Pladra Women's Every Day Flannel Shirt Review: What to Know before Buying

As I got to know the Pladra brand, I wished every flannel had the potential to be as wonderful as a Pladra flannel shirt.

I say that because Pladra is the brand that does it best: flannel shirts with mindful details, soft yet heavy fabrics and even intricate details like scenes out of a painting on the cuffs. Wow.

In this review, learn about Pladra, specifically about the women’s Every Day Flannel shirt. Should a Pladra flannel be your next flannel purchase, whether for travel or just for lounging at home?

What I tried from Pladra

I tried a signature Pladra flannel shirt for women, along with a fleece pullover. And as a bonus, my toddler got a matching flannel shirt to wear with me. (That’s the cutest part)

• Women’s Every Day Flannel Shirt - Portsmouth Blue Heather
• Women’s Jenner Sherpa Fleece - Atlantic Blue
• Toddler Cubs Flannel Shirt - Portsmouth Blue Heather (unisex!)

And throughout this review, you’ll see photos of me and my daughter wearing our matching Pladra flannels!

The Every Day Flannel: the overall feel

I’ve owned flannel shirts in my day: mainly when they “trended” along with plaid everything about a decade back, and I’ve also owned some of my parents’ old vintage flannels from the 80s.

The thing is, though, cheap flannels rip, and thin flannels wear out. It’s no surprise, then, that the vintage flannels I came to love started getting holes, ripping at the armpit seams and getting worn and raggedy at the elbows.

The Pladra midweight flannel (this is the “Every Day” style) I have is 100% cotton—it’s “mid-weight” (not heavy weight) and feels superbly high quality.

It’s soft, as in very soft and cozy, and proves that flannels can be comfortable, blending into the rest of my outfit in terms of feeling natural and warm.

Fireside flannel

I don’t want to forget to mention that Pladra does make heavy weight flannels - that’s the Fireside line of flannels, and they are almost DOUBLY as “heavy” in fabric weight as the midweight Every Day Flannel.

Consider the Fireside flannels to be the ones you take on brisker walks, colder camping trips, outdoor nights at the fire pit and even skiing or snowshoeing.

When I wear my Pladra flannel (how warm is it?)

Like I mentioned, I have the midweight Every Day Flannel. Let’s talk about when I choose to wear it.

If you’re the type of person who runs warm, you will probably be okay wearing this flannel just as your outer layer when it’s 60 degrees out, or warmer. Plus, if you’re starting a hike, or if you’re out for the day when it’s bound to get warmer, taking this as a packed-up layer is a good bet, because you can tie it around your waist as the sun comes higher and the temperature rises.

An example is when I wore my Every Day Flannel on a hike with our toddler, and the morning at 9am started around 55 degrees. By the time we got out walking, it may have been around 60, and I had my flannel buttoned all the way up as my only layer. It was still chilly, but what was nice is that other times, I would’ve taken a jacket, and quickly, that would’ve been too warm.

Other times I wear this midweight flannel are:

• Morning walks with our kids when we’re away for the weekend out in the countryside
• Late-in-the-day hikes when it’s getting cooler, but a jacket will be too bulky
• As an in-between layer between my short-sleeve shirt and a puffer jacket, when it’s going into the 40s and I want something soft against my skin, as well as a full-length button-down to keep my sides cozy.

Style

Because the Pladra flannels are far from lightweight or flimsy, they have a bit of a structured yet traditional design. There’s a draped design at the back side, and a tapered silhouette. Overall, the style is pretty “standard” and classic for a flannel shirt. No huge surprises.

There are two chest pockets, and buttons right down the front.

For many women, this is the ultimate winter weather and fall weather travel shirt: a cozy layer, built to last, noteworthy quality and a style that truly lasts forever.

How I style it

In my photos, I’m wearing the Mom Jeans from Mott & Bow, some Nike sneakers and a black cropped short-sleeve T-shirt underneath my Pladra flannel.

Other times, I will style my Pladra flannel with leggings and hiking boots for an autumnal hiking look.

And lastly, because this shirt is so soft and invites coziness, I’ll wear it with joggers when we are on road trips or when we’re flying to a new place. It takes the cake for a long-sleeve layer that keeps me warm on planes.

The fit and sizing

One really delightful thing about Pladra is that the sizing in their main flannel shirt products, the Every Day Flannel and the Fireside Flannel, runs from X-Small to 3X.

The 3X is actually a size you may rarely see on retail websites: after size XL, the sizes run XXL-1X-2X-3X. Every product page has a size chart, so you can reference the body measurements that correspond with each Pladra women’s size.

How did the Every Day Flannel fit me?

