'Performance Denim’ is something which companies have been touting for a long time and for that same amount of time the meaning has essentially always been “denim, but with stretch”. And most people will put them on and realize that *those* pants are far more comfortable than non-performance denim. Except, that’s really not performance, and really it is comfort.
Comfort really has nothing to do with performance, but performance can bring about more comfort. It’s a tricky distinction we try to keep in mind when we review clothing, but easy for even us to run afoul of.
What is Comfort
Comfort is your favorite, broken-in cotton t-shirt or that perfectly broken in hoodie you have been wearing since, well for as long as you can remember. Comfort is what you change into to relax after work or or when you are grabbing drinks with close friends, it is your default-if-you-can clothing.
These are all areas where you aren’t looking for attributes we typically look for on Everyday Wear — odor resistance, movement, durability, etc. — you want something that feels great to wear and that’s all that matters.
Comfort is about feel over functionality.
What is Performance
Performance is typically what we look for on Everyday Wear — stealthily tech infused pants, merino wool tops. Things we can wear in many situations, travel with, sweat in, and still have another day of wear in them. Things with stretch, odor resistance, excellent breathability, etc. These items defy common logic, they look great, perform like hiking clothing, and feel like you are cheating at clothing.
Performance isn’t exclusive of comfort, as you’ll never find a merino t-shirt that wears like your favorite slub cotton tee. If you love the look and feel of a broken-in pair of selvedge jeans, Outlier pants will never get you there. But as your comfortable clothing breaks down, gets thin, and slowly becomes the thing you know you should not wear outside — performance clothing seems to slowly change, if ever.
When do they meet
Comfort and performance meet in some great ways, and these are the products we created Everyday Wear to find. Performance clothing should work with your body and blend in.
Four way stretch pants are never less comfortable than a rigid pair of canvas pants or standard chinos. Great breathability helps keep you comfortable in the heat. Merino wool helps keep you more comfortable in a wider range of temperatures.
Your standard comfort items are broken in over time as the fabric wears down and adapts to you. Performance comfort is comfortable out of the box, as it helps your body adapt faster to the climate and your activities. It can feel like magic.
When to choose which
When we’re traveling or working out, performance is key. No one wants to arrive after a long day of travel looking wrinkled and smelling bad. A sweaty workout shouldn’t leave you with a heavy, sweat-soaked shirt. A long hike shouldn’t be miserable because your cotton t-shirt is soaked from sweat or rain.
When you just want to be comfortable and don’t care if you can wear the shirt again the next day or really want to wear your favorite denim, comfort can rein. It’s couch clothing. It’s snuggle up by a fire and drink a cup of cocoa.
And it’s easy to get carried away with one type or the other. When we were traveling a lot in recent times, we started to see our closets thin out of the pure comfort items as we didn’t wear them, didn’t pack them, and valued them less. Now as we spend out days in and around our homes, it is easy to grab more slub cotton, more joggers, more things brushed and ready to feel cozy in.
But both are a trap.
We need a balance of performance clothing that doesn’t look like you are gearing up to climb a mountain with a satchel of GORP, so that we can comfortably move throughout our day activities. And we need our favorite cotton t-shirts, hoodies, and joggers to slip on when we want to relax on the couch with those we love and debate what to watch next on Netflix.
Recent Reviews on EDW
Prometheus Design Werx DRB Woodsman Shirt in Merino Red-Black-Gray Plaid — A warm wool overshirt
Taylor Stitch Long Haul Jacket in Wool Beach Cloth — Trucker style with some interesting fabrics
Thunderbolt Sportswear MARK II LITE Pants — Stretchy, breathable, comfortable pants
Interview with Will Watters, Co-Founder of Western Rise — We talked to Will about 2020 and what to look forward to in 2021
Spier & Mackay Cardigan — A solid merino cardigan for a good price
Swrve Indigo CORDURA Jeans — Durable jeans for yard work or the shop
Sales Worth Checking Out
Outerknown’s Semi-annual Sale starts today (up to 60% off). Here’s what caught our eye: Bayside Tee, Hightide Thermal Crew, Lost Coast Moleskin Shirt (our review), BBQ Shirt (our review), Tradesman Chore Jacket.