Kit review: Acai Outdoorwear Shape Skinny Outdoor Trousers
Reviewed by Anne
These are the latest release in Acai’s plus size offering, designed to fit better on folks with a bigger hip to waist ratio (or at least that is my practical interpretation of ‘hug your silhouette’ and ‘cleverly cinched to accentuate your waist’). The back gap has always been a big problem for me - I have 50 inch hips but a 39 inch waist so by the time I (if I ever) find trousers that get around my hips they don’t fit on the waist. I am wearing a size 22 (their largest size) and there is still a back gap on me, but it’s much smaller than any other outdoor trousers I have tried. They’re a bit snug on the calves - I have fairly wide calves, and Acai do say they stretch with wear, but potentially something to watch out for. I wore these with a belt due to the back gap and prior experience of skinny trousers riding down, and I do think that on me they need the belt, but they could stay up unassisted on others, or if I were to get them adjusted at the waist as I have previous Acais.
They do meet all the selling points of Acais that we have appreciated before: high waisted, stretchy, plenty of pockets, stylish cut, shower-proof. The front pockets are shallower than my older mid-weight Acais, but my phone goes in the front pocket even if it does stick out a little. The closure on the waistband does make them sit a bit neater than previous designs.
Overall, I really like these so far - they’re light and breathable and did well on a muggy walk keeping me from getting _too_ sweaty whilst being thick enough to not get nettled through. I’ve heard some reports of pilling in the fabric, but so far they’re intact.
They are definitely most likely to work on hourglass-shaped folks up to around my size, possibly a little larger as long as it’s not in the calves! I’ve tried to get photos from the important angles, and I’m happy to share specific measurements if anyone would like help judging if they’re worth a try!
RRP £85
