I've been taking advantage of end-of-season sales to get some new running gear, including some from new-to-me brands I've been wanting to try.
Glyder
I've heard a lot of great things about Glyder. Well known for their spacedye prints and quality, affordable crops, Glyder is a new-ish company based in California. They have a new intensity collection designed for high-intensity activities like running. There are not many pieces in the collection, but their running crops (available in black and slate grey) have four pockets, including the side pockets like Lulu's run bottoms have that I love.
I ordered a Yogini Tank from them as my birthday present to myself. The graphic says, "You can't buy love but you can rescue it. Adopt", and 50% of the proceeds benefit an animal rescue. Having volunteered and fostered for a local animal shelter, I am a huge advocate of adoption. There are so many wonderful animals out there that need homes! A few years ago, I had the idea to start my own non-profit to connect people who wanted purebred pets with pets available for adoption. Then I realized that service already exists--it's called the internet. Seriously. When a coworker told me he wanted to buy a purebred beagle puppy because he was set on having a purebred and wanted a puppy, I went back to my office and within 10 minutes sent him an email with two local beagle rescues who had puppies available for adoption. Sometimes it takes longer to find what you're looking for, but isn't it worth it to give a home to one of the 7.6 million animals that enter animal shelters every year, 2.7 million of which are euthanized because they don't find homes?
There was a snafu with my order, and it took forever for my package to come. The error was on Glyder's side, and I was disappointed that they didn't offer me free expedited shipping since their error caused the delay in getting my package. So no points for customer service.
But when I did get my package, I was delighted. The fabric is very soft and comfortable, and the tank itself has a soft, flowy drape to it. I ordered it in a size medium.
Another pleasant surprise was the logo. If you've been reading my blog, you know I despise ugly logos (hello, Under Armour) and prominent logo placement. The Glyder logo, an abstract bird silhouette, was a raised glitter logo placed on the back of the tank. Love! Here you can see the logo and a close-up of the knit fabric.
Overall, I love this tank and think it will be comfortable for running, and I can wear it as a casual tank too.
Onzie
I've also heard a lot of good things about Onzie, best known for their unique printed yoga bottoms. All summer I've been on the hunt for a teal running tank, so when I saw the Onzie Glossy Flow Racerback Tank on sale for $24 in the teal-like Jade color at Nordstrom, I ordered it.
Nordstrom has free shipping and returns, so I figured I wouldn't lose out if the tank didn't work out. Well, I LOVE this tank! The fabric is a silky, flowy fabric that is extremely lightweight. I thought it would be great for hot and humid runs. I've worn it once on a hot run, and it's great--lightweight and comfortable--but does show a lot of sweat.
The tank is one-size-fits-all, which made me nervous, but it fits great! It's loose and drapey. I typically wear small or mediums in tanks, and while I think this tank would work up to a medium, I'm not sure it would work too well on sizes above medium because it doesn't seem to be designed to be a tight-fitting tank.
The seams are a little floppy, giving the tank an unfinished-looking edge. The neckline, sides, and back all come pretty low. Another thing I love about this tank: NO LOGO! Yes, there is no logo anywhere! I don't love prominent placements of even logos I like (and I hate when Lululemon designs whole pieces around their logo), so no logo was a huge plus. The blue isn't a true teal, but it's still a pretty color. I think this tank would work equally well for casual wear as it does for sweaty workouts.
Trina Turk Activewear
The summer prints from Trina Turk Activewear have been really fun but aren't really my style. I'm pretty boring when it comes to prints, and spacedye and stripes are usually as crazy as I'll get. But when I saw the pretty Recreation Draped Jersey Tank in a neutral grey on sale at Nordstrom, I thought I'd check it out. I got it for $40, marked down from $68. I could not find a single fit review of Trina Turk pieces, so I figured I'd play it safe and order a size medium.
As soon as I took the tank out of the bag, I noticed the giant rubber logo on the front! Ugh! It was so obtrusive I actually thought it was a pin or something that came with the tank and tried to pick it off. Even before I put the tank on, I knew it was going back. I despise both the logo and placement!
The fabric was very soft. The top of it is drapey, but the bottom is a stretch fabric that was tight across my belly and hips. The style really didn't work for me.
Even the back didn't look great. It was wrinkly from coming out of the package, and I'm sure if I'd steamed it, it would have looked better, but it just didn't drape the way the pictures showed.
And here it is--the giant, rubber, obtrusive logo.
Definitely sending this one back.
Lorna Jane
I was thinking recently of what activewear has worked really well for me this summer (and what hasn't). Lorna Jane is in my "worked really well" category. I have two tanks I wore running this summer. The styles are unique, and they're very comfortable and durable. They're both made with Lorna Jane's mesh fabric used in most of their technical tanks. They are actually two different weights (there are various versions of the mesh), but even the lighter weight tank wasn't lightweight enough to wear on the hottest summer days. I liked the tanks for running on cooler, but still warm, days. I've been thinking I'd buy more Lorna Jane tanks when they have a good sale, and they had one over Labor Day. I picked up three tanks, two for running. I ordered a size medium in each because that's what my other two tanks are, and they fit well.
The first was the Krissi Excel Tank in Hyper Lime. I have been wanting a good lime green running tank this summer so was excited to see this one on sale for $45 (original price is $60).
This was my favorite tank of the three. It was extremely lightweight--the lightest weight of their fabric I've tried--and would be great for hot workouts. The fit was okay. It wasn't too big nor too small but also wasn't extremely flattering. It was the color that made this a big "no" for me--it was a very fluorescent green! It did not look anything like this picture. There was a tag on the tank announcing it was fluorescent but there was nothing on the website to indicate it was so fluorescent.
I also got the Silvie Excel Tank in the foam green Seychelles color. I love the color and the contrasting black on the straps. I also got it for $45 (on sale from $70).
This was a miss because of the fit. It is straight fitting, so the top and straps were very loose on me, the hips too tight, and it just looked blah. Also, it was a pretty heavy fabric, not mesh at all. I did love the color though.
Lastly, I got a casual tank not for running, the Maddox Casual Tank in Calypso Marl. To be honest, the main reason I got it was because I needed to hit a certain amount to get free shipping, but I love the color and don't have a baby-pink shade of tank like this, and it was only $25.
I loved the color--a lighter pink that the picture shows--but it was absolutely enormous on me. It felt like an XL and was long enough that I could almost have worn it as a dress. It was baggy, shapeless, and just blah.
So, all three needed to go back. But, when I looked at the receipt for return information, I saw that sales on sale items are final and cannot be returned or exchanged! I was shocked! There was nothing on the LJ site to indicate that--not the main sales page, not the individual pages of the product pages, and not even the site's FAQ! Lululemon is very good about making sure you know that sales are final for marked-down items (though they have relaxed their policy and I've heard of many instances of people returning sale items), and I guess I just assumed that all companies would let you know if sales are final. I sent a very irate message to LJ's customer service. They pointed out a single page on their website that included the disclaimer but they did let me return the items for a refund. Because there is only a 21-day window for returns, I immediately shipped them back prior to leaving for vacation and didn't have time to take photos, which is why I don't have any to post here.
Lesson learned: Do not buy LJ sale items unless I'm absolutely sure they'll work out!
Also, I stopped into the Albion shop in Salt Lake City while on vacation and bought two tops. I'll be posting a review of Albion soon. Spoiler alert: Love! Labels: Glyder, Lorna Jane, Onzie, Shopping, Trina Turk Activewear
