Worn. Torn. Tattered. No more.

I knew for quite some time that I needed new sweat pants/exercise wear/leisure suits but being the cheap SAHM that I am I kept putting it off. Really, I had my eye on a new pair of Coach flats and I really didn't want to give those up for "play" clothes. That is until my DH recently demanded that I stop wearing tattered sweat suits, even to the park. Okay, I understand Starbucks, maybe even the Bank, but the Park?! Ouch! But I knew it must be bad when my DH told me this. The same guy who will not part from t-shirts from his High School days and still fights me on wearing shorts to church. Okay, it is definitely time for updating.

On one of our morning walks sweet and stylish Mommy KR told me she was lucky enough to receive a gift card from her Mother-in-law for her Birthday to Lucy and raved about their exercise suits. She was wearing the pants that morning and I thought they were exactly what I was looking for.

I went to the closest Lucy in Newport Beach, CA. I agreed with her assessment and walked away with pants, jackets, t-shirts and tank tops. If you have a Toddler you understand why exercise wear must not only be functionable but also fashionable. If you don't, let me explain, as a SAHM of a Toddler you some times have to go from exercising directly to the grocery store, Story time, Play dates, the Library, etc. before getting your first shower of the day. The first day I wore my new Lucy suit I actually found myself hoping that I would run into that stylish always-put-together old co-worker I hadn't seen in quite some time (& was actually starting to miss) while at Starbucks. This was quite the opposite of my usually hoping and praying that no one and I mean NO one sees me at Starbucks.

The low rise style fits just right ... hugging you in all the right places and loose and comfy in others. The best part for a shorty like me is that they come in multiple lengths - short, regular and tall. It was wonderful to walk away with a pair of pants that I could actually wear that same day!

On our same discussion on exercise wear KR also told me about Lululemon Athlectica. A little more expensive then Lucy (and Lucy is by no means inexpensive) but I think it might be worth it. I ventured into the Lululemon Athletica at Fashion Island, CA and really felt like a fish out of water. At first glance I thought Lululemon Athlectica was only for the true exercise, eat no-carbs, only organic foods, and sport gurus. It was definitely not for the SAHM's that push a stroller around the neigborhood and call that exercise. I was able to get over that thought when looking around I saw other shoppers that looked just like me plus salespeople that were surprisingly helpful and non-intimidating. Just as I am starting to feel comfortable I found out disappionting news - they only come in two lengths - regular and tall. Luckily one of the very helpful sales girls quickly added that all Lululemon Athletica wear can be altered and hemmed for FREE and available for pick up one week later. That was all she had to say before I began running around the store pulling pants, cropped pants, tank tops, and t-shirts to try on!!! Lululemon Athletica not only has more styles then Lucy but they also have more colors too. I found several pairs that I really liked. This visit I decided only on the Clam Digger's in black since the pants can run you any where from $54 to $98 and I had spent most of my "exercise clothes" budget at Lucy the day before. You are definitely getting your money's worth in quality, as well as, style. All their exercise clothes are flat seams for amazing comfort which also allows them to be worn reversible. I especially thought this was a great option for the pants that were all black on one side and had color waist bands on the other. The disappointing part at Lululemon Athletica was the matching jackets. I did not like any of the styles and was disappointed that they only have 3 styles to pair with over 15 styles of pants. That was okay with me since the jackets I picked up at Lucy look just fine with the my new Lululemon Athletica pants too! Plus, who really wears a jacket in Southern California?!

Oh and by the way, my sweet DH bought me those wonderful Coach flats for Easter. They are still sitting unopened and unworn in my closest. That is where they will probably sit until I realize I can take them back and get a great pair of Lululemon Athletica pants (& maybe even a t-shirt too). I guess he was right, I really did have more of a need for exercise clothes then Coach flats.

To find a Lucy store click here.
To find a Lululemon Athletica store click here.