What’s the Point of a Stretchy Towel?
Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your account’s‘Saved for Later’section.
Comment
Why shouldn’t a towel be stretchy? That’s the question Lyndon Cormack asked himself when he was developing the concept for his new brand,Typical. Many items we wear for comfort have stretch in them — loungewear, activewear — so why not towels? After hearing him out atShoppe Objectearlier this month, I was open to the idea of expanding any personal notions I had of what a towel could be, especially as the Strategist’sbathandbeddingexpert.
The company’s proprietary stretch construction aside (patent pending), Typical’s visuals are strong, which is not surprising given Cormack’s track record as a co-founder of Herschel Supply Company, maker of those ubiquitous backpacks. The towels come in bold stripe combinations (in the manner of Dusen Dusen’s line of home textiles) and other graphic patterns (more common in beach towels), plus some good solid colors (I like the Sunday Blue, a jazzy azure).
Each product page shows a grid of 12 shots of a model in sporty underwear using the towel in various poses, and the website’s homepage plays video of dancers dancing in nothing but the towels. The towels are meant to move with you. It has never crossed my mind to do calisthenics in a towel, but I was willing to give it (the towel, not calisthenics) a shot.
New! You can now save this product for later.
Typical sent me a selection of bath, hand, and face towels to test, and right away I could tell they were well made. They are woven fromlong-staple cottonwith a630 GSMand a jacquard terry finish that feels soft and plush without being too heavy or thick. They are absorbent. The composition is 98 percent cotton with 2 percent spandex, and the stretch only goes one way. As with jeans, the addition of even just 1 or 2 percent stretch is noticeable. One thing I had to get used to was how to handle it. The added stretch makes it feel a little bit like a Slinky, like it’s trying to get away from you. It kept falling off the first time I tried to hang it on a bathroom hook. I wondered if it would stretch out over time.
But using it is a different experience. At Shoppe, one of Cormack’s daughters explained to me that wrapping yourself in a Typical towel after a shower feels like a hug and she wasn’t wrong. The spandex allows you to pull it snug around your body, and it actually stays put. I bent over to pick something up off of the floor and the towel accommodated the bend in my body. I sat down wearing the towel and it didn’t unravel or fly open at the bottom. (I imagine it would be great for asauna.) Wrapping my hair in a turban felt more secure than when I attempted the same with a regular towel. (To this point, manyhair towelshave a stretchy component to them, usually the band.Spawraps, too, often have an elastic band, so the concept of a stretch towel isn’t completely novel.) I admit that it felt really nice. (I don’t see the point of adding stretch to a hand or face towel because they’re just too small to benefit from that kind of flexibility.)
This is a towel for someone who likes to linger in one after bathing. I usually shed my towel as soon as I dry myself off. Maybe Typical could help me slow down in the mornings. The brand’s competitive price point is a good incentive to try one. Bath towels start at $48, which is cheaper than my Best in Class picks fromMatouk($54),Frontgate($50), andBrooklinen($109 for two). Even without the stretch, the patterns alone (polka dots,leopard,zebra) could be a selling point, coming in lower than the newish class of graphic towels, likeDusen Dusen’s similarly striped towels ($64) andBaina’smoody selection (from $80). But I had to ask myself,Who wants to stay wrapped in a wet towel for longer than necessary?
More towels we like
More From The Strategist
- The Back-to-School Hall of Fame
- The Best Things Strategist Editors Have Bought This Year (So Far)
- Everything You Need to Outfit Your College Dorm
- The Strategist Summer 100
The Strategistis designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read abouthere. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
