Yes, Shark Girl is back and ready to talk about her newest gi—the Tatami Ladies Estilo 3.0 Premier. My initial reaction upon taking it out of the box was this.
I’m not usually a fan of patches or blue gis, but something
about this patchy, blue gi is charming.
I like putting on this gi. I don’t
feel like I’m wearing some baggy, potato sack or ill-fitting “boyfriend” jean.
I feel like it was made for a woman’s body. I don’t want to say that it hugs my
curves, although it does. I don’t want to say that I feel like a woman in this gi,
although I do. To say those things, unfortunately, implies a sexiness in our
culture that is not there in this gi. It’s actually a womanly power that I
feel—that my body is not hidden away, but it is also not on display. This gi
makes me feel like a female super hero without the gigantic breast handicap. Is
this a feminist gi? Is Tatami rocking a radical, grrrl power? My first guess
was no, because what martial arts company wants to do that? Usually they are
objectifying our asses. But then I saw that they supported the Slideyfoot’s GrappleThon for the benefit of Rape Crisis (England
& Wales)
and I was impressed.
Here’s what I like about this gi:
Pros:
- styling and fit
- low-slung pants sit below the hip so I don’t feel like I’m wearing granny pants
- close collar—my teammates hate this collar. They complain it’s hard to grab. Yay!
- durable. I’ve been wearing and washing it for three seasons now and no problems.
- stay-tied drawstring
 |
| Now I don't have to stop my roll to preserve my modesty! This baby stays tied. |
Con:
I wouldn’t mind a slightly longer skirt. It
comes out of my belt too often for my liking.
 |
| Yes, those are wine blotches. Don't judge. |
Conclusion
I was pleasantly surprised by this gi. I think Tatami did a
great job of tailoring it for a woman’s body and not just taking a man’s gi and
making it pink. Way to go!
 |
| Look! It comes with this cool satchel! |
Thanks to Martial Arts Supplies for giving me the opportunity to try out this
gi.
Please, more photos, better lighting... and mind sharing your measurements and what size the gi is, and whether it shrank in the wash, did you air or machine dry, etc? :) :) :)
ReplyDeleteyou're the bomb :)
Hey G, apologies for the incomplete info--will fix asap. I'm swamped with end of the year school stuff right now but wanted to get out this long-overdue post. I've got a visual in the works with "before-wash" and "post-wash" dimensions to show shrinkage.
DeleteAs for my measurements, I don't really measure myself so I'll give you my best guesstimates. I hope everyone can handle these voluptuous curves:
Bust: 34
Waist: 25-26ish?
Hips: 34-35ish?
Height: 4'11" and on the way down
The gi is F2.
I'll add more stuff soon; there are definitely a few more pics I want to get out.
Hey - do those pants fit you? If so, I would love to send you more. I literally can't fit them. They're so highwater and skinny on me!
ReplyDeleteIf you would like them I could send them to you - or trade for something? Or you could just cover the shipping? I know you're anonymous, so I assume it would be through a neutral 3rd party. My email is julia at jiujiubjj.com
Cool, you've done an update since I put this in the 'save so I can respond to it later' bit of my RSS reader (handy feature! ;D).
ReplyDeleteAnyway, just thought I'd chip in on the charity front. Yes, Tatami have been really cool about that, immediately offering their support when I've asked for two years running. I doesn't make the gi any better, but like I said in my recent review of another Tatami gi (the Sub-Zero), it does make me like the company more.
Agreed--but, I imagine you feel the same way, all other things being equal, I would choose the company I liked better! Of course, since I published this, I was reminded that Tatami also produced the gi with the pin-up girl on it. I wonder how to reconcile that. That was a contest winner, so it could be there was no choice, but was there discussion at all about it? It would make me feel better if at least the company had some awareness.
DeleteBy the way, congratulations on the birth of your new royal!!! : )
Yeah, the pin-up gi was disappointing, though arguably not their fault that won a public vote. Tatami do also sponsor quite a few female athletes, which is another point in their favour. They're no Fenom (I can't think of any gi company as dedicated to supporting BJJ as them), but they've been pretty cool on giving back to the community.
ReplyDeleteAs to royal baby: I honestly didn't even realise Her Kateness was pregnant until everyone started talking about it in the office yesterday. I'm not especially interested in what the royal family are doing. ;)
Wow, cool list of whom they sponsor. It's interesting to read all the different profiles.
DeleteI'm impressed that you missed Kate's pregnancy. It's all over the magazines here so I've been bombarded with TMI at the supermarket checkout.