Holland Cooper Product Review
/
With the sheer number options available for equestrian wear for both schooling and showing, it can feel overwhelming to make a decision and figure out which brands are the best for you size and fit wise. For myself, comfort is of the utmost importance and then, of course, style.
Recently, I was fortunate to be able to try a variety of garments from the company, Holland Cooper, a brand that I had seen before on social media and appreciated the look of the styles they offered, but had not had the chance to see their products in the flesh or to feel the quality of the material. I have to say, I was very pleasantly surprised when my test products arrived! While I expected them to be of good quality, they definitely exceeded my expectations. As I said, comfort is extremely important to me as I’m often down at the barn for several hours a day, riding many horses. Being in equipment that is restrictive, scratchy or in anyway uncomfortable is a very quick way to ruin my productivity and enjoyment of the day. With baselayers, in particular, I’ve found that even some higher end companies make the material too stiff and too fitted, making it feel far too restrictive and not the “second skin” feel that I look for when purchasing a quarter zip. Holland Cooper definitely exceeded my expectations, the fit of their ¼ zip was perfect, very form fitting and flattering with soft and stretchy material that is thin without feeling insubstantial. For summer wear, it would be easy to stay cool in this material but during the fall and winter (especially in Canada), it is perfect for layering under vests, sweaters and jackets while retaining full range of motion due to the nature of the fabric. The zipper on the baselayer is also extremely high quality, a heavier duty zipper that isn’t flimsy, which can be the bane of the existence of an otherwise nice product and unfortunately isn’t uncommon to find in equestrian wear and fashion wear alike. The Holland Cooper baselayer is not only comfortable, classy and flattering- but also built to last. I’ve washed it a few times now and the fabric feels the same, no shrinking, stretchy, pilling or otherwise any changes to the original fabric as new out of the bag.
Along with the baselayer, I was also sent a pair of the white show breeches. I’m particularly picky with breeches, especially full seats. I’m a bit of a weird shape with extremely long legs that don’t suit the length of my body height wise but a very small waist and short upper body. The Holland Cooper breeches are a higher rise, which initially concerned me due to having such a short torso, I was a bit worried they may come up to my boobs- but they didn’t! The material on these breeches is lovely. They are stretchy and fitted but with a thick enough material that underwear doesn’t show through, something that I definitely typically have to worry about when wearing whites! I also really love the silicone full seat. Sometimes full seat breeches can give a “diaper-like” feel, which is why I generally prefer knee patch but the way in which the full seat was done on these breeches gives a similar feel to a euroseat kneepatch breech but all of the support and stickiness of a fullseat. They are going to be really fabulous breeches for competing dressage in. Similar to the baselayer, the zipper is heavy duty and built to last and the material feels this way as well. The breeches also maintain the comfort of leggings, something that is very dear to my heart when I’m shopping for clothing I plan on being in for hours a day. The biggest bonus, especially for someone as clumsy and messy as I am, is that they come in a stain resistant fabric! I cannot tell you how many white breeches I’ve permanently stained by accidentally spilling a drop of my lunch or drink of the day on them, especially at horse shows. Stain resistant fabric is an absolute MUST for me if I am ever to wear light coloured breeches so I’m pretty jazzed about this!
My favourite of the Holland Cooper samples is definitely the lace base layer, though. It is extremely classy, offering the edgeyness of lace but in a very chic manner without going overboard. The material is the same type of light, stretchy and comfortable material as the quarter zip base layer and the lace is very high quality and doesn’t feel cheap or scratchy like some lace garments (you know the ones! Nothing is more disappointing than ordering a beautiful lace shirt and having it arrive only to have it feel like halloween fabric). The zipper, also like the quarter zip is heavy duty and I especially love the contrast of the gold on the white. Along with the lace, there is also a very classy rhinestone finish with the Holland Cooper logo and I quite like this as well, all in all, stylistically, it ties in a lot of more unique, fun and “out-there” materials in a very stylish manner that is useable for schooling rides, horse shows and even out and about doing regular people things, outside of the horse world. I am very excited to hopefully be able to wear it at horse shows, next summer (hopefully I’m not speaking too soon and there will actually be a show season next year).
Last, but not least, is the Holland Cooper belt. I got it in brown so it would match with my brown riding boots and the gold buckle looks extremely lovely as an accent with the brown. The stirrup-style buckle is also super cute and classy. I love the manner in which the belt buckles, too, it’s super easy and not a traditional buckle, a hook closure. Really easy to do up and super adjustable as you can set the belt to wherever you want instead of being limited to specific holes like most belts. The belt is also a stretchy material which means you don’t get weird pressure points that leave bruises or marks like some harder-material belts do. It also means it’s even more versatile size wise as it stretches on top of not having the wearer be limited to specific holes. The belt overall feels very durable and well made and is comfortable to wear, it also goes with anything and crosses over well to street wear if you need to wear it out anywhere after the barn.
Overall, I really like all of the products that I got to test from Holland Cooper. They are high end, extremely well made and seem like they are made to last. On top of this, the price point is lower than a lot of other similar high end brands and I do find that the clothing materials they use for their apparel are absolutely worth the price. Their products are versatile and well suited to wear from the barn to the street, I can definitely even see their appeal as fashion for those who don’t even ride as the products are so classy. By far, though, the function and comfort aspect is what I appreciate most from them. Comfort and useability was not sacrificed whatsoever for fashion and they’ve made their products in a manner that allows the wearer to be comfortable all day while looking good.