Lola Boasts That Its Blankets Are the World’s Softest. We Investigated.
My initial impression of the Lola blanket was one of fluffy silkiness — it felt impressively soft and luxurious. Made from 100% synthetic fiber, it falls into the category of “minky” blankets for its mink-like feel, which my daughter compared to “the skin of a Jellycat” (a line of British cuddle toys that are known for their ultrasoft materials and are wildly popular with kids and adults).
That softness may be due to its substantial fiber density. The quality of faux fur comes down to the fiber’s GSM (grams per square meter), said Suzanne Cora, an adjunct assistant professor of home products development at FIT, over email. I estimated the Lola blanket’s GSM using a precision scale and calculated that the GSM was about 1,090, which puts it at the higher end of the category.
A few other things add to the blanket’s feeling of luxury. Its double-sided construction strikes a good balance between reassuringly weighty and not heavy, and it has a bit of stretch from being a knit, “which naturally has movement to it, with a little bit of spandex,” said Cora.
The construction helps the blanket cling to the body, with an almost cloak-like effect. Ruching across the blanket’s surface adds to its dynamic, animated quality, confirmed Shannon Maher, dean of FIT’s School of Business and Technology. On my couch, it made my other throws look lifeless by comparison.
I tested the large Lola blanket in a beige color with subtle variations (what the company calls Caramel N’ Cream), a neutral that, to me at least, added to the appearance of luxury. But Lola offers a wide range of prints and colors, including ombre, animal-print, checkerboard, and pastel colors, as well as sizes from 30 by 36 inches up to 80 by 90 inches.
