Synthetic-material clothing has (mostly) come a long way, hasn’t it? Wasn’t too far back in the-history-of-clothes that donning polyester apparel felt like you were wearing a trash bag. Now the vast majority of it breathes and wicks and feels soft and more or less grossly outperforms cotton.
TIP: But going too cheap on synthetic apparel can often land you back in the 90s, 80s, and 70s in terms of quality and comfort. So stick to big brands that are actually accountable to their customers (like Old Navy), and try to steer clear of app-based junk that’s more gamble than goods… because if that crud shows up and it’s crud, they know you’re just gonna throw it out anyway. Unlike the big brands we all know, recent upstarts with their gamified/casino-styled apps have no disincentive to not make what amounts to pre-trash.
Ready for some decent stuff? Here we go…
Shown very top of post, size medium on 5’10″/185. Surprisingly great. Impressively soft. Significant stretch. Fabric makeup is 47% recycled poly / 46% poly / 7% spandex. That’s a lot of spandex, and the result is a t-shirt that really moves with you. They’re labeled as a “performance” tee, and sure you could work out in them, but they wear more like a “nice” t-shirt. Y’know, the ones you reach for when you want to look put-together but still relaxed/dressed down.
Size shown: Medium on 5’10″/185lbs
Think of these as cheaper, even lighter weight (like, feather weight) alternatives to the Target All in Motion polo. 93% poly / 7% spandex performance fabric delivers stretch and wicking properties. Soft. Has an almost brushed-like finish in the hand. So lightweight that the collar doesn’t feel all that sturdy. Might not look the crispest as the day wears on. But if it’s boiling hot and you want to wear something more than a tee yet you’re still keeping it casual, then these are the ticket. Twelve colors. Machine wash cold, tumble dry low. Always a plus.
Hold on a second. They say these are from their “cloud 94 soft” line, but they absolutely have a different texture to them. Appears to be pique or hopsack-y or mesh-like? And the makeup of the material isn’t quite the same. 98% poly and “just” 2% spandex here… unlike the 7% spandex in the Cloud 94 soft tees and polos. So has to be slightly different, but with the mesh, perhaps even more breathable. Key word: perhaps.
CLOUD 94 SOFT EVERYTHING WHERE ARE THE CLOUD 94 SOFT OVERALLS I NEED THEM. *ahem.* These appear to use something closer to the tee and polo fabric. 90% poly mix with 10% spandex. Not mesh like the henleys. Also note that some colors are on clearance (uh, black is on clearance? nice!) for far less than even 50% off.
These don’t look to be lined. So a polite disagreement with the Old Navy product team choosing to call them “Hybrid” shorts.
Can we all agree that anything that gets the “hybrid” label should be able to act as trail shorts, workout shorts, AND swim trunks? And if they have to do all three, that means they have to be lined. Like the new (and pricey, and awesome) Wellen Hybrid shorts. If they’re not lined, then they’d end up being boardshorts. Not swim trunks/swim shorts. Gotta keep the flickables in line, no?
Very ventilated and perfectly perforated. Raglan style sleeves and 12% spandex should mean these move well. Nice potential here.
UPDATE: Huge thanks to reader Alex C. who emailed in to say that these Performance Vent tees have much more of a workout t-shirt feel to the fabric, and they’re also tighter under the arms when compared to the Cloud 94 tees (Cloud 94 = shown at the verrrry top of this post.) So know that for a fit and feel perspective.
The 50% off activewear sale at Old Navy is set to expire tomorrow, Tuesday 5/7/24. That’s all. Carry on.
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