Category: Brand Spotlight

One of the other fun finds from AETA that I haven’t mentioned yet was a glove brand called I-Quip. They didn’t actually have a booth there, but when I was introduced to 3* event rider Taryn Nolte (who is, coincidentally, sponsored by Winston Equestrian USA) she had some of these gloves with her. Turns out her company, Tarypen Equestrian, is currently the only US rep for I-Quip, a company based in the UK.

Some of the first words out of her mouth were “full custom”. Every eventer out there should know what I mean when I say that I immediately perked up upon hearing those words. Taryn pulled several different models of I-Quip gloves out of her bag, each one just as lovely and buttery soft as the last. No doubt they were beautiful, but what’s the longevity like? Then she pulled out her own pair that have been used for multiple horses a day for a couple years and they looked barely broken in. I did a little digging and it turns out there are tons of people out there with 5+ year old gloves! Beautiful, custom, and high quality? I needed to know more.

She went on to talk about how great the feel is with these, which I can attest to myself. The gloves truly felt like a second skin. They were lightweight but still looked tough, and the workmanship was impeccable. Some things just ooze quality and these gloves are one of those things. Another great feature for eventers or those of us in warm climates: the gloves are super grippy when wet. And since they’re made from natural hide, not synthetic, they’re still breathable when it’s hot.

For all of you out there who don’t really care about a custom option or prefer plain black, don’t worry, they also have a standard lower-budget “off the rack” black glove called the Signature that is newly available this year as well (rumor has it that Luxe EQ will be carrying these, so keep an eye out!). It has a little touch of I-Quip’s trademark green on the cuff, but all the visible parts are plain black. For those of you who DO like custom, hold on to your hats because things are about to get fun.

For the US market, Tarypen and I-Quip are focusing on a few of their core models; mainly the Luxury Eventer, the Show Jumper, the Working Eventer, and the Center Line. My personal favorite (and the ones I ordered for myself – spoiler alert) are the Luxury Eventer, so we’ll start there.

The Luxury Eventer is a full leather model with reinforced index and little fingers and a top wrist strap closure. You can customize absolutely everything about these gloves. Stitching color, piping color, finger reinforcement color, front color, palm color, bling… you name it, they can do it.

Just look at all the colors for the palm and back. I’m sure none of you will guess what I ordered. 😉

The Show Jumper model is very similar to the Luxury Eventer, coming a bit higher on the wrist and featuring a slightly different cut, but also full customizable.

For those that prefer a cloth back, or something a little more all-around, there is the Working Eventer model. It still has the same hide on the palm as the other models, but has a knit back and a strap closure on the underside of the wrist.

The Working Eventer still has tons of customization options as well, but at a lower price tag than the full hide models.

The Center Line dressage glove is another full hide model but true to their dressage intentions they’re usually white, although you can also get them in ivory, light pink or other light colors with either a matching or contrasting palm. They have a bit more of a traditional, subdued style while still looking super classy.

Aside from just having a ton of color customization options, I-Quip can also make a fully custom size from your hand tracing, for those who have difficulties fitting into standard sizing. All of the gloves are hand-cut and each piece of leather is hand-picked to assure the highest quality. These are not your standard, mass produced, “disposable” gloves made in a random factory in who-knows-where, made out of who-knows-what, with your-guess-is-as-good-as-mine quality control, and an often questionable work force. These are works of art that experts are picking, cutting, and making in the UK specifically for you.

If you, like myself, are tired of gloves that are uncomfortable, hot, slippery,  or ill-fitting, or if you’re just frustrated at having to buy a new pair every year (or if you just like having Really Nice Things) I would definitely recommend taking a look at I-Quip. I’ve never seen anything like them before. Obviously I was impressed with them since I already ordered some for myself!

Want to get your hands on some of these bad boys without waiting for them to be made and shipped from England? Check out the shop on Tarypen’s facebook page to see what she has in stock! Interested in ordering your own pair? Drop them a facebook message or give them a call at (215) 779-0272.

Welcome to a new series of posts called Brand Spotlight! As you may have guessed from the oh-so-clever-and-subtle name, these posts will be focusing on specific brands that are either lesser known or newer to the US market.  There’s so much great horse stuff out there these days, we don’t have to settle for the same old boring, uncomfortable, impractical, or ill-fitting things anymore… it’s time to start calling attention to some of our new and better options. The first brand to be featured in this series is Winston Equestrian USA, and to celebrate the first Spotlight post there is also an awesome GIVEAWAY! Read on for more information, it’s a good one.

Some of you might remember me mentioning Winston USA last week after I perused the Luxe EQ trailer and ended up falling in love with (and ordering) a coat that I definitely was not in the market for but absolutely had to have. I suppose you could say I was impressed with the line! You’ve probably seen Winston before even if you haven’t realized it, on well-known Canadian Team riders such as Eric Lamaze, Tiffany Foster, and Kara Chad.

