I first saw the I Am Chewbacca hoodie at Celebration Anaheim back in April, and I have to admit, while I thought it was a fun idea I wasn’t drawn to it. The photos from We Love Fine showed the size medium on the model, which gave it a looser appearance – but when it was later stocked by 80’s Tees the model wore a size small. The two sizes give quite a different impression of the garment – it was the photos from 80’s Tees and Hot Topic that changed my mind. The closer fit, together with being paired with plain black pants gave the hoodie quite a different look – and it made it’s way onto my shopping list. It was priced at US$60.00 direct from We Love at the convention (and on-line afterwards, though most sizes are now sold out). It is still available in sizes S to 2XL at 80’s Tees for US$70 and at Hot Topic for US$79.50. We Love Fine have now discontinued this item, instead designing a unisex adult version due for release in late September. As unisex hoodie sizing tends to be a little loose on me, I wanted to pick up the women’s/juniors style version before it sold out. Using a ‘Hot Cash’ voucher at Hot Topic, I bought the size small on sale for US$40.61 (a great price for this item).
It made me smile and laugh when this hoodie arrived in the mail – it looks like a wookiee pelt when it’s unworn! With faux fur there is always a risk of it looking ridiculous, but the length of the fibres means you can brush it flat with your hands to reduce any shagginess – or fluff it up if that’s how you like it! The hoodie features a full length brown plastic zip, two front pockets, and brown stretch cuffs at the hem and sleeves. The hood doesn’t not have any draw string, so it can’t be adjusted. The front also features an embroidered bandolier satin appliqué that crosses over the zip. When sewing with faux fur there is always the risk that the long fibres will get caught in seams – they have done quite a good job at making sure the bandolier isn’t hidden, but that the fur isn’t too cut away.
The outer faux fur is 100% polyester, while the brown lining fabric is 100% cotton (a soft t-shirt type material). Weirdly the outer pockets are not fully lined – the side against your body is still the fur, not lining fabric – so if you put your hands in the pockets, your palms are against faux fur. This is fun and fluffy in theory, but I could see this not lasting well with wear (I personally won’t be using the pockets), but faux fur should always be treated with care to prolong it’s nice appearance. The pockets are big enough to hold a phone, but the smooth fur means that some items aren’t secure without being held. The pockets are quite hidden in the fur, you can forget they are there – I took a photo with my stormtrooper wallet (reviewed here) to better show their position.
You can see in my photo of the sleeve below that the faux fur has been trimmed a little to show the cuff – a good idea, as the cuffs on long sleeved garments get a lot of wear. It’s also clipped a little around the waist/hem cuff, but only on the underside where it’s not visible – the upper layers end nicely with long fibres. It’s a good balance of clipping for practicality of the garment, without looking like Chewbacca has had a haircut! You do need to take care when using the zip, as the fur does get caught, but I much prefer the design including a zip rather than a pullover garment.
I do agree that the fit runs small – We Love Fine notes on their website to order two sizes larger, but I found my size small did match the sizing charts on 80’s Tees websites, and was only a little smaller than the chart on We Love Fine (due to it’s bulk it is very hard to measure accurately). Inside out, laid flat it measures approximately 43cm across the chest (underarm to underarm) and 42.5cm across the lower hem. It’s probably not a garment that suits everyone’s tastes, but I took a chance and was happily surprised at how much I love it. Due to the nature of faux fur, it’s not really an ‘everyday’ garment, as it should be looked after to retain it’s appearance – I don’t think I’d want to see what it looks like wet in the rain! Overall, it’s a fun item for any Chewbacca fan – I am very happy to have it in my wardrobe.
