with several new designs released each year –
all with an aquatic pun or two.
The
t-shirt itself is 100% cotton, comes pre-washed, and stress-tested.
Weird Fish are keen to point out that their kit is made to last, and
certainly the shirt we were sent (complete with Led Zeppelin joke)
seems extremely well made and hard wearing. Each unique design
(which, when released, sell out quite quickly – sign up to their
email newsletter to know what is coming first) comes on a variety of
different coloured t-shirts, resulting in a huge choice.
It's
soft, comfortable, cosy, and it doesn't seem like three more washes
will melt off the print. This is a good t-shirt, and slap our
arses... they're only £20 each!
Women's
printed tunic dresses
We
also received items from the female line-up, a Hilda and a Flavia
printed tunic. The tunic dresses come in a mixture of materials, and
despite being light, airy and comfortable, are fitted around the
waist and snug in the arms.
Both
have been printed in a similar way to the artist t-shirts, meaning
the pattern feels soft and flexible all over, with no parts of the
dresses feeling like they might wear or rub off. The Hilda has a
slightly different cut than the Flavia, featuring a wider neck, a
drawstring waist, and also pockets on the front. It's 100% viscose.
Meanwhile the Flavia, coming in a sumptuous blend of cotton and
model, has a narrower, cross-over neckline, and hangs a little lower.
Both are perfect for combining with leggings or trousers.
Thanks
to the soft fabrics and careful print technique, the printed tunic
dresses feel just as comfortable and long-lasting as the t-shirts.
They weigh in at £35-50.
Men's
Macaroni sweatshirt
For
us, this garment was surely the main event. Weird Fish's Macaroni
sweatshirts feature a unique woven fabric which, since 1994, has been
the clear indicator of a Weird Fish top. The fabric was discovered in
Turkey not long after the company was established, and the resulting
heavy sweater was called a Macaroni because the material looked a bit
like that variety pasta. These days Weird Fish now offer the top in a
range of styles with subtle variations, but we were very pleased to
get our hands on a 'classic'.
A
cotton/poly blend, the Macaroni features a ¼ zip on the front,
pull-chords around the collar, soft cotton lining around the cuffs,
and the raised and embroidered Weird Fish logo on the chest. The
sweater has a reassuringly weighted feel to it, and because we chose
the frosted grey colour, ours looks a little like chain-mail armour!
Certainly we feel protected from the growing autumn chills, as the
Macaroni is enveloping, cosy, yet also breathable.
Weird
Fish claim that any Macaroni will wear very well and never crease...
and boy did we test that theory. In the end we did take a few of the
Weird Fish items camping with us, and after discovering that despite
sleeping in decent sleeping bags it can get bloody cold at night in
Yorkshire, our illustrious Editor decided to don the Macaroni while
sleeping through the second night. Needless to say he was toasty
right the way until morning, but after emerging from his stinking pit
of a tent, we could all bear witness to the validity of those
crease-free claims.
The
cotton lining around the cuffs is also a very nice touch, keeping the
tougher outer fabric away from your delicate paws. The classic cut
doesn't feature any pockets however, but the other styles in the
range, such as the deluxe, can boast hand pockets and zip-closing
phone and wallet pockets to boot.
We
absolutely adore the Macaroni, and feel it will become a staple
garment for the coming months. Slip it on over a t-shirt on warmer
days, while layering up with a gilet on top for chilly times. Also,
the classic Macaroni will set you back no more than £50, with the
others in the range being a tad more.
This
is just a brief glance through of the Weird Fish look-book, and as
the weather creeps increasingly more towards Jack Frost's territory,
we're excited to check out even more. You should do the same.