Tech/Travel Clothing Review: the New SCOTTEVEST SeV Button Down Shirt

Safari

I love when SCOTTEVEST comes out with new products. I love it even more when I get the chance to review new SeV products right as they are rolling out. This time around the company has finally brought out a button down shirt with SeV’s signature pockets and style. Yes, the new SeV Button Down Shirt is now available!

I was thrilled THRILLED when I heard these shirts were being released. After all, my preferred dress is jeans, boots and a somewhat casual button-down. These looked like they would fit the bill perfectly and would only serve to further my current “practice” of wearing at least one SeV garment at some point every single day. 🙂

Two review samples showed up the other day. Here’s a closer look.

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From SCOTTEVEST:

Around the boardroom and around town this is a cool twist on a sharp classic. Whether you wear it under an SeV Sport Coat or straight up, the SeV Button Down will be working right along with you to carry all your daily essentials in effortless and efficient style. Stash your cash and credit cards in the super convenient and hidden mad money pocket, your glasses in one of the side zip quick draw “Jorge” pockets, and… how cool is this? The chest pocket with hidden phone holder and magnetic closure will keep your phone in place for a jostle free ride. We all know the beauty in that – right? No more incriminating butt dials! And don’t think for one second that just because you can carry all your stuff that you’ll look or feel off balance or bulgy.
The pockets were personally tested by CEO Scott Jordan and the team to make sure you look and feel like a million in this impeccably tailored shirt. The SeV Button Down shirt is also perfect for travel and safety as the specialized pockets make it virtually impossible for others to see that you are carrying anything at all!

Great patterns and color choices in comfortable, wrinkle free cotton make this the right shirt to go from office to Happy Hour and look the part for either occasion. You won’t find another shirt with the function, comfort and style of the Button Down, and that’s a fact!

 

 


Safari

 

Features:

Six cool colors and patterns so you can wear one everyday

Six specially engineered pockets including the famous “mad money” and “Jorge” pockets for covert but “quick draw” access

Tailored fit and button-down collar to keep you looking sharp

Personal Area Network (PAN) for tangle free living

Weight Management System for Zen-like balance

100% washable and wrinkle resistant cotton ’cause ironing is no fun

 

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First things first: I love the shirts. I really do. And I expect I’ll be ordering a few to add in with the two review samples I was sent. The shirts are comfortable, they look good and they strike the right balance between being appropriate to wear most places that don’t require formal attire and not looking too casual. There are two aspects of the shirts that move them a bit toward the casual end of the spectrum (more on that shortly) but that isn’t really an issue. These really are perfect with a nice pair of jeans!

So let’s talk about what makes this a SCOTTEVEST button-down.

 

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Under each armpit there is a nicely concealed zipper. This opens to reveal a fairly spacious pocket that is perfect for a cellphone or wallet. No, before you ask, it doesn’t get close enough to your armpit to be uncomfortable or get damp if you are perspiring a lot. The pocket actually goes back and down a bit away from the shoulder.

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At first I thought this was useless. I was wrong. I actually have been keeping my wallet in one of the pockets. I don’t really know it is there when I am on the go and really like the fact that it is on me all the time. The design and positioning of the pocket makes the wallet quite accessible when I need to pull it out.

And here’s the thing- when my new iPhone 4S comes next week the pockets will be even more useful. Thanks to the new Siri integration on the iPhone there will be even less need to take your phone out to actually use it than ever. If I am wearing a headset, wired or bluetooth, all I’ll have to do is tell Siri what to do. It is some great timing and reason enough to wear the shirt.

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The single breast pocket is also an “SeV-special”. It is actually two pockets in one. The first is the traditional open pocket that is often part of a button-down. It is kept closed by a magnet. (Note: Like many SeV products this is NOT designed for people with pacemakers.) The second pocket is actually inside the first. It is smaller and is actually the perfect size for a smartphone. The iPhone fits well but so too does the Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 5.0 I have here. The SCOTTEVEST PAN (Personal Area Network) extends into this pocket so you can put your phone inside and run the cords up to your ears within the shirt.

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The Mad Money Pocket is a nice addition at the lower left of the shirt. It is a great place to stash a bill or two or you can even keep a small music player there since it too is connected to the PAN. It is, however, too small for an iPhone. Then again, I cannot see this as a comfortable place for a phone.

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Finally, the shirts have earbud loops, a feature familiar to anyone who has ever worn an SeV jacket. These are part of the PAN. I used them with a pair of wired headphones yesterday and I actually found it quite convenience. The loops are low enough into the shirt that people won’t see the earbuds when you aren’t using them. Translation- you can use the PAN and not look like a total dork.

