The Lululemon Asia Exclusive capsule was just released on the Hong Kong website. I love the red and the navy, but….those giant logos are so not Lululemon. Lululemon never used to chase customer trends like this and adapt themselves to whatever the market demands. Lululemon used to pioneer trends, and the customers would find the brand. I see why they made this an exclusive capsule to Asia, it’s a big new market for them, but it’s still surprising. I am not averse to logos and I don’t necessarily pick inconspicuously branded items, but I don’t gravitate to big loud logos that overtake the design. I think I also don’t like it because this big block lettering is new for Lululemon and not one I recognize as their signature Lululemon logo, brand or their type. It looks more like the Supreme branding, or Calvin Klein. It reads more as a basic universal lettering. What do you guys think? Do you like this trend? Do you like this trend on Lululemon items?

Here is an article from Vogue from 2016 about the logo trend. “Logos Are Back: How To Wear The Latest Street Style Trend”

“Likewise, the industry on the whole seems to be taking a long, hard (or, as the case may more aptly be, cheeky and exuberant) look at institutional notions of “bad taste.” Chief among those notions? Logomania’s glorious return.”

The Lululemon Upload is live!

First Lululemon Upload of 2018! This was not a huge upload (smaller for US  than Canada) but there are a lot of items exciting me. I’m on ban island for tights so I can’t get them but I’m really liking the City Lights Fast & Free Crops, and also the Mystic Green Align Tights. I think the aligns would be very showy and too light for my body type but the color is just divine. I’m also loving the Major Mint Energy Bra and will need just about any other item that comes in that color. Vivid Flame Scuba Hoodie and Ruby Red Define Jackets are just gorgeous and the Heathered Bonfire Gait Keeper Short Sleeve is super tempting me but I think it’s too short. I’m going to have to check it out in store to make sure it’s not a crop top, but the color is amazing and very different! The Pink Paradise Swiftly SS is tempting me the most at the moment and I will probably check out with that one in the next few minutes. I also really like the look of the Tied To You Jacket and really like that it’s luxtreme spacer (the only spacer fabric I really like), but it looks a bit plain and boxy from the front. I’d like to try that one on this week in store.

What do you guys think of the new colors and prints? Anything exciting to you?

Keep Your Form Tight City Lights Multi Black/Black

Fast & Free Tight II Translucence Alpine White Multi

Gait Keeper Short Sleeve Heathered Bonfire

Kinda love this color. Debating getting this top.

Vivid Flame Swiftly Tech LS 

Love this one too! Vivid Flame looks more rusty in the swiftly than it does the Scuba.

Scuba Hoodie Vivid Flame

Speed Up Short Vivid Flame

Mystic Green Align Pant II

This color is divine!

Major Mint Energy Bra

I am in love with this color and feeling super tempted by this Energy Bra but I really can’t justify a new sports bra. I hope we see lots more in this.

Wunder Under Hi-Rise Tight City Lights Multi Black

Fast & Free Crop II – City Lights

I like this print a lot. If I were going to get a pair of tights in them I think I’d opt for the Fast & Free Crops. This print reminds me of 2016 seawheeze Vancouver city grid print.

Cloud Crush Jacket

Tied To You Jacket

Tied To You Pullover

Tight Stuff Tight II – Jet Stream 

Swiftly Tech Long Sleeve Crew

This colorway is a Seawheeze color so it’s very surprising seeing it uploaded to the mainstream site in long sleeve, short sleeve and racerback. I’ve been tempted to get the short sleeve because it was an item I saw at Seawheeze that was sold out in my size.

Cool Racerback II – Jet Stream

Wunder Under Crops III Luon Pique Slate

2017 was a wild and unpredictable year for me and overall pretty awesome. I had no idea at the start of the new year in 2017 that after a peaceful winter and spring we would catapult into the chaos that is selling, buying and packing and unboxing a home, and then purchasing furniture for that new home. That’s sort of how these things happen though. We went to Las Vegas for our anniversary and spent a week there peacefully unaware that a week after arriving back home we would fall in love with a house enough to list our home for sale. Fortunately (but at that time, unfortunately) we lost that first house we fell in love with due to the crazy housing market, and we found another house to fall in love with which actually suits our family much better. We moved in September and these past few months I’ve been in a fog of settling in, painting and furnishing and turning an empty house into a home while still keeping pace with the rest of our lives.

