Don't Hurry Be Happy

Coziest outfit ever: Lululemon Don't Hurry Be Happy fleece pullover in black, Ivivva warm'er tights, H&M knit legwarmers, Nike frees

I haven't bought a ton of Lululemon over the last year as I don't work out as much as I used to. I'm lucky if I can make it to yoga once a week; I haven't started running again yet and I've only been able to go to one SPX pilates class. I walk everyday with little K and the dogs, but that's pretty much it. Hopefully I can work out more in 2013. I haven't had a need to get new workout gear, but I've picked up a couple of staple items on significant sale (~50% off), including 2 swiftly long sleeves and 2 swiftly short sleeves, and some XL cool racer backs. These are actually my first swiftlys, they used to never go on sale in my size. I guess the market is getting saturated with all the colors that they've released over time. I love swiftlys, so comfortable for everyday wear. The Don't Hurry Be Happy pullover was a Christmas gift, and I love it. You'd think that fleece would be overkill for Southern California, but it really isn't, it's perfect for late afternoon dog walks and very cozy for post holiday lounging around the house. My only complaint is that the hood makes my hair staticky. I really loved the polar cream version and thought that it was more flattering on me, but practicality won out as I couldn't justify it over the black with a baby in the house. My mother-in-law liked the pullover so much that she bought the polar cream version with a Christmas giftcard (along with an in stride jacket and ice queen pullover). Another new lululemon convert!

Lululemon Swiftly LS in Alberta Lake, a pretty blue / grey color. I also picked up Swiftlys in Flash, Tender Violet / coal, and Bruised Berry, all for $25-$30 off

Hammer Time

Zara numbers t-shirt and studded sandals, Lululemon hot n sweaty crop

Sometimes I love them, sometimes I hate them...I can't quite decide. They are definitely weird, baggy in some areas, fitted in others, and gathered in random spots. I don't think harem pants ever really caught on in the US, but they were quite big in Europe over the last few seasons. I'm not sure I would have bought these Lululemon harem style pants if I had actually tried them on in the store, but at the time, they were quite heavily marked down (by Lululemon standards) so I figured I would give them a shot, after all, as long as they were in my size, how bad could they be? However, given that they were on markdown, that also meant they were final sale, so here I am stuck with them. From some angles I don't think they look that bad, but then sometimes I think they look ridiculous. Oh well, at least they are super comfortable and lightweight in the sheer luon, and fine for walks around the neighborhood, lounging around the house and working out, which is what they are meant for anyway.

 

Worn with some of my Zara sale purchases: a linen red "numbers" t-shirt and studded flat sandals. I love the linen t-shirt, it is oversized yet drapes well with some fuzzy texture on the numbers that you can't see in pics, and will go with lots of my wardrobe. I like the look of the studded flats, matches my Balenciaga bag, but they aren't very comfortable right now, hopefully just needs a little breaking in.

Ivivva vs. Lululemon: Scuba Hoodie and Wunder Under Alternatives

Left: Size 4 White Tinted Canvas Lululemon Scuba Hoodie, Right: Size 14 Prosperous Purple / Grapealicious Ivivva Hoodie Stitch

 The Lululemon Scuba Hoodie and Wunder Unders are two of my favorite staple Lululemon items; I pretty much exclusively wear Wunder Under Pants and Crops for working out (except for running) and the Scuba Hoodie is so warm and cozy for lounging around my chilly house as well as for walking the dogs in the cool Santa Monica evenings. Ivivva is actually the girl's line from Lululemon, but I've found that I can fit into some of their larger sizes, and many of the styles and fabrics are identical between the two lines. The fabric for the hoodies are pretty much identical; the main design differences are no stretchy ribbing on the Ivivva Hoodie on the arms and the sides, so it's a little looser fitting, Ivivva pocket is mesh lined with an interior key / phone pocket, as opposed to fleecy, the Ivivva thumbholes are horizontal slits rather than vertical slits. The size 14 Ivivva Hoodie is longer in the body and wider in the sleeves and body than the size 4 Scuba Hoodie, but the sleeve cuffs are shorter. Hood size seems identical. Only caveat is that I haven't tried zipping up the Ivivva hoodie (since I'm 38 weeks pregnant), so I'm not sure how the fit across the chest / shoulders is. As for the Wunder Under comparison, the Warm'er Tights are actually made of running luon, which is stretchier, softer, and warmer than regular luon, which is what Wunder Unders are generally made of. I think the Ivivva Rhythmic Tights are more similar in terms of fabric and style to the Wunder Unders. The size 12 Ivivva Warm'er Tights are a little narrower and shorter than my size 4 camo Wunder Unders, but to me the fit is about the same, because running luon is a lot stretchier, and Wunder Unders are too long for me anyway. Also, running luon doesn't turn see through when it is too tight, unlike regular luon, so a slightly snugger fit is acceptable. I like the bright colors and fun details of the Ivivva line; I think workout gear should be colorful and bold, more inspiring that way. Best part is, Ivivva is a lot cheaper than Lululemon, both these pieces were 60-70% cheaper than the Lululemon version. I actually bought these pieces from Zulily, though I've also purchased directly from Ivivva's online store. In the US, Ivivva is currently available only online, but I hear that they are looking to open brick and mortar stores soon. Ivivva is definitely worth checking out if you love Lululemon!

Size 4 Scuba Hoodie on Top, Size 14 Ivivva Hoodie on the bottom

Left: Lululemon Size 4 Camo Wunder Under Pant, Right: Ivivva Size 12 Grapealicious Striped Warm'er Tight

Lululemon Winter Binge: Stride Jacket, Quickstep Pants, Triumphant Tote, Power Technique Tank and More...

Stride Jacket in Black Stripes Galore and Quickstep Pant in Black

I've been on quite the Lululemon binge the last few months. Fortunately, I had received several generous gift cards (I'm lucky to have family that know me so well!) and everything was pretty significantly discounted, so I've definitely satisfied my Lululemon needs for 2012. The markdowns have been pretty good recently, which only happens about twice a year, around Christmas and over the summer. One of my favorite purchases was actually the