One thing I would like to do with my newly added blog is review products, especially my own. It is always my goal to offer only the very best products with perfectly positioned and beautifully stitched accents. I came to offer Charles River products through pure persistence - they told me no three times. Haha! I kept seeing people around town in these beautiful raincoats with crooked or poorly positioned monograms and it drove me crazy. I won't say that everything I do is perfect, but I will say that I keep trying until I get it perfect, or at least as close as humanly possible. I actually sent out 27 shirts for teacher friends of mine just a few weeks ago with a misspelled word on them! EEK!! We worked it out and all is well, except I'm still mortified.
Back to Charles River...I fell in love with their raincoats many years ago (and I love the new stripe print pictured above!). What I didn't know at the time is that they have a whole line of great products besides raincoats! The heathered fleece products are my new favorites! They have a sweatery exterior and an amazingly soft and fine fleece inside. All with minimal static on even the coldest winter days. They come in a full-zip, quarter-zip pullover, full-zip vest, and the new Hingham tunic, which is the most amazing of all. It is a pullover with snaps. The quality of these is absolutely stellar, and well worth the extra cost. I offer these as inexpensively as I can...they don't come cheap for me either. I guarantee that you won't be disappointed!
My other favorites include the Falmouth and the Sherpa fleece. The Falmouth is a pretty standard french terry sweatshirt, but with a flattering cut, POCKETS, and a snap placket that I think sets it above the rest. It also has reversed raglan sleeves, adding even a little more style. I wear mine at least once a week during the cooler months, no exaggeration. The Sherpa fleece is completely unique among sherpas. It has the same wonderful fleece inside as the heathered fleece, but a high-quality fuzzy sherpa on the outside. There is no monogram panel on these, so I use a knockdown frame to tame down the nap under the monogram so the stitching looks its best. If you want a sherpa that will stand the test of time, this is it! The quality of others I've seen just doesn't compare. I'll be honest...I don't really like sherpas. When they first became popular, I was the one saying, "why would anyone want to wear that?!" This one is different. Another great option that is a customer favorite is the Crosswind Quarter Zip. This one comes in tons of great colors and they are fun to decorate! This is actually not my favorite style for a few reasons: 1) it only comes in men's sizes, so sizing can be confusing if you don't read my description carefully. 2) I don't personally look as good in it as the other styles I've mentioned. The band at the bottom makes it pooch out a little in the belly area if you're moving a lot, although it's pretty good about staying in place. 3) I think the Falmouth is a more updated style with it's raglan sleeve and snap placket. All things considered, it is a little longer than the Falmouth and would work with leggings if you do not have my unfortunate hip situation going on. The Falmouth would only work with leggings if you wear them as pants, which I cannot and will not.
I recently added a couple Charles River workout shirts. These again are great quality and one of the few warm weather shirts they offer, but that's not surprising from a Massachusetts-based company. I love the combination of the bright pink or royal blue and a neon monogram. It's perfect for activewear. If I bother to exercise, I want people to see me! Kidding, but the bright colors really do work well together and make me feel faster than I am when I'm on the move - haha! My favorite is the V-neck because it works as a regular shirt too. I also appreciate the fact that they kept the price lower on these styles so I can offer them at a lower price point. I love a good bargain!
I hope this has offered some insight on these great products. I try to be as honest and descriptive as possible on my product pages, but I don't always remember everything I want to include and I'm often distracted (because...kids!!!). Please don't hesitate to contact me with questions. I want you to love your purchases!
If you would like to comment on your favorite styles, all you need to do is join! I would love to hear your feedback and bring you on this journey with me!