Other major changes for me this year was a complete rebranding of Lulumum into The Sweat Edit, and a renewed and refreshed focus on blogging. I was scared TO DEATH of the leap into a different platform for my blog, and making the switch with my old content and everything that entails. I had years and years of content and work that I was so scared of losing, but in the end with the help of a very patient web developer, we moved everything over to this new home. There were a few hiccups with the physical move from Blogger.com to WordPress and google is still finding my old content and making the connection, but I think in the last two months those issues you guys helped me identify have been solved. I’m really glad I made the move, and the branding changes but I’m also glad I had the help I had because it was every bit as complicated as I worried it would be, and not nearly as expensive as I worried it would be.

One thing that unfortunately went to the wayside this year was my fitness routine. I loved and kept mostly consistent with my olympic weightlifting classes, but really lost momentum with my crossfit classes in July once the chaos of our move began. I expected that once I moved into our house in September that I’d be able to get back to my routine, but that just didn’t pan out thanks to constant roadblocks. I am nervous to start in January because it’s going to be a real ass kicking, but I am starting back 3x per week of crossfit + 2x Oly lifting.

Before I share my list of ‘best of 2017 purchases’, I have to say that the things I am most grateful this year are for the health and well being of my family and loved ones, and my health and well being. I am grateful that I have had another year with my senior dog (she’s 13!) and I hope I have a few more years with her, I’m grateful at the opportunities we’ve had and the experiences. I’m grateful for a happy home. I’m grateful for all of you and I hope that you have a wonderful year with many things to be grateful for.

Best Of 2017

This was a sweater I had seen on a blogger and was immediately in love with the vibrant pink color. I had no clue on whether or not I’d like the material (it was mysterious, thick and nubby), or if it would be a flattering fit (it’s pretty large and sack-like), or if it would be way too hot to be practical. I ordered the pink and fell absolutely in love with it and then found the black one on sale so I purchased that one too. I’ve worn these darn sweaters so much this winter because it’s so comfortable and stylish. I probably wear them three times per week, and then also around the house when I’m lounging. This is my first Free People item and I am sure I will explore this brand much more this coming year.
Free People Ottoman Slouchy Tunic

This running shoe was a frivolous purchase because they aren’t specialized for Crossfit, and I can’t wear them to Olympic Weightlifting. They are my most favorite running shoe purchase of all time though. If you are going on vacation, and you need a really great running shoe to walk miles and miles in that will look really great with jeans, or leggings, this is your shoe. If you run 1-6 miles and don’t need ankle stability in a running shoe, these are perfect. I’ve worn these for travel and I’ve worn these for a crossfit style workout that didn’t involve barbel and they are just the most comfortable shoe ever. I have many running shoes but I always grab these to wear out the door.
Adidas Ultraboost

I’ve made several Lululemon purchases this year but as I look back, not many of them are very remarkable or special (or they are wonderful items brought back from previous years in the exact same colors). I classify most of my Lululemon purchases this year as basics. Lots and lots of tights, a few swiftly tech LS’s and not much else. There have been years where I’ve had a favorite item for each month or a few per season, but this was such an odd year for Lululemon and an extremely odd winter season for them. I really liked the peony floral print that came out in the fall, and I sort of like nulux, and I like aligns but they are not durable at all. The stand out for me was the In Motion 7/8 Tight and In Motion Crop. I got the full length tight, and the crops in black and Aeon and I’ve worn them on rotation for Oly lifting. I love the material which doesn’t slide down on my like nulux does, I like that they are more matte than nulux, they don’t have strange long butt seam details.  I like the seam detailing down and across the legs, and the lack of mesh inserts. They are subtle, and functionally perfect, flattering and stylish enough for streetwear.
In Movement 7/8 Tight

I don’t share luxury items on this blog and I’m sort of torn on whether to include such things here, but I did share these very magical princess shoes. They are my first pair of luxury shoes and I’m still so in love with them. I had a hard time choosing between a couple of pairs I looked at (but these where the winners for me and they were absolutely the right choice).

Manolo Blahnik

I love perfumes and have a nice collection going. I wouldn’t say that I’m a monogamous perfume wearer though and I don’t have a signature scent. I wear certain fragrances for a season and then switch, or I switch between a few. I like to keep fragrances associated with specific things. For example, I wore Tom Ford Noir when we traveled to Paris and now I don’t wear it except for when I want to remember that trip. That scent is now eternally associated with that trip.  I am a huge fan of buying little purse spray bottles instead of full size even though the full size is more economical. Because I switch scents so much it would take me a very long time to finish a fragrance, and it’s cheap and cheerful to buy a little $30 spray. If I only ever purchased full size perfumes I wouldn’t discover as many different scents as I do.  My most recent find was this Diptyque Philosykos spray. I love figue fragrances but had only ever known them in candle or home scent form. This is such a summer scent but I wore this all fall and now I think of moving in to our new home with this scent. I’ve put it away for now because I do really want to wear it in the summer, but so far this is my favorite scent in my perfume collection.

