Water Girl Rogue Shirt by Patagonia : Fun, Funky, Functional

As a child, I spent the 70’s sporting dirty white knee-highs, an equally dirty white t-shirt, cut-offs, and an old fisherman’s cap. Unfortunately, I never really updated my look, and as a result, totally lost any sense of personal style.

So I decided it was high time I got my groove going again. I wanted something more exciting and more flattering than my baggy, beige outfits. Something I could wear proudly around town that said, "I'm cool, I'm hip, bring it on."

Patagonia's Water Girl line was the perfect place to start with its retro-styled, funky patterned street-beach-yoga apparel.

When I first spied the Water Girl Rogue shirt, a psychedelic pattern of bright blues and greens, I thought, “Whoa!! Bad trip, man!” I wanted to be fashionable, but maybe this was going too far. Then I put the zany thing on, and completely changed my mind. What I feared might be too busy and bold for a woman my age turned out to be funky and full of attitude when stuffed with a real body. It's a seriously flirty garment, with feminine, fitted tailoring and stylish slits in the sides seams and wrist cuffs.

I like clothes that look great and also feel as comfortable as lounge and exercise clothes, so the Rogue's cotton fabric (with just enough lycra to give it shape and moveability) was just what I wanted against my skin. I wore this shirt for about a week non-stop. In all that time, it showed nary a wrinkle and looked as bright, fresh, and clean as on the first day.

This versatile shirt is more than just pretty, it's comfortable for all types of activities. On warm days I rolled up the sleeves for walks working in the garden. When it got cool at night, I simply put on a short-sleeved t-shirt under it. My Rogue shirt also passed gracefully from my morning Tai Chi workout, to hauling books at my library job, to a nice dinner in town. I found that the button closure tended to pop open during more strenuous exercise such as biking, but less curvy gals than I could probably manage greater exertions without indecent exposure. Going one size up from the usual would probably do the trick, as well, though the Rogue Shirt’s lovely snug fit is part of its appeal.

I feel good about wearing this shirt for altruistic reasons, too. Water Girls uses only organically grown cotton in their garments, and they donate one percent of their sales to grassroots environmental organizations.

Bottom LIne: An indispensable garment for women on-the-go who want a shirt that they can wear from workout to work and will still look fabulous for a night on the town.--N.K. (Oct. '05)

Price: $58

Manufacturer's Site: www.patagonia.com

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