Veilance Dinitz Comp Jacket
Preconceptions and First Impressions
First off, I’ll admit that I’m a sucker for Veilance tops. I’ve tried just about every single AV shirt, sweater, and cardigan that they’ve offered over the last 4–5 seasons, and I’d dare say that I like AV sweaters and cardigans more than their jackets. That said, I was a little on the fence about the Dinitz line. I’m not partial to fleece, and certainly don’t associate the fabric with Veilance. In photos the material looked fragile and “pill-y,” but the Comp Jacket, with its unique looks (utopian space uniform meets shag rug meets cheap Uniqlo fleece), intrigued me enough to give it a shot.
Fabric
New fabric for Veilance: a poly/wool fleece blend that is soft, very warm, and as thick if not thicker than the 2018 and pre-2018 Graphs. I would even call this thing hot, which I think is partially why AV is calling it a “jacket” instead of a cardigan. The zipper and v-neck (it’s more of a “U”) are very nice features in this regard, adding ventilation and allowing one to quickly dump or retain heat. Terratex works well for the hand pockets and adds some durability to the back and cuffs.
It’s too soon to tell, but I do have some concerns about the fleece pilling. It obviously lacks the nylon face fabric coverage of the Graphs (which was fantastic IMO), but the material itself is more fuzzy than your average fleece and seems a little delicate. I definitely wouldn’t wear this with a backpack that had “non-Nomin” straps, and feel like I’ll need to be pretty cautious if I wear it as a standalone outerwear piece.
Detailing
Two open hand pockets like those found on the Haedn jacket utilize the fleece fabric on the inside and a nice microfiber fleece against the outside terratex. I’m not sure if I’ve seen this material on other AV pieces, but it’s a nice touch and adds to its case as a “jacket”/standalone outerwear piece.
Cuffs seem to be a point of emphasis for AV this season, as the Dinitz Comp and Mionn Comp Hoody (and I believe the Navier AR but haven’t tried it) have similar cuffs that are both nice looking and very fitted. The terratex is nicely cut, with a little extra material on the underside of the wrist for durability, and hugs my wrist super comfortably. It also gives the sleeves a sharp looking taper and keeps the jacket out of chunky-dad-cardigan territory, which it seems to border on.
The zipper is the Excella version, which is the same as on the pre-2018 Graph Cardigan, Monitor, and Patrol [credit to /u/John-Gal for providing this info]. It’s black, says “VEILANCE” on the pull tab, and feels more substantial than the 2018 Graph zipper. The 2018 Graph zipper matched the color of the sweater and had the standard matching nylon pull tab.
The collar is laminated, which adds structure and some very subtle color contrast.
@thereigningchump is 5'8” 130 lbs, wearing size XS
Fit
Like most Veilance, slim but true. It runs a little tight in the chest and flares out very slightly at the hem. Arms and shoulders are roomy and taper pretty intensely into the terratex wrist panel. The whole thing borders on the shapeless IMO, but the paneling does just enough to contain the frump and make the piece interesting enough to make up for its weird idiosyncracies.
Taking my usual size, it works for me as a midlayer under FW shells. I haven’t tried yet, but I imagine the sleeves of a Frame LS shirt would bunch up under the jacket.
Color
I got the Clay version, which is shockingly represented accurately on the AV site. It’s a unique brownish grey that goes well with just about everything. The Clay version also seems to have stronger contrast between the fleece and terratex panels, which makes for a bit more of a statement.
Syling
In the AV world we really don’t talk about accessories enough, especially jewelry. However, it really can’t be avoided when discussing styling the Dinitz.
This is where it gets a little challenging with this piece. It can hardly be called a “classic” style, like AV called 2018 Graph Sweater. That said, there are a few ways I can think of styling this thing:
Buy a size up and go all in on the slouchy tech cardigan look
Wear it layered over a turtleneck for maximum Star Trek vibes and extra warmth in the neck area
Wear it over a t-shirt or slim collared shirt and rock it zipped for a little class, unzipped for a little casual
Conclusions
This thing is weird but pretty cool. I think I’m going to wear it a lot this winter, as I tend to run cold and like its unique looks. Pretty damn expensive for a fleece cardigan, but if you really like the way it looks and feel like you can work it into your outfits, it might be worth your while. Also, if you like the color and material but are a little freaked out by the design, you can get the sweater instead.