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Apparel Review

Travis Mathew conveys its SoCal roots, and Chapeau Noir feels laid back enough to play his best in Chucks trousers and Flash poloRarely does one come across a brand as versitile as Travis Mathew. A golf brand first and foremost, Travis Mathew is as comfortable in a business casual office environment as it is on the course - be it a swank occasion country club where you'll slide in to a deep leather club chair with ease, or a low end muni where you can crack open a cold one on that weathered bench beside warm up net.

You will never feel under, nor overdressed in Travis Mathew wherever your day takes you. Perhaps this is because Travis Mathew has a true maturity to it - you don't look like you're trying to hard to be anything but yourself in Travis Mathew. Perhaps this is because the Travis Mathew range is inspired by fashion, sports, music and art, the cuts are extremely well tailored, providing an athletic fit.

Travis Mathew is simply not a flamboyant, in your face brand that grabs you by the throat from across the fairway. Travis Mathew simply gets better and better the closer you get.

Having been afforded the opportunity to try Travis Mathew on for size a couple of weeks ago, Chapeau Noir simply cannot stop wearing his Chucks and and Hipster trousers, mixing his Club and Flash polos between the two.

Having always had an affinity for striped trousers, Chapeau Noir was thrilled that both the Chucks and the Hipster incorporate a striped motif into their designs.

The grey Chucks have a bold ribbon from the hip to the bottom edge of each pocket, just enough to create a unique detail, while the Hipster is pipes a slim stripe all the way down the side of each leg, adding depth to the subtle pinstripe. Both are stunners, and Chapeau Noir cannot decide which pair are his favorite.

Each pant incorporates a bit of stretch, and the pockets aren't so volumenous to make you hunt for your marker as your partner impatiently waits to putt.

Music / cell pocket detail in the Travis Mathew Hipster pant.Both the Chucks and the Hipster share the Travis Mathew trademark rear music / cell pocket, located just below the belt line in the back, keeping headset wires out of the way when you're grooving your swing on the range. This feature can be found across the entire range of Travis Mathew pants and shorts - so you won't get tangled up if you decided it's too hot for trousers.

Envious hi-tech hipster co-workers commented that all fashion brands, not just golf fashion brands should incorporate such a feature. The helpful pro who patrols the home course range was exceedingly envious.

Another unique and useful feature is the velcro “Glove-Stay” that is used to let gloves dry in between holes, although Chapeau Noir's habit of using the back left pocket for his glove will be a hard one to break.

The Travis Mathew love fest continues with the rich feel of Travis Mathew polos. Both the Flash and the Club Polo wick moisture with the valued anti-microbial benefit and uv-protection - traits also shared by the pants.

While it is more diffcult to differentiate a golf polo with non-material related features, what Travis Mathew has done is to create polos that are perhaps a bit modest, and somewhat understated compared to its competitors.

Chapeau Noir in the Travis Mathew Club Polo. Click to shop. The Club Polo features contrast stitching on the chest, sleeves, and collar, giving the basic black polo definition, while the diamond shaped buttons show you that Travis Mathew is really paying attention to detail.

As Chapeau Noir sees it, this is a refreshing approach that is likely spawn from the laid back Southern California roots of its founders, and will prolong the life of Travis Mathew designs for seasons to come.

Travis Mathew is worn by the likes of Bubba Watson and Geoff Ogilvy on the PGA Tour, and you will soon realize why TM has been able to build a tour staff so quickly for a young company.

Shop online at travismathew.com, and be sure to follow the Travis Mathew blog, Twitter feed, Facebook fan page, and Youtube channel, which are always up to date and entertaining.