Monday, September 27, 2010

ALO Review yin and yang

ALO sent me two items to try out and review.
I love one and really strongly dislike the other.  To set the tone on a positive note since its so cool to receive new things to try out I will start with the Ultimate Performance Hoodie in Splash which is dry wicking (Coolfit), antimicrobial and has Stretchflex technology.
This is the best zip hoodie I have ever owned!  I love it when running and I wore it the whole weekend while in the Quad cities while working the nuun booth at the marathon.  It has long sleeves and reinforced holes for my thumbs so it covers the back of my hands.  I love the way it fits in my shoulder area and it is also fitted in my waist. The color is fab and the fabric is just the right amount of stretchy to flatter in all the right places.
It washes well and kept me cool when I was sweaty and warm when I was cold. 
Just try and disregard the fact that my belly was peaking out in the photo! I guess thats what I get for being a ham while the expo director took a pic for me.
  It was chilly that morning and I stayed comfortable  in my hoodie.  Oh and did I mention it has lots of pockets!
It even has a small pocket on the left sleeve and all of the pockets on the outside zip.  There are two deep pockets on the inside as well.  It has a great fit and the hood fits snuggly and doesn't get in the way of my vision when up.

Now the Yang. I have yet to write a negative review and doing so feels a bit awkward.  however I have to say I have never disliked shorts more than these and maybe just maybe my opinion will change the way we see womens and mens style in running. (You know how I love a man in a kilt!!)
There is no reason that women should be looking less than hot when sweating.( All puns intended even though they are probably bad).
This fantastic blog post by Iris had made my love of skorts grow even deeper! Oh and go tell Iris not to stop blogging!
 I try to avoid clothing that makes me look frumpy.  I have worked hard to better my running and loose the baby weight from having my four kids. Everything about my body has changed and my style has too. No more frumpy ill fitting and unflattering clothes running or otherwise. I still love jeans and t-shirts but now I pay attention to how they look. Comfort can and should  be flattering too.

I have come to love running skirts for daily living as well as running. So any other style will have to live up to my already established love of skirts. I consciously chose to remind myself to be open minded in my review of the ALO running shorts in black, also Coolfit, antimicrobial and Stretchflex.  
Yeah, they don't look like that on me and frankly I don't like the way they look on her either.  They were balloonie and unflattering.  There are other run shorts that I see around that are so popular are in the same style and I just  don't get it.   I gave them a go and tried to like them but unfortunately couldn't manage it.  The big thing was that I felt very unattractive in them and my hubby thought they made my butt look funny so that sealed the deal.
I must say that I do like the fabric.  It is very light weight and moved nicely.  It just needed some better style. 
So there you have some yin and yang from barefoot Angie Bee. Trying to change the world one review at a time! 

9 comments:

KovasP said...

Those look like old-school gym shorts. Maybe they were going for a retro feel?

Marlene said...

Thanks for the honest review!!

Super cute pic at the expo. :)

Shellyrm ~ just a country runner said...

I like the color of the hoodie too.

I just bought shorts after my fall (shopping always makes bodily injuries hurt less, right?) and I put them on last evening. Ballooooony! Maybe I should have gotten a smaller size?

I love a honest review.

Emz said...

Love ann honest review. YAY you.

I'm converted to nuun. Just wanted you to know. Packing 8 of them for my run Saturday.

Indi said...

Love that hoodie. I'm all about pockets :)

Molly said...

I like how you told it like it is! The hoodie sounds lovely!

Iris said...

I love a great hoodie, and that one is really cute. That shorts style always bulges out in front for me. Not a pretty look in a lady.

Thanks for the shout out and the encouragement to keep at it. If I can get just one more woman to adopt the skort, that's a win in my book.

Diana Tries-A-Tri! said...

I appreciate the honesty!

Tricia said...

loved the honest review!

oh, and I tried nuun for the first time yesterday and thought you of you.love it!

I provide Bradley Method childbirth education, doula, belly casting, placenta encapsulation, and post partum doula services.
I serve families in Kitsap County, Bainbridge Island, Poulsbo, Bremerton, Silverdale, Kingston, Port Townsend, Bremerton, Port Orchard, and the greater Seattle area. email me atangiebeehotz@gmail.com with any questions you might have
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