Store Report ~ Swiftly Tech LS & Brisk Ear Warmer

Well I braved the blizzard today to go Swiftly Tech LS  shopping and I expected to not find what I was looking for considering it was not uploaded online today. Low and behold there it was along with Concord Grape Swiftly Tech LS which is also gorgeous but too close to my Lolo Short Sleeve Swiftly Tech to even tempt me. I snatched it up and didn't even bother trying it on because I instantly fell in love with the Black in person because of how it looked and how it felt. I know it's not technically really black but it's much darker then any grey that has been out and also has black contrast stitching in it. Soooo pretty. I love it paired with my Chirp Cool Racerback shown below. I feel like the picture doesn't quite do the color pairing justice since the yellow looks a bit washed out and not as vibrant as it is in person. Notice I'm also wearing the new Brisk Ear Warmer.

The first thing I noticed of the Sri Lanka made Swiftly LS vs the Israel made Swiftly is that if feels a lot more like the men's Metal Vent Tech Tee's only thinner. I always used to wonder why the men's version felt so different from the women's version. I noticed it felt thicker and softer and had more obvious ventilation perforations. The women's version always struck me as less soft and like it had a bit of drag when worn under other items and also it was a lot thinner and tended to show more imperfections which made me size up. At times I've been tempted to purchase smaller sizes of the Mens Metal Vent Tech because of the softer feel of them and also because they always got prettier colors. The black one I purchased today in a size 8 (TTS) seems to be more forgiving of imperfect and my not so smooth areas around my midsection and I feel more comfortable wearing this one then the old ones. I'm not sure about the durability and functionality comparisons just yet but will make sure to post the next chance I get to wear my long sleeve swiftly. I've felt other Sri Lanken made swiftly's before, such as the Lilac and this one feels different even from those.

As far as the difference in silver content (4% vs the old 8%) I'm disappointed mainly because it's a decrease in value in an attempt to save on costs but as the consumer we are still paying the same price. This is par for the course with most retailers since the economy suffered and Lululemon is certainly not alone in this but that only makes the consumer more wary. Look at us, were all reading fabric content tags like never before. Wool and Cashmere have both had a huge decline in quality across the board and were seeing more and more polyester blends replacing other fabrics yet still paying the same prices. I look forward to the days when we can expect quality to accurately reflect the retail costs were paying, especially since were seeing retailers performing better then expected. That being said, I don't really feel like I've purchased the Swiftly's before because of the Silver Nylon properties but more because of the thin breathable and sweat wicking weave so unless this shirt under performs based on my previous expectations for a Swiftly Tech LS I'm not too concerned over the decrease in Silver Nylon and I wont be boycotting the Swiftly's on principle. Instead I will make sure to feel the fabric before and make sure I'm satisfied with it before purchasing it since they seem to all differ from batch to batch.

Top Swiftly Lolo Purple (made in Israel) Bottom Swiftly Black (made in Sri Lanka)
Black Swiftly 58% Nylon, 38% Polyester 4% X-Static Silver Nylon
Lolo Swiftly 54% Nylon, 34% Polyester, 8% X-Static Silver Nylon, 4% Spandex

Swiftly Tech LS Black

(if my eyes look tired it's because they are)