Wore my Jockey Echelon Crew Neck Undershirt yesterday (and the day before)

Gosh, it’s Thursday and I’ve worn Jockey undershirts for the last four days in a row! That’s unprecedented.

I started out the week wearing the Jockey 3D Physique undershirt and figured I while I was at it, I’d give their Echelon Crew Neck undershirt a test drive. I gotta tell you, the Echelon is a really nice feeling and fitting undershirt.  I enjoyed wearing the medium so much on Tuesday, I decided to wear the large on Wednesday. It has also found it’s way into myFaves top 5 list (and pushing out the CK Flexible Fit).

Here are my initial thoughts:

1. Fabric content: 61% cotton, 33% Tencel , 6% Dupont Lycra – this is a near perfect blend of material and fabric weight.  Since I love the feel of this material so much, I thought I’d add in some information here about Tencel:
   —
   Moisture transport as a result of nano technology. In contrast to synthetic fibers, with reduced wicking properties, TENCEL offers unique moisture transport. The completely new nano technology of TENCEL supports this natural fiber property, guaranteeing optimum conditions for the skin. Synthetic fibers cannot absorb moisture into the inside of the fiber. The illustration shows that in contrast to cotton and polyester fibers, TENCEL controls and regularly absorbs moisture. Also TENCEL absorbs 50 % more moisture than cotton. By contrast polyester does not absorb moisture. (water is colored in blue in picture below)
   
   Smoothness across the board. A comparison of the fiber surfaces makes the difference patently obvious. TENCEL fiber has a smoother and more supple surface than wool or cotton. Wool tends to have a scaly surface, while cotton is irregular and rough.
   
2. Measurements – Size medium: Width (19″), Length (27″), Strap/Shoulder Length (5.5″), Sleeve Length (8.25″). Size large: Width (20.5″), Length (28.5″), Strap/Shoulder Length (6″), Sleeve Length (8.25″)
3. Feel: Whoa, this baby feels nice. Thin, but not too thin. Smooth, lightweight, cool to wear.
4. Collar: One area I’m not totally thrilled about (damn!). The collar is about 1/2″ wide and a little too thin for me. I prefer more prominent collars that are around 1″ wide. Hey Jockey, if you increase the collar size on this puppy, I just might fall in love. Any chance you can make the collar like the 3D Physique?
5. Overall Length: Good. Normally I like my undershirts a little longer, but because this undershirt is both stretchy and hugs the body, it did not come untucked and stayed in place pretty well throughout the day. I’m 5’9″ with an average length torso so the length worked ok. If you’re taller or have a longer torso, your results may vary slightly.
6. Body Fit: I wore both the medium and large. They both fit really nicely, but the medium fit better as it hugged my 175lb frame more closely than did the large. I also like the light but comfortable compression the medium provided in the torso area as it flattened out the front side of my chest.
7. Sleeve Length: Spot on. The end of the sleeve comes about 4″ above where my arm bends (mid bicep). Sleeves are fitted and stay in place.
8. Overall look of the undershirt is very nice. It’s just shy of great because of the 1/2″ collar. But, because I like the fit and the feel of this undershirt so much, I’ll ignore the collar and just enjoy wearing it.
9. When pulled down in place, this undershirt gives me a nice streamlined look and masks my moderate love handles somewhat. As with the 3D Physique, I think this undershirt would definitely compliment those guys are in decent shape, but may show off heavier guy’s flaws. I will say, that between the 3D Physique and the Echelon, I think the Echelon will mask things better because the fabric is not as transparent and slightly thicker than the Physique.

All in all, a damn nice undershirt for $27 and it’s found it’s way in the #3 spot in myFaves top 5 list. Time to alert the media…