“Look good, feel good” is quickly becoming the new trend in nursing scrubs. With an influx of new brands and styles, it’s becoming easier and easier for healthcare providers to not only find scrubs that are comfortable, but also a bit more flattering.
Nurses are saying goodbye to the traditional boxy scrubs in favor of more sleek designs. Which, in my humble opinion, it's about damn time. It’s 2020 and we are just now deciding as a profession that we don’t need to look like we are wearing an oversized, crumpled paper bag to work.
Now, I have no problem with anyone else looking like a paper bag if they want to (sometimes I choose to look like warmed over potato salad myself). I just want nurses to have the option of wearing more form-fitting and sportier scrubs if they want to. A fan of the trendier scrubs myself, I was intrigued by Cherokee Uniforms’ popular line of scrubs, Cherokee Infinity, and decided to give them a test run.
Most nurses are probably familiar with the Cherokee brand, if not already own a pair of their scrubs. They have been considered a staple in nursing scrubs since they originated back in 1972 and have developed many different lines of scrubs over the years. They pride themselves on manufacturing scrubs that are high quality, comfortable, and fashionable.
Their Infinity line of scrubs boasts sportier styles, a unique four-way stretch fabric designed for comfort and antimicrobial technology (say whaaaaa?). A matching set of these scrubs will cost you approximately $75, compared to the more expensive brands, like FIGS or Jaanuu, that run about $15-30 more per set. At a cheaper price point, I was curious to see if they would live up to the standards of these other brands. I was excited to try out one of the women’s Solid V-Neck tops paired with a sporty pair of their Mid-Rise Tapered Leg Jogger pants.
Let’s go over my initial impressions. I usually wear a size medium in both bottoms and tops, but the Infinity V-Neck Top was a little too big, meaning I should have sized down to a small. I had read that in reviews it ran a little large, but I chickened out and stuck with a medium. I liked the overall design of the top; the pockets were large, and I liked the stretch material at the waist that gave it more of a tapered look.
I had ordered medium-tall for the scrub pants and was ecstatic to find that they were actually long enough. I am 5’10” and there is nothing I hate more than to feel like my ankles are flashing out and about in a pair of high-waters. Although I liked the length of the pants, I felt like the ankles were a bit loose considering they were the Jogger style. I would have preferred them to be a little more snug around my ankles to show off my new pair of Clove nursing shoes.
Also, the waist of the scrub pants were a stretch fit and did not have a drawstring. I usually only buy pants that have a drawstring at the waist to feel more secure when I am bending and lifting patients. I have an irrational fear of my pants falling down while at work, so I tend to like them snug. Despite no drawstring and being a little loose at the waist, I had no problems moving about throughout my day. The only other downside I noticed was that they do wrinkle. Not terribly, but enough to notice. Overall, I liked the way they looked and would rate them well on appearance alone.
So they look good, but do they FEEL good? I don’t care how good a pair of scrubs look, if they aren’t comfortable, nurses are not going to wear them. During a shift we sometimes don’t get to pee or eat, our feet and backs hurt, and our heads hurt from the never-ending, harsh melody of call lights, bed alarms, and the occasional patient yelling “nurse!”
We want scrubs that add to our comfort, not something we must suffer through wearing. This is where the Infiniti Scrubs fell short for me in comparison to some of the more expensive brands. I loved the stretch and ROM they allowed, but the inside stitching along the seams felt scratchy against my body. I got used to it after a while, but it was really noticeable when I first put them on. I especially noticed it with the joggers, which have a large seam that runs down the front of the pants. So for this alone, I would rate them lower on comfort.
Ultimately, I liked the trendier design and stretch fabric, but I did not find them as comfortable as my other sets of scrubs. I would rather pay the $15-20 difference for a pair of FIGS scrubs, which I find to be a bit softer and just as stylish. I still think they are worth trying, since they are overall a higher quality than your average scrub on the market. For that reason, we vote that these can be… Trusted.
Don't forget to check out our other nursing scrubs reviews:
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