Be Chic When You Sweat: Stylish Workout Wear & Accessories
The New Year is a great time to get into shape and there is no better way to do so than with the perfect workout gear. From stylish activewear to motivational yoga mats, become a fitness enthusiast this year and look chic even when you sweat!
1. Molami Bight Nappa Black and Gold Headphones, BUY NOW, $200
Molami is the ultimate in sleek headphone design and quality headphones can really make or break your fitness routine! The brainchild of industrial designer Maria von Euler, these headphones are sculpted to frame and enhance the feminine face. From their braided textile-wrapped chords to their gold and silver plated accents, no detail is overlooked. The Bight Nappa Black and Gold style is futuristic chic with excellent sound quality. They’ve only recently launched in the United States and have already been spotted everywhere from the runway to Style.com‘s fashion radar.
2. Blake Brody In-Studio Footwear, BUY NOW, $98
Blake Brody makes extremely stylish In-Studio Footwear designed specifically for use while practicing your dance moves, yoga poses or Pilates. People Magazine, Vogue and Allure have featured these flats, which are ergonomically designed to compliment the foot’s natural range of motion with their elastic collar and padded footbed for comfort. These adorable flats are on every yogi’s radar and recently caught the attention and foot of fashionista, socialite and Marie Claire blogger Amanda Hearst.
3. Red Daisy Ginger Low-Rise Long Pant, BUY NOW, $95
The Red Daisy Ginger Low-Rise Long athletic pant is a stylish long tight with special side panels engineered with horizontal and vertical stretch that provide light compression throughout your legs. Their double fabric technology contours the body, slimming your silhouette to make your butt and thighs instantly look thinner! They are a total style upgrade and their fabrication gives you a more efficient workout than regular cotton leggings.
4. Alo Uber Cozy Hoodie, BUY NOW, $89
Layering is crucial for staying warm and healthy while working out during the winter months and I love this Alo style. The zip front hoodie is lined with super soft sherpa and is great for an outdoor run or post work-out cover up. Jessica Alba, Eva Mendes and Ellen Pompeo are notorious Alo fans and have been spotted in the activewear while working out and running errands around town.
5. Yogamatic Keep Calm Personalized Yoga Mat, BUY NOW, $89
A great way to practice yoga is atop the motivational mantra to “Keep Calm and Carry On” on Yogamatic’s personalized mat! Did you know this recently popularized slogan originated in 1939 as a way to ensure the people’s awareness that King George VI was adequately defending the country? And although I love this style, Yogamatic will custom make any image into your favorite yoga mat. The personalized gear are favorites of celeb yogis Halle Berry, Kate Bosworth and Molly Sims, whose mat is an adorable picture of her dogs.
6. Anatomie 3/4 Sleeve Henley in Pink, BUY NOW, $89
This 3/4 sleeve Anatomie Henley is one of my favorite tops to wear over a workout tank when going to the gym or exercise class. It is super soft, perfect for layering and has snap-button details for added style. Jennifer Aniston’s yoga teacher, Mandy Ingber loves their stylish and high quality designs.
7. Red Daisy Princess Camisole Tank, BUY NOW, $81
Designed out of the overwhelming need for a sleek and supportive workout bra, Red Daisy specializes in creating sports bras that provide excellent support from inside the bra cups rather than relying on bulky straps. Their comfortable and strong fabrics are made out of patented material from EuroJerseySPA, a specialty Italian mill and have been featured in both national and international publications like Women’s Wear Daily. I love the color of The Princess Camisole Tank, it is feminine and chic with great overall support.
8. Primsport V-Neck in Watercolor, BUY NOW, $72
Notorious for their intricate patterns and stand out designs, Primsport is perfect for spicing up a drab workout wardrobe. In fact, it was born out of three women’s passion (including the wife of Vogue veteran Tom Florio) for fitness and a vision to put the life back into traditional tennis clothing. Their V-Neck in Watercolor design is stylish and a great option for the fitness gal on the go as it looks like a regular shirt when worn with jeans.
9. Lululemon Power Y Tank in Lilac Heathered Coal, BUY NOW, $52
Lululemon’s Power Y Tank is one of many great pieces from the activewear line which has a cult following of everyone from Michelle Obama and Kelly Ripa to Gisele Bundchen and Jennifer Lopez. The body skimming fit ensures that this top won’t ride up, regardless of the intensity of your workout. This sleek activewear looks feminine in lilac and has a built in shelf bra that is lined with COOLMAX technology to wick away sweat. These tops are preshrunk so they run one size small.
10. Things Remembered Stainless Steel Water Bottle, BUY NOW, $25
Water bottles are essential to every fitness enthusiast. They are not only better for the environment, but unlike plastic, the stainless steel bottle makes sure water tastes pure with every sip. This 16 oz. design has a unique flip-top straw and the bottle can be engraved, so you can choose to etch on your favorite motivational mantra!
11. SPIBelt Small Personal Items Belt, BUY NOW, $19.95
The SPIBelt Small Personal Items Belt is a must have for runners! These slim pouches won’t bounce or ride up during the most rigorous of workouts, so it’s no wonder that it has become a favorite of marathon winner Jeanette Wang. They stretch tremendously to fit your phone, iPod and keys, and come in a variety of colors to suit any workout wardrobe. I am loving mine and they sure beat the look of a fanny pack.