First, I should clarify that I am 5’2” and 110 lbs. I typically wear an XS, and most companies are now making size XS that are too big on me. I am narrow-shouldered, and I often wear petite sizing. So here I am, trying to tell you about how a non-petite-sized flannel shirt fit me, and I hope you’ll consider that I am a special case and most women will have better luck.

Okay, alas! The Every Day Flannel runs both big and long (on me). I would do better with a size XS-P made for women 5’2” and shorter. As you can see in my fit photos, it hits a bit too long on my hips, and the sleeves run oversized, but I cuff them because of those beautiful signature Pladra cuff details that I want to show off for their specialness.

Overall, the flannel runs oversized on me and it is oversized. I wear it as a layer under vests, usually, but for the sake of showing you the total outfit fit in these photos, I’m wearing it as a standalone piece on a 55-degree morning during fall.

How should you shop for your size?

I think Pladra flannels run “slightly on the big side,” so that is my tip for you for when you choose your size. Flannels should not be snug or tight, so that you can button them up, feel good and not feel restricted.

Plus, assume you’ll always have a short- or long-sleeve shirt underneath. And you might even want to layer a cozy fleece or puffer vest on top of a flannel shirt for a full wintry look.

The quality: Do I trust it?

This flannel is durable. By quick comparison to the other clothes I own, Pladra flannels feel like premium products with strong stitching, sturdy fabrics and lots of beautiful detailing.

Special benefits of Pladra

Pladra shirts are up a notch from regular off-the-shelf flannels at your local Target or Walmart—there is no comparison.

The design on the cuffs, yoke and collar

Take for example, the “Out of Sight Wildlife Scenes”—it’s the signature feature of Pladra products. They’re on the cuffs, the back of the collar when you flip it up, and the “yoke” of the shirt (the part with the tag at your upper back).

They are gorgeous scenes with animals and wildlife that bring you back to a time of simplicity: think exploring the West, taking binoculars out to a viewpoint and seeing animals grazing or looking for a moose while hiking.

Our daughter thinks the signature sleeve cuffs are very exciting, and kept pointing out that hers had a deer (her current favorite animal).

And do I “actually” expose the wildlife scenery on the cuffs? YES, I DO. Dan got his Pladra flannel without the signature wildlife scenery, just as a design preference, but I saw it and wanted it 100%. I think this is the coolest part of the Pladra flannel shirts—definitely a showpiece, a conversation-starter and a way to show off something truly special from the Pladra tradition.

The warranty

Other benefits of Pladra: The Pladra Promise. This is the product warranty that the company will replace or fix any flannel or Pladra product that has failed to stand up through standard wear and tear—forever!

Are Pladra’s women’s flannel shirts worth it?

I think that, for anyone who thinks flannel shirts have to be dinky and fast fashion, Pladra will ultimately surprise you: Pladra flannels are premium.

Just by how they feel on my body: sturdy, high-quality, soft, built-to-last and solid, I know that this is a heirloom flannel I’ll have until I’m 80. It’s also one that I can pass on to my kids (and that’s because my toddler’s Pladra flannel in child size 2T won’t fit her forever!).

The other thing is that Pladra flannels make an amazing gift. They’re a fantastic gift for moms who love to travel—imagine receiving a premium flannel, complete with the wildlife scenery on the cuffs, yoke and collar—and having it for life.

Other Pladra products I tried

As you can see above, our daughter tried the Toddler Cubs Flannel Shirt in the same color choice as the Pladra flannels that Dan and I chose. It makes for great family photos! It’s so nice to see a brand that makes men’s, women’s and children’s, and actually have the same exact unisex products for all of those with accurate fits.

I also tried the Women’s Jenner Sherpa Fleece in size XS and I have been wearing it everywhere since fall began. It’s cozy, a very comfortable oversized fit that I do not mind and it has signature Pladra flannel accents. It’s a heavyweight fleece, with teddy fleece on the outside and more fleece in the interior. It functions like a jacket.

You can see more about the Sherpa Fleece from Pladra in this video review! It’s the other Pladra product I have tried, to date.

What is Pladra?

In short, Pladra (pronounced Plaid-ruh) is a boutique flannel shirt company built on outdoor experience. It’s a brand with a mission to create clothes that evoke memories of time spent in the outdoors, of a traditional American travel favorite (the flannel shirt) that comes with you camping, hiking, on weekend trips and to things like family reunions, autumn photo shoots and cabin getaways.

Pladra promises to make high-quality clothing, with no nonsense, and no cheapskating on the craftsmanship of their products.

So, having no expectations whatsoever, I was lucky enough to start trying some things from this online brand.

What to note about my fit photos

I mentioned it a few times, but if you missed it: I am 5’2”, 110 lbs and I run small/petite. I understand that not all women are my size—far from!—and that in these photos, I’m showing you how the size XS products from Pladra fit me.

If you are taller than I am, chances are that Pladra shirts will fit you better.