I first reviewed Kowtow three years ago and I was impressed with the quality of this fairtrade brand out of New Zealand that produced most of their clothes with organic cotton. And since then I’ve picked up a couple more items from Kowtow via The RealReal that I really like so I thought I’d do a quick review of them here.
{Wearing in the picture above: kowtow blouse, Linenfox ocean pants, Alohas loafers, Celine nano belt bag}
The first top I got was the one pictured at top, made of organic cotton poplin. I like the casualness of the blouse, with the rolled sleeves and crew neck. But since it’s made of cotton poplin, it’s stiff and doesn’t cling to the body. It’s also on the shorter side in terms of length so even though it’s no crop top, it doesn’t go past my hip. So it’s the perfect length to keep untucked. I’m wearing a medium here and I think it fits TTS. Sadly nowadays I’m more like a large, and I’m not a fan of how snug it is in the shoulders and how short the sleeves look. So I decided to sell this top here.
{Wearing above: kowtow tee, Everlane A-line denim shorts, Alohas Harper sandals (gifted), Fendi by the way bag}
I like my second black Kowtow tee even better. This tee is also made from 100% organic cotton but it’s a soft t-shirt material. Yet, the fabric is on the thick side (flimsy tee this is not). I think they chose it so that the puffed sleeves would poof out more. And believe me they didn’t skimp out on the material when they made these sleeves. There’s so much fabric there it almost feels heavy, but I like it because it feels luxe. And again, the length on this top is just right so I don’t have to tuck it in. This is one of my favorite tops and is in heavy rotation.
As for the sizing on this one, it’s an XS and I would say it’s even bigger than my first blouse (which was a M). So it definitely runs large. That’s why when I shop for Kowtow on the RealReal I always go by the measurements rather than the actual size on the label. Currently there’s a Kowtow dress on TRR that’s very similar to this top, that’s also a size XS but judging from the measurements I would most likely be able to fit (with room to spare).
Anyway I have yet to purchase anything new from Kowtow, but I think the brand’s items are simple, classic, and very well-made! And it’s even better if you can find them secondhand for a great price!