Winston Equestrian is a high end brand founded in 2008, designed in Belgium and made entirely in Europe from the best European fabrics. The overall feel of their line is very classic, but with modern touches and exceptionally high class execution. They have a full line of clothing for men and women including show coats, casual shirts, show shirts, breeches, sweaters, and more.

Let’s start with my favorite item – the coats. The first thing you’ll notice is that they’re made out of lightweight, stretchy, wool-based fabric. Forget everything you ever thought you knew about wool, because these are not your traditional heavy, frumpy, hot, hard to care for wool coats. First of all, they’re machine washable. Yes, you can put it in the washing machine and hang it up to dry! They’re also cut so incredibly well that they manage to be flattering on pretty much any body type – unlike so many of the modern tech fabric coats that tend to highlight every bump and bulge. They come in a wide range of sizes, including regular and tall, and the material is very forgiving, comfortable, and breathable. There are several different models of coats available within the Winston USA line, starting with the most classic style and working all the way up to full custom.

The Winston Classic is elegant and timeless, making it perfect for the hunter and equitation rings.

The Winston Chicago and Montreal are both more unique styles, featuring either pinstripe or tonal plaid fabrics in multiple colors in addition to the signature Winston elbow patches and Winston buttons.

The Contrast coat is a creative twist on the Classic coat with the addition of a contrasting seam stitch and collar piping. This detail really stands out beautifully and is figure flattering.

The Winston Exclusive coat is the ultimate custom coat. You can personalize your own completely one-of-a-kind creation by choosing from an array of fabric, collar, piping and lining colors plus many different button options. The sky is truly the limit!

The show shirt that I tried on was just as nice, with the perfect weight fabric (not so heavy as to be hot, but not so thin as to be sheer) and an excellent fit. One of my biggest pet peeves is a shirt that is either super baggy through the body with a ton of excess shirttail to tuck in or one that is so short it doesn’t stay tucked in, but these were impeccably tailored and had none of those problems. It also seems exceedingly rare to find a shirt that fits well in the body without gapping at the bust, but Winston USA really nailed it. They’re flattering, they’re beautiful and they’re comfortable.

Winston USA offers several shirt options from the more traditional look of the Paris, to the beautiful buttons and trim details on the Sydney, to the hint of color on the Vienna, to the sleek contemporary Mia and Lara, all available in both long sleeve and short sleeve. All of their shirts have stretch in the fabric to allow for more comfort and better freedom of movement in the saddle. Again, there’s something in the Winston USA collection to suit just about any style or size. There’s even a tall option on the shirts as well!

Winston USA’s breeches are made of high quality Schoeller fabric that give them an excellent fit and elasticity, but also means they won’t stretch out and sag as the day wears on. The breeches come in classic white and beige, plus a beautiful charcoal gray, navy and dark brown for the informal jumper ring or schooling. All of their breeches are available in low- and mid-rise, and with either fabric patches or faux leather knee patches. They also feature the ever-glorious sock bottom, for those of you out there who hate velcro as much as I do.

If you like having some casual wear options to go with your stunning show clothes, Winston USA has that covered too. Their Milan v-neck sweater is just the right weight to wear alone on mild days or layered over a dress shirt on colder days. Plus they have elbow patches – and there’s nothing better than elbow patches.

The Winston USA dress shirts have many of the same qualities as their show shirts: impeccable fit, classic styling, and just the right weight fabric. The two-tiered collar design is a super classy-looking and fun touch, plus looks great when layered underneath a coordinating sweater.

And of course they also have fun accessories like bamboo boot socks, saddle pads, and ties.

Overall the Winston Equestrian USA line really has the feel of classic sophistication, but with more practical contemporary fabrics and exceptional tailoring. It is truly high end and luxurious, with something in the line to suit everyone. The brand is always expanding, adding more styles and colors, so keep an eye on their facebook page, Instagram, or website to stay up to date on their latest offerings. And of course, you can always find the Winston line at Luxe EQ at shows around the country, or on their website.

 

Now that you know more about Winston USA, let’s get to the fun part: the giveaway!

Who: Winston Equestrian USA and Luxe EQ are teaming up to offer TWO awesome giveaway items.

What: There will be two winners! One will get a Paris show shirt (retail $189) and the other will get a Milan sweater (retail $169) in available sizes and colors.

When: entries are open from February 12-19th.

Where: here and Instagram

How: There are three different ways to enter (and yes you can enter each way if you’d like to stack the odds in your favor!). Note: you MUST be following both Luxe EQ and Winston Equestrian USA to win!

• Go to the giveaway post on Luxe EQ or Winston Equestrian USA‘s Instagram and tag 3 friends in a comment.
• Re-post the giveaway photo on your own Instagram with #iwantwinston
• Leave a comment on this blog post saying what your favorite Winston USA item is (style and color!). Please make sure to leave an email, full name, or blog link so we know how to contact you if you win.

Good Luck!