Royal Class Men’s Marled Top

Aldi is not Macy’s — it’s not even Walmart — but sometimes it does sell clothes. Over the years, I’ve seen the German grocer sell swimsuits, undergarments, base layers, shirts, shorts, jackets, coats, pajamas, slippers, and even shoes. In our experience, Aldi apparel is hit-or-miss: some of it is pitch-perfect, while others are a clean miss. The biggest problems we’ve seen, when we’ve had them, are either durability or accurate fit. Those are both potential problems with generic clothing in particular, and the fact that Aldi doesn’t exactly have a dressing room makes any clothing purchase a risk.

Nevertheless, I’m always willing to give Aldi clothes a try, and when these tops came out this winter, I plucked one off the shelf.

Royal Class Men's Marbled Top

The Royal Class Men’s Marled Top is an Aldi Find, which means it’s only in stores for a limited time. At the time of this post, the top ran $12.99. Aldi sold this top alongside the Serra Ladies Fleece Marled Top, which was the same price. (My wife declined to buy the Serra one, deciding the style wasn’t for her.)

“Marled” refers to the combining of two colors together to create a multicolored fabric, which does not affect the texture of the clothing. The tops all were listed as certified “Standard 100” by OEKO-TEK, which tests for harmful substances in textiles.

Both the Royal Class and the Serra tops came in a couple of styles, including one with pockets and one without. I preferred both the look of the pocketed one as well as the fact that it had pockets, so that’s the one I tried. Both also came in a few sizes, with the men’s sizes including medium (38-40), large (42-44), and extra large (46-48). I went with medium.

My top was listed as being made in Myanmar in Southeast Asia. The packaging says that it is made of 100% polyester. The instructions call for it to be machine washed in cold water with like colors on a gentle cycle, using only non-chlorine bleach when needed. It should be tumble dried on low if needed, and cool ironed if needed.

Royal Class Men's Marbled Top

It’s a pretty comfortable shirt. The outside is a more rugged texture, while the inside is soft. The top I bought has a button-up collar alongside pockets that have the same soft inside as the shirt itself. The fit is pretty close to accurate.

Royal Class Men's Marbled Top

The Verdict:

Time will tell on durability, but as far as initial fit this Royal Class top does the job. It’s soft on the inside and rugged-looking on the outside. It has the look of a good top or extra layer on a cold day, especially with the version that has pockets.

About Joshua

Joshua is the Co-founder of Aldi Reviewer. He is also a writer and novelist. You can learn more about him at joshuaajohnston.com.

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