Diptyque 

This year I discovered Nike’s amazing Dry Knit tanks and tees. These are comparable to Lululemon Swiftly, but it’s softer and thicker and more durable.  These also come in long sleeves, short sleeves and tanks and it’s an item they carry year round in different colors and patterns. I love how vibrant these are and the fun contrasting color combinations. I think these are the reason I haven’t made many Lululemon tops purchases.

Nike

Athleta isn’t very accessible to Canadians so my only opportunity to try new items from them is on our occasional trips to the US, or if I feel like ordering to my US PO box and paying the exchange rate. I took a chance on these though because of the color, and because they are a new material from Athleta called Powervita. Powervita is a lot like nulu but it’s thicker and more durable and so far these haven’t pilled on me at all. My align crops look absolutely hagard after a few wears so I’m not sure why this blend of similar fabric compostion (its just thicker and has more lycra) isn’t pilling in the same way.

Athleta Powervita

I finally splurged on a barefoot dreams cardi this year after reading rave reviews of this brand every year during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sales. Although this is a very casual cardi that verges on a housecoat, it’s perfect for travel, at home and on casual errands and if you opt for a neutral color like black or beige, it can be dressed up a bit with jeans and nice ballet flats. The cost per wear on this cardi makes it totally worth it, although I prefer to wait for the next Nordstrom Anniversary Sale to come along to get another one. Hopefully, this same style comes out in solid black next year.
Barefoot Dreams Cardi

If you are a long-time reader of my blog you know that although I’m an activewear aficionado, I do love my designer jeans. I rarely wear leggings outside of the gym or home and I almost always opt for a casual pair of jeans. Finding versatile designer jeans on sale is my hobby and I love scoring the best jeans on serious markdown. My best finds include a nice dark skinny jean by Hutson at Costco for $69 CAD, recently my J Brand Houlihans for $89 at Nordstrom Rack, and this past year I found my first pair of AG Jeans for $30. I discovered that my favorite is the AG Jean, but unfortunately, they are the hardest to find on sale. This year I got lucky though and I paid a little bit more for these distressed AG Jeans than my first find of $30.
Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Fitting Room Review

I won’t drone on about this hair straightener because I literally just posted my review of it here. It’s a new hair tool for me but one that has become an absolute favorite.

That’s it for me for Best Of 2017! Now time to celebrate a year well done and a great year to come! I’d love to know what you were grateful for in 2017, and then I’d like to know what your best purchases and discoveries have been.

Happy New Year!!

[show_shopthepost_widget id=”2971889″]

Some great Lululemon store photos of the Radiant Jacket II

Radiant Jacket

Tied To You Sweater, Tied To It Crop

Forever Warm Jacket

Kick Serve Sweat Tight

Yay for mail days guys! My Cabin Yogi LS II arrived along with my second pair of J Brand Houlihan Cargo Skinny Pants.

J Brand Houlihan Cargo Skinny Pants

This is my second pair of Nordstrom Rack J brand cargos. My first pair were the grey ones in my TTS, which I love. After receiving the grey pair and being super happy with the fit and look, I saw that the other color I loved slightly more was marked down even cheaper. The only problem is that it didn’t come in my preferred size, it was only available in my size down. This size is fine when I’m lighter but right now I’m heavier than usual so the grey size is much more comfortable and relaxed. Sizing down makes it pinchy in the waist area, but they do relax quite a bit. I recommend taking your usual denim size if you are interested in these.  I’m starting Whole 30 in January so I hope to wear this pair by early spring. I really love the look of this skinny cargo style pant with a pretty silky blouse and ballet flats, or heels.

Cabin Yogi LS II

This year I got the Cabin Yogi LS II in a size up, because I wanted a loose baggy fit.  I’m very happy with the sizing and I think the color is super pretty. Online it looks like a heathered grey/black/white but it is most definitely a navy in person and with the white heathering it almost looks like a denim color. I used to really love Lululemon’s Boolux material but I now favour the merino wool, and I’m a bit sad that this sweater isn’t their beautiful merino.  Boolux is a synthetic blend with a 5% cashmere added to the knit, and it’s quite soft but it’s also very warm and tends to pill more. I find merino is much cooler to wear, yet warm when it needs to be and it’s harder wearing for me.

Shop the J Brand Houlihan Cargo’s here!
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”2960840″]