Thom Kelly Review

I have been a fan of Thom Kelly since first coming across the brand over a year ago. Their button down shirts and the Charlotte sweatshirt have become staples in my closet. I have been meaning to write a post about them for a while and considering I have been wearing my Charlotte sweatshirt almost every day as I’ve been working from home during the COVID-19 quarantine, it felt like the right time to finally share these items with you guys.

Things I love about Thom Kelly:

Thom Kelly is a company that is committed to making comfortable and classic clothes that are responsibly made in the USA from sustainable materials. While I love supporting startups that are focused on ethical production and sustainability, I love it even more when they are from North Carolina! Thom Kelly is actually based right here in Charlotte, NC :) In addition to the quality fabric all parts of the items, even down to the buttons, packaging and labels are all selected with the planet in mind.

I am so impressed with how the founder Megan has created and has grown this company! She managed to get Thom Kelly up and running while on maternity leave juggling a newborn. If that isn’t a girl-boss, I don’t know what is! Having worked 7 plus years in the fashion industry, I can tell you getting a good fitting garment is tough and doing it sustainably is even tougher!

I didn’t even know that I was missing a good button down in my wardrobe until I found this Thom Kelly shirt. I typically gravitate towards knits as they tend to be stretchier, more breathable and all around just more comfortable. But I have to say they have put so much effort into getting the fit and fabric just right that now that I have a great fitting button down in a lightweight fabric I find myself reaching for it all the time without having to sacrifice comfort. The tops are also very seasonless which I’ve found to be perfect when traveling and for daily like if North Carolina. While the striped styles have more of a summer feel to them and the plaid a little more appropriate for fall the weight of both fabrics can really be worn all year around.

the items I have:

I have gradually purchased three of Thom Kelly’s tops over the past year and a half or so. I have the Brynn Shirt in coastal stripe, the Charlotte sweatshirt in Pebble grey and the plaid Sawyer shirt in the navy/pine colorway. While I love all three pieces and will go into more detail on each if I had to rank them in order of how much wear I have gotten out of them I would say the Brynn Shirt in the summer/early fall would tie with how much I have worn the Charlotte sweatshirt through the fall/winter season. I really like the Sawyer shirt but I don’t find myself grabbing for it quite as often as the other two. The Sawyer shirt I wear to work about once a month, the sweatshirt and Brynn stripe I catch myself wondering when the last time I washed it was or have my husband give me the “you are wearing that again” look :)

fit and sizing:

Overall sizing I would say that all the items I have purchased have been true to size. I am about 125 lbs and 5’1 and I typically purchase a size small and all three of the items I have fit perfectly. The button down and sweatshirts fit great through the shoulders, the sleeves roll just as you would want them to and it drapes nicely. The Sawyer and Sweatshirt are a little longer than the Brynn shirt (keep in mind I am 5’1). But I like them a little long as it makes it easy to tuck it or tie, however you like to style it! Also feel like it is worth mentioning how well these items wash and hold up. I have thrown all of these items in the wash too many times to count and they still fit great and have held up very nicely.

Brynn Shirt in Coastal Stripe:

My favorite way to wear the brynn shirt is with white jeans and sandals, it is a perfectly comfortable and effortless look that is still very put together. I’ve also worn it with jeans, black pants, jean shorts, paired with gray linen shorts and even worn open over a navy tee with jeans. This is not only a go to in my daily life around Charlotte but ALWAYS gets packed when I travel and does not often need to be ironed!

Charlotte Sweatshirt in Pebble Grey:

I am not exaggerating when I say that I have worn the Charlotte sweatshirt almost everyday that I have been working from home over the past few weeks. It is so soft, drapes just right and can be dressed up or down. Recently it has been my full time quarantine work outfit, I have been throwing it on over a tank or tee with leggings (the length hits just below your bottom) around the house. But in more normal times I would wear it to work tucked into black jeans with slip on shoes or booties. My go-to in NC winter was pairing it with leggings, booties and throwing my puffer vest on top.

Sawyer Shirt in Navy/Pine Plaid:

While I’ve had the Sawyer shirt longer than my other Thom Kelly items I have to admit this is probably the one I grab least frequently. I definitely could stand to get a little more creative with how I have styled the Sawyer shirt, I have mostly worn it tucked into various colors of jeans with a slide on shoe to work.

My husband also has one of the men’s shirts and has gotten a good bit of wear out of it. He has worn it tucked into jeans for a nice dinner and worn it unbuttoned over a graphic tee with shorts while traveling. While he didn’t want me to include pictures or have a photo-shoot wearing it (hehe) he did say it is comfortable and he would recommend it to others :)

This post is in no way sponsored, just a girl sharing some of her favorite items from an awesome brand. One thing I would suggest if you like some of their items is to join their email list or follow them on Instagram, Megan does a great job of letting you know the latest on product availability. Because they create smaller batches of items it is the best way to find out when they are back in stock or getting slow on items. Also feel free to comment below if you have any questions about the items. I am very much looking forward to seeing what else Thom Kelly does!