I am a fashion person, and fashion is not only about clothes— it’s about all kinds of change.

― Karl Lagerfeld

I’m super picky about clothes.

I need them to fit fairly closely, but not so close that I feel constricted or that I am aware of the seams.

I need them to fall under a certain aesthetic.

I really like not-so-basic black; classic styles with little tweaks that make them interesting or stand out.

I like to look good and be comfy.

And with fitness clothing, I need it to be performance-based, super wicking (I am a very sweaty person) and a good value for the money.

Lorna Jane Active sent me some pieces to try out and review, and dang if they don’t hit every one of those points and then some.

Lorna Jane makes me feel like a ninja.

The sports bra is plenty supportive for a small-chested gal like me, with enough padding to create a bit of cleavage (! I have NEVER EVER had cleavage) but not so much padding that I feel like I’m living a lie.

I’ve been wearing this bra pretty much all the time. I love it. I wear it with dresses, everyday clothes, running, to RivFit classes, for yoga, you name it.

It has an adjustable Y-back that I really like and don’t mind flaunting under my boatneck tops.

This top has a sheer panel across the front and the back that really lets you show off your interesting sports bras of varying colors (but I’m so hooked on the LJ bra that that’s what you get photographed here). The fabric is stretchy and soft and has a sheen that masks the fact that it’s athletic wear. I wore it to lunch at a nice-ish restaurant today. It’s definitely in the rotation of my fave 3 or 4 fave long sleeve tops.

Best part is the fact that it has thumbholes— I love me some thumbholes. But while some thumbhole tops cut into my hands because I guess I have long arms, this one has both enough length and enough stretch that I rock the thumbhole all day long in comfort.

The pants pictured are compression tights and they are SERIOUS BUSINESS. There are actual compression panels that really hold you in. I look svelte, no? Like a dang ninja.

They are somewhat of a struggle to get into, much like my ProCompression socks. I don’t recommend putting them on in the line of vision of someone you’re trying to woo. But once on they’re very comfy, no sausage casing effect.

I wore them running on a fairly hot day (along with the LJ bra) and they both did great, no rubbing or chafing, although I was a little warm in the compression tights. I bet these will be good all through the winter.

Lastly, a top that combines my two favorite articles of clothing, the black tank top and the hoodie.

There’s a little pocket above the Lorna Jane logo there.

Another slimcut top that breathes and wicks sweat but looks totally stylish.

I wore it with a coral Reebok tank underneath and a running skirt to a Fitness Magazine event in NYC. And I love that you wouldn’t necessarily suspect that I was planning to workout in this outfit. Talk about sweat to street!

Bottom line: I’ve been pretty much living in these clothes since I received them. They are the types of things I would wear anyway first, and premium activewear to boot. Making them pretty much my ideal staple wardrobe pieces.

As a result they’ve also been laundered a ridiculous number of times in the past few weeks, and they still look brand new. Value for your dollar; endurable = sustainable.

And then there’s the fact that Lorna Jane is a really awesome company built on the determination and vision of one woman— Lorna Jane herself— and a truly inspiring company mission to MOVE- NOURISH- BELIEVE.

I selected black ninja garb because that’s what fits MY fashion sensibility and I wanted clothes I’d honestly wear again and again. But the selection at Lorna Jane runs the gamut, from currently on trend to more classic styling, from bright neons to more neutral colors. Mix and match as you feel comfortable in, but shop confident that the fit will be flattering and the cut will be comfortable.

Check it out and join us (I’ll be tweeting from the @FitFluential account) for a #LIVEACTIVE chat with Lorna Jane on Twitter tonight at 9EST! We’ll be talking about what it means to live an active, beautiful life and one person will win a $150 gift card.

 
Want to check out the specific styles I’m wearing? Links under the Polyvore board below.

In which Lee Jeans gives me a pair of jeans and makes me feel like less of a man.

Ever since I was, I don’t know, 15 maybe, I’ve said that I have the figure of a 14 year old boy.