Fashion Websites You Should Know About
We all know how hard it is to find the time to go shopping. By the time you make it to the store to pick up this season’s must-have item, it’s sold out. To assist you, we are introducing you to our favorite new fashion e-commerce sites to make sure that you achieve your summer wardrobe for the best price with just a few clicks.
FOR THE CAN’T-SHOP-ALONE SHOPPER:
WingTipIt:
Everyone has such a demanding schedule these days that scheduling a shopping trip with friends is not as easy as it used to be. Thank goodness for WingTipIt, a site that allows us to virtually shop and connect with our friends, family, and other trendsetters. WingTipIt was founded by Columbia Business School graduates Kimberly Karpf Skelton and Carla Holtze, who wanted to create an improved way for shoppers to connect online and mimic the fun, social, in-store shopping experience. As Holtze says, “For many people shopping is very much about sharing and getting feedback from those you trust. Up until now, it has been challenging for online shoppers to get the second opinions that they need prior to purchase in a quick, simple and realistic way.” WingTipIt allows us to save and see any online product in our “closet” as well as view our friends’ “closets.” We can also share products, generate wish lists, and obtain shopping advice from friends and family. Best of all, once we get the approval from our friends we can effortlessly purchase the product, as the site has more than 100 affiliate retail partners, including Bloomingdale’s and Bluefly. WingTipIt brings your together online through a social shopping community.
FOR THE SAMPLE-SALE FANATIC:
MyNines
Online sample sales put the excitement back into shopping without aggressive crowds and fights over the last pair of size-7 shoes on the table. MyNines is a free service offering shoppers one convenient location to discover designer products from various sample sale sites. Instead of going to five different sites a day, you can log onto MyNines and see products collected from over 80 sites at 40-90 percent off during a time frame of 24-72 hours. Users can search and filter by designer, category, price range, sales ending soonest, most viewed items, deals under $100, and newly listed. Using MyNines will assure that you are always “dressed to the nines.”
FOR THE SHOE OBSESSED:
ShoeDazzle
Sole Society and ShoeDazzle are subscription-based shoe delivery services. Both are sites that provide quality and on-trend shoes. Members’ picks are based on in-depth questionnaires completed at registration.
On ShoeDazzle, once members complete their questionnaires stylists will create their first selections. On the first of every month members will receive a new style selection and can pick their shoes of choice. Subscribers can also request alternate selections and are under no obligation to purchase – simply select the Skip This Month Option and you won’t be charged the $39.95 monthly fee for that month.
Within 24 hours of completing their questionnaires, Sole Society members will begin receiving a selection of monthly recommendations, be able choose a pair of shoes for $49.95 a month, select alternatives, or even opt out. Similar to ShoeDazzle, there’s no obligation to purchase.
The main difference between the two sites is the price-per-month for ShoeDazzle and Sole Society. Likewise, with ShoeDazzle members get the impression they are working alongside glitzy Kim Kardashian and Los Angeles stylists.
FOR THE ACCESSORIES MAVEN:
JewelMint
If you have an affection for jewelry and shopping but dislike going to overwhelming department stores and sifting through all the merchandise, make sure to visit these three online retailers that bring personalization to fashion accessories. At Send the Trend, BaubleBar, and JewelMint, consumers can find the right selection, excellent customer service, and picture-perfect piece without hassle. Both Send the Trend and JewelMint additionally take each member through a style assessment to evaluate which trends would best fit him or her, then offer a monthly list of curated and personalized recommendations of items available for purchase.
Send the Trend, curated by “Project Runway” designer Christian Siriano, offers its customers affordable accessories, such as fashion jewelry, sunglasses, and scarves. At Send the Trend, fashion experts are able to answer any style inquiries, provide individual recommendations, and keep a woman on trend with must-have accessories.
BaubleBar prices pieces based on quality and materials, allowing consumers to splurge on certain trends and save on others. If a consumer is uncertain how to wear an item, he or she can go to BaubleBar’s Lookbook for general outfit and shoe recommendations.
JewelMint, created by Kate Bosworth and stylist Cher Coulter, is captivating many fashion trendsetters with its large selection of beautiful jewelry. The monthly members-only jewelry site offers custom-made, trendy jewel selections centered on your individual style.
FOR THE MID-SUMMER WARDROBE UPDATE:
StyleMint (launching in July 2011)
With its debut set for July, StyleMint will work in the same way as the other monthly membership sites. After taking a personality and style quiz, StyleMint will recommend purchase selections that a member can choose to either buy into or not every month. Founded by fashion icons Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, the principal collection will consist of a variety of eight T-shirt styles in a choice of solids and stripes, selling for $29.99 each. As Ashley Olsen told WWD, “Online commerce is the perfect medium for us to create a brand that is as much about the clothing as it is about the customer experience.” StyleMint’s parent company, BeachMint (http://www.beachmint.com), plans to further develop its gamut of monthly clubs comprising of beauty, footwear, home, and wellness.
