Hey ladies! Someone awesome at woot sent me some tester shirts - new Anvil blanks. I'm guessing it was ProfHotpants*, THANK YOU!
*It was Barbara Rutledge, shirt.woot director. A big thank you to her! And still thanks to PHP - if you aren't the same person - for working so hard on this.
I was sent a grass green new Ladie's XL and a new Men's L to compare. I prefer a tighter fit to my tees than a lot of people. Not painted on by any means, but formed fit or mimics the "baby tee" lines. I also layer up to 3 layers in winter, so I prefer room for that.
*I am comparing brand new, unwashed Anvil tees to well worn and well loved AA tees*
We'll start with my measurements range (measurements I've been in the past 6 months).
I'm 5'9" - bust is 40-42D and broad shoulders.
44 35 49 to 48 38 54. Shirt size range 14-18, pants 18-22.
The Good:
-I like the fit on the new Anvil Ladie's blanks. They don't want to ride up my hips and sit at my waistline. That's a great plus.
-My bust isn't stressing the fabric.
-The fabric is slightly stiffer than AA, but I think my softener habit will fix that. It is NOT itchy, short, or boxy.
-The side seams seem (ha!) to stay where I want them, the men's shirt doesn't have side seams.
-If you are coming into the ladie's sizes from the men's, you shouldn't have an issue with length. I don't know about length for everyone else, sorry!
The Bad:
-Not made in the USA. If that doesn't matter to you, ignore my previous statement.
-The sleeves are longer than the old AA women's sleeves. Some will like this, I find it strange and a little uncomfortable. But if you prefer a real t-shirt length on your sleeves, you will be very pleased.
-The sleeves are tighter on the Anvil WXL than either of the men's sizes. If you have problems with cap sleeves, you may want to measure before you purchase! My bicep is 15" flexed and I'm perfectly comfortable with more than enough room. I think it would be comfortable for several more inches in circumference.
-The shoulders are pretty wide. From shoulder to shoulder I'm 17-18" easily. The shoulders on this shirt do that little "batwing" thing on me. So if you have a smaller frame, It will be more pronounced.
Shirt ON Shirt comparison!
The new women's XL is larger than my old Men's L! Here's a photo of an AA WXL, on top of an AA ML, on top of a new Anvil WXL.
Says a lot, doesn't it? I'm sure we'll lose a bit of that extra on the Anvil with the first few washes. (I do use my dryer on my woot shirts.)
Now, here is just an AA WXL on the Anvil WXL:
*Granted comparing a baby blue to a grass green may have some inconsistencies lighter colors tended to run smaller in AA.
And, for those curious of the new Men's L vs the old:
If anyone has any questions - hit me up!
I'll be throwing both of these testers in the laundry today/tomorrow and treating them the exact way I treat my AA's (cold water, fabric softener, and medium heat) and will add an update to see how they did.