As I mentioned, I am really liking this new shirt. It is, however, more toward the casual side of things, at least for now, because of two pieces of branding on this initial shipment.

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On the back is the SeV logo. It is noticeable on the blue shirt that came but less obvious on the white one.

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The same goes for the SCOTTEVEST name which is embroidered on one sleeve. It is obvious on the blue one but not so obvious on the white one.

Initially this bothered me but once I started wearing the shirts that concern waned. I love the shirts and am going to be wearing them… a lot.

The shirt comes in White, Blue, Raspberry Stripe, Blueberry Stripe, Black Blue Plaid and Black White Plaid and has a retail price of $80. Details and ordering can be found here.

MSRP: $80

What I Like: Super comfortable; Love the way the fit and look; Lots of special SeV features that make it much more than a shirt; Perfect “accessory” for the new iPhone 4S and Siri.

What Needs Improvement: I don’t love the branding on the sleeve or back

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About the Author

Dan Cohen
Having a father who was heavily involved in early laser and fiber-optical research, Dan grew up surrounded by technology and gadgets. Dan’s father brought home one of the very first video games when he was young and Dan remembers seeing a “pre-release” touchtone phone. (When he asked his father what the “#” and “*” buttons were his dad said, “Some day, far in the future, we’ll have some use for them.”) Technology seemed to be in Dan’s blood but at some point he took a different path and ended up in the clergy. His passion for technology and gadgets never left him. Dan is married to Raina Goldberg who is also an avid user of Apple products. They live in New Jersey with their golden doodle Nava.

11 Comments on "Tech/Travel Clothing Review: the New SCOTTEVEST SeV Button Down Shirt"

  1. Awesome review Dan! Thx so much! Shirt looks great on you btw. 

  2. Thanks Scott. Really well done on the shirts! Congrats!

  3. I love the shirt, but I agree, the logo has got to go.

  4. Awesome! I could have REALLY used this shirt to great effect today.

    I was on my way out today when a project manager pulled me into a meeting with a certain telecommunications client.  As he was commenting on items needed for the task, the PM somewhat absentmindedly said to no one in particular that he wished he could get screencaps off his smartphone of a product. I showed him how easy it was on my phone pulling it out of my pocket.  “Yeah but we’ll also need an iPhone, and you probably don’t have one of those or a tablet.  We’ll definitely need screencaps from those so we’ll…” I told him to hang on, and from my gadget bag pulled out multiple phone types and the Playbook (yes I did, Dan!).  The looks were priceless.  After reading this review, I could only laugh at how much more fun it would have been with this shirt pulling out phones and gadgets from hidden shirt pockets, and I couldn’t help but think of that scene from Airplane! where Leslie Nielsen pulls those eggs out of that woman’s mouth and “hatches” the bird.  Okay, the tablet might have been a bit much for the shirt, but you get the picture.

  5. Love it!!!!

    Sent from my iPad

  6. Love everything about them except the logo on the sleeve.  The blue especially is just too much.  There’s already a logo on the back which I can deal with but adding it on the sleeve is overkill and in my opinion makes the shirt look incredibly tacky.

  7. Bill Miranda | October 8, 2011 at 7:07 pm |

    Awesome review. I live in Texas so I don’t wear jackets most of the year.  I can see myself wearing these shirts if they would just fix the logo.  Why not put a small SEV logo on the pocket like a Polo shirt and lose the other stuff?  I emailed the president and made that request.  His email address is on the website (nice touch).  Maybe if enough people ask, they will make a change.  I wouldn’t have known about this product but for your review. Great job!

  8. Do you know if the sleeve logo is part of the review samples only, or if they are on all the shirts?  I would understand it on the review samples, but honestly, it would be a deal breaker on a shirt I’d buy.  I do have their other button down (don’t remember the style name) shirt, but it doesn’t have that type of branding on it & was just wondering.

  9. Thanks for the excellent review. I was nearly ready to order a couple of these for the office, but hadn’t realised that logo was on the cuff. A shame, but I can’t wear them with that on. As a previous poster suggested, they should remove that, and take the samller logo of the back and onto the breast pocket. I’m quite surprised they went with this logo layout, it doesn’t match the style of the shirt at all.

  10. The blue is fairly obvious but in the white shirt it is much more subtle.
    Should also add, have worn both quite a bit already. Love the fit, comfort and they wash well.
    Sent from my iPod

  11. The logo on the sleeve is on all the shirts, some people really like it. Other people prefer to stay with the white, and plaid shirts because it is much more camouflaged. As this is a brand new shirt, we appreciate all the feedback and comments- its the only way we can know how to make what you want to wear! I’ll send ur comments to our production team. With that, are there any other colors or patterns you would like to see in the future for this button down shirt? Let me know! 

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