Which is to say, I have that awkward bearing a boy possesses when he suddenly finds himself going through puberty, growing rapidly seemingly overnight like Alice after eating from the side of the mushroom that makes you taller. Trapped in a body that he doesn’t quite know the dimensions of yet, hunching over as if he could fold back into his younger shape.

I also have no curves— at least, not the good kind.

All this was confirmed when my own son was 14 and wore the exact same size and shoes that I did, tipping the scale at around the same weight (at 15, we stand at almost exactly the same height; he prefers his shoes a half size larger). From the back you could barely tell us apart. (The hair helps.)

Anyway, it’s always been hella hard to find clothes that hang right on me. They tend to accomodate things I don’t have (boobage, backside) while not giving enough in the areas I need them to (man shoulders, thighs). Jeans are a particular pain because I have big hips and “athletic” thighs and calves relative to my waist, so I need to size up. The end result is jeans that gap in the waist and fall down all. day. long.

In the last year or so I’ve embraced the trouser jean and yoga pant just to avoid having to go jean shopping: my last two decent pairs have developed holes in the knees. (They’d done their time, though. They were at least a decade old.)

Earlier this month I put on my big girl panties and braved driving into Philly by myself (I suck at city driving) to check out the Mom Mixer hosted by Colleen of Classy Mommy and Whitney at Mommies With Style. I missed the hotel and wound up circling with an ever-growing panic, but I eventually figured it out and arrived, albeit 20 minutes late.

I was so glad I did! The lateness of the hour meant I missed out on some things, but I did get to chat with a Lee Jeans stylist who quickly sized me up and sent me to try on some jeans that were not in my comfort zone— meaning, not something I’d ever glance at on a shelf and think, dang that would look good on me.

And this is what I came home with.

Good, yeah? Ignoring the cheesy smile. They’re skinny jeans, but with a TON of stretch. That means that they’re comfy, but also that I was able to go with a smaller waist size and still fit my kickboxing thighs in there.

(It bears noting— I first tried on a pair in the size I wear at Anthropologie and J. Crew and I felt like I was going to bust out of them at the thighs and calves, Incredible Hulk style. Maybe they would have been OK after wearing for a few minutes and letting the stretch do its thing, but it wasn’t a risk I was willing to take in a room full of people.)

They also zip at the ankle and have zippers along the pockets for a bit of edgy detail, like my favorite pair of jeans did when I was, I don’t know. 16? It’s true what they say about trends returning after 20 years. I believe they are the Nirvana and dude, they are on sale.

According to the cheat sheet the Lee Jeans folks gave me, the boyish figure should look for jeans with a low to mid-rise in a bootcut or skinny style, with handsanding or whiskering at the thighs and decorated or flap back pockets to accentuate curves (or in my case, give the illusion of curves in the right places).

I didn’t ask my 12 year old to take any photos of my backside, but IMHO these are very flattering to one’s… ahem… assets.

I wore ’em to another event this past weekend, the Type-A Advanced conference in Philly. My carpool buddy Kelly of The Turnip Farmer commented on how I was dressed in comfy clothes on the drive up.

I looked like this.

Once we got there I switched out my Chinese shoes (2 for $20 at Urban Outfitters, I buy 2 pair every year) for a pair of heels. LOVE that these jeans go from laidback to luxe by just unrolling the cuff and changing your shoes. Also, the way stilettos totally change the way you hold yourself.

Making me a bit less of a man. More of a lady.

I’m thinking some colored denim may be in my future, after seeing them at the Lee display. The next step out of my style comfort zone.

After all, I’m LEAPing this year in all possible ways! Looking forward to having some fun with my wardrobe.

What’s your major wardrobe trial?

Thinking of making any stylin’ leaps this year?

*My teenage son did not think I would wear this t-shirt in public. He was mistaken. If you, too, would like to embarrass your teenaged son by flaunting the swag he claims you do not have, the shirt is on sale at Aéropostale for 8 bucks right now. TOTALLY WORTH IT.*

**Lee Jeans gifted me with a pair of jeans. My opinions are my own. I believe the photos speak for themselves.**