I’m a little bit late to the party with the Hustle Jacket but with rumours of more Hustle Jackets to come (Poncho Striped) I figured it was still a relevant fit review. I broke down and blew all of my gift card money and some return money on TWO!! Hustle jackets, Power Purple and Plum Shale. I figure, if I’m running 3-4 days a week and keeping one a bit dirty and sweaty for the week, the clean one can be used for to and from and then I can rotate them. I was a little bit worried about the sizing as my only option was a size 8 and I sometimes need a size 9 for tops so probably would have gotten the 10 if it had been available for the purpose of layering. When I got home I tried on a few shirts underneath and I found I could wear my Inspire Pullovers, Chai Time Pullover, Cool Racerbacks + Swiftly Tech SS but when I tried on my Post Run Pullover it was pretty tight in the arms and upper back. I don’t think that’s a problem since I never plan on layering something that thick underneath. If you have broad shoulders or are bigger in the bust you may find snugness in the upper back where it’s a slightly narrower fit then the bottom half but the fit is not at all awkward like some found the Inspire Jacket to be.

Last week when I got back to running after a month off I found my legs were very, very cold with  -1* and windchill so I had considered buying winter running pants even though I would only get about a month of usefulness out of them. When I wore my Hustle Jacket yesterday I found I was warm enough throughout in just a Cool Racerback underneath, Brisk Run Gloves and my Dash Tights. My torso kept so warm that I didn’t even feel my legs get cold at all and I was very comfortable. I usually prefer running in just my pullovers but I think they breath a little better then jackets which means when there is a bit of wind you can feel it. This jacket was so comfortable and soft it felt like it moved with my arm movement and torso movement and not like I was moving against it. I loved having the deep pockets on the sides because I like the easier access. Sometimes I find with back pockets I have to really slow down to walking pace in order to unzip and pull out whatever I need. I didn’t run in the evening but I felt like the amount of reflectivity on the jacket and the placement was exactly what I want, especially running in a neighborhood with few sidewalks. Upper back and chest reflectivity is perfect for on coming traffic and the outer wrist reflectivity catches the eye of drivers when it’s in constant swinging movement.

Another thing I love about this jacket is the bling zipper. It is a very smooth zip up that you don’t have to fuss with while your running. I find some of the zippers, particularly the metal ones catch and drag a bit when zipping and so you need to hold tension in the jacket in order to zip up properly. This zipper is really easy though and just glides up and down. I like the look of the sparkle on this very feminine jacket. I don’t like the bling zipper to be on all items but it really works in the running line, particularly in a design like this one that is meant to have that very feminine look. An odd thing though is that the pocket zippers you need to zip down to close and not up like in other non running jackets. I assume that is meant to make it easier while your running or to keep it more securely closed. It’s awkward when you first discover it but not a bother, just something you need to get used to.

I also wore this jacket yesterday to do some errands and I saw two other ladies wearing these (how can you tell what city your in). One was wearing the same color as me and another lady was wearing the black. The black is a really nice contrast of edgy and feminine so it looked great on her. I just can’t pull of wearing black for some reason but it’s nice to have a neutral colored jacket. This jacket is such a great buy at $145, the only features it’s lacking is cuffins/tuckins and a watch hole. I really love the snug running luon cuffs that you can hide under the sleeve or wear down. My husband thinks they look really silly which is why it’s nice to have the option of pulling the outer sleeve down. When I’m running I don’t care how silly I look, I like having the warm cuffins pulled down. I’m really pleased with this purchase because it’s versatile in that I can use it for running and for to and from and the cost per use ends up being pretty minimal. This one is an A++ for me in design and function.

I’m so disappointed in my store trip today. I finally decided that I do indeed need winter weight running pants and was committed to parting with my gift cards for a practical *need* purchase. I tried on the Resolution Pants in Raw Blue and loved them, fit and all except for one thing. The seam detail at the top of the butt. the inner layer fabric also has this same seam detail but it’s unattached so when the top fabric moves you can see a line underneath. It looked like my undies were bunched up and sitting low but it was in fact the inner fabric seam. I was so mad because other then that the size 8 fit the best and looked really cute on. On the other hand I decided I want Lululemon to pretty please make Dance Studio Pants in Raw Blue. 

**Update. I decided to give these ones a second shot. I really really love the Raw Blue and the Waist on them and I also decided I like the idea of wearing a layer over top of tights I already have and having warmish pants that are not tech fleece warm. I hope the ones I tried on today were the only ones that had the seam issue. Or I’ll have to decide if that is something I can live with.

Resolution Pant Raw Blue

The Alpine Tights were another disappointment for me mostly because I really liked them as well and heard great reviews from friends but the fit was not working for me in the 8 or 10. The size 8 would not go over my hips no matter how hard I tugged on them. Ok, I can live with getting these in a size 10. But then size 10 were hard to pull up over my hips too. They did come on with a bit of a tug but then they were really loose and baggy in the crotch area. They sagged down low between my legs and looked awful. I liked the snug fit on the lower leg and the cozy pajama feel of these as well as the high rise. But these are not meant for my curvy hips. Poo poo on this one Lululemon. 

Run Alpine Tight

I almost came home with these Outward Bound Pants. They fit great, I loved that they weren’t tights and had a pant look and reflective detailing on the bottom.  I was a bit on the fence with these as they are almost too warm and unfortunately they were on sale (yes I actually said that). I ended up not getting them because for the whole $8 off I would have saved with these on sale I was kissing away my ability to exchange them if I changed my mind. I really hate markdowns that small because for the $3-$9 dollar savings I would much rather pay full price and be able to return or exchange them if I’m less then 100% sure on them. Poo – poo on markdowns not worth the trade off and poor return policies. 

Run Outward Bound Pant

I got these Dash Crops on markdown the other day and I am very, very pleased with these. This is a markdown that enticed me enough to try something I wouldn’t have purchased otherwise, especially since there out of season. Regular price was $86 and I got them for $59 – almost $30 off!! Now that’s more like it.  I ran in these yesterday morning and I loved the fit. The rise was perfect and the compression was firmer then my Inspire Crops which meant that the Coal Luxtreme didn’t show imperfections the way coal bottoms usually would on me. No sliding at all while running and the higher rise meant zero muffin top. 

Run Dash Crops

I just got back from my run wearing my new Ambition Pullover and I LOVE IT!! I did a fit review of it a few days ago over here, but that was purely based on fit and aesthetics. This is by far the most comfortably designed run pullover I have used to date for running (Run Like The Wind, Spirit, Inspire) and am so happy I jumped on it on Boxing Day because by the time I got home it was all sold out online. I had mild reservations of buying a luxtreme pullover as those are not a first choice for me (I like cozy and soft) but the fact that it’s the new brushed power luxtreme on the inside made me want to try it. Plenty cozy on the inside and nice durable luxtreme outside. Perfect sweat wicking.

The thing I loved the most of this pullover was that it’s such a relaxed fit in the arms and body with no seam details or fussyness. The size 8 left plenty of roominess in my chest and arms. I loved the ribbed hem at the bottom which kept the pullover nicely in place over my luxteme tights and I loved the added length which was nice for warmth. This felt like I just threw on a cozy pull over sweatshirt. I forgot to notice if the hood pulls were bothering me which means I didn’t notice them at all during my run. I left it uncinched and my neck was a little bit cool at the start of my run but I could have cinched that up if it bothered me.

The temp when I set out was 4* but with the windchill it was -1* and I was quit chilled when I started out but at 4, almost 5 minutes out I was warm enough and comfortable with just my Cool Racerback underneath, Inspire Crops and my Featherweight socks. Next time I may bring my Brisk Neck Warmer in addition to my Brisk Ear Warmers. I was planning on wearing my Brisk Run Gloves but my daughter decided to play with them a few minutes before I was leaving and she dunked them in her new water table. The tuck-ins were good enough to keep my hands warm and I find I’m really loving the new long ruched running luon sleeves with thumbholes and tuck ins that are in the new running jackets, Post Run Pullover and Run Pullovers. I only wish it had a watch hole.

I loved using my Garmin 110 today. It is so simple to use and so easy to sync my watch to my laptop. I used to spend a few minutes writing my run into my calendar with guestimates of distance and pace after every single run. Today I just hit print and I had a graph printed out with every detail I ever will want to know. My husband splurged and got me the heart rate monitor which I’m glad about as I use a wireless one on my treadmill. I don’t use it each run because it’s a chore to remember but I like the option of using it on a once a week long run. I was really pleased to learn that my pace is a bit faster then I guestimated, especially on a short and easy does it run.

On a side note, my husband gave me a nice lululemon compliment today which is rare because he hates to encourage my Lululemon shopping. In fact he likes to actively discourage it by telling me he hates Lululemon. Anyways, I’ve been wearing my Live Simply Crewneck Tee Black Roses Print a lot during the holidays and today I wore it under my Scuba hoodie. He said ‘where did you get that shirt from?‘ (duh!) and I nervously told him it was a Lululemon shirt I got ‘I dunno, a while ago I guess‘. And he said ‘I like that shirt a lot, the print really flatters your figure‘. Ok, I’m taking liberties here because he said ‘flatters your figure’ in guy terms but I wont share that here. I got my shirt online and ended up with a really pretty distribution of flowers throughout. a few areas of white space in the front with scatterings of little roses that are balance very nicely. I also got my shirt in a size down for a more fitted look then the model is wearing below. So there you have it, the Black Roses Print is guy approved. Lululemon, please make more Black Roses Print items, or reverse the print to white roses on black background.