Clover "Beverly" Women's Motorcycle Jacket
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by Lori B. for webBikeWorld
Clover may seem like a strange brand name for a motorcycle
clothing manufacturer, and I'm not sure how it originated, but I'm told by
my Italian speaking friends that "clover" in Italian means...clover in
English.
I'm not sure what that tells us, but I do know that this
Clover Beverly jacket is probably one of the nicest looking, most
comfortable and best-fitting motorcycle jackets I've ever owned.
I'm sort of doubly surprised, because I didn't expect that
the svelte Italian sizing would fit my, um, decisively nordamericano
sized body.
But either Italian women are starting to look like me
(likely), or I'm starting to look like Italian women (not likely), or I have
a completely unrealistic idea that Italian women really do look like those
svelte waifs seen in the fashion magazines.
As much as I'd like to think it's #2, I'll settle for the
latter explanation.
Clover is a popular brand of motorcycle clothing in Europe,
and they've had their ups and downs as a company. They actually
disappeared from view for a while, but now they're not only back, they have
a distributor in North America. If you haven't seen any of their
products, you owe it to yourself to take a look. Clover has always had
a reputation for great European styling and high quality, and they're now
also featuring a line of women's motorcycle clothing.
In general, we're starting to see more motorcycle jackets
and pants that are designed specifically for women, and that's a good -- no,
make that a great -- thing. After all, who wants to wear a dumpy
"Unisex" sized potato sack?
My theory is that as more and more women-specific motorcycle
clothing is designed and made available, more women will discover what a
difference this makes, and the companies that are still trying to foist off
unisex sized garments on us will have to either change or go out of
business.
Although the Clover Beverly textile jacket does not come in
numerical (exact) sizing, the size XL translates to my size 12 figure
purrrr-fectly. If friends and family comments are any indication, this
jacket's a winner. I've had people tell me that it looks like it was
custom made! It may not appear so in the photos, but take it from me,
it does fit like a glove.
But the best thing about my Beverly jacket is the quality of
the construction. It's truly a work of art -- I've heard from others
that Clover products are very well made, but this certainly proves it to me.
The material, the stitching, the liner -- everything about it has a sort of
boutiquey, high-style look to it. Clothes like that make me
feel good wearing them!
The texture of the fabric doesn't show up in the photos, but
it's kind of a tiny gabardine that is really special. The gabardine
texture is then repeated on the inside, this time bigger and with a kind of
metallic plated finish, which just adds to the richness of the jacket.
The outer shell is made from "Nylon HT" and is supposed to
be treated with a water repellant. There are two small zipper hand
pockets on either side, hidden behind the front quarter seam. And the
collar is made from black corduroy, with an attached belt and buckle that
keeps it snug.
The removable "Valtherm" liner is relatively thin, but it's
breathable and does a good job of keeping me warm. Even the liner is
special; it has a metallic dot pattern through it that looks great.
Make no mistake: this is not a heavy-duty jacket, and I'm
not sure how well it would protect me in a crash, but it sure is a looker.
It does come equipped with removable CE-approved shoulder and elbow armor,
which must also be women-sized, because it's barely noticeable.
The cuffs also open with a zipper and have a small Velcro
tab that keeps them secured. The jacket opens with a full-length front
zipper and also five snap buttons on the wind flap that covers the front.
There is also a vertical zipper on either side at the hip that opens up to
allow the jacket to fit when seated.
Also, the Beverly has a very thin piece of reflective piping
along the upper back and a thicker section at the bottom hem of the jacket
in the back. What's nice about this is that they are virtually
completely unnoticeable (at least on my Platinum colored jacket) until a
light shines on them at night.
The Beverly comes in sizes from XS to XXL and it's available
in black, red or the platinum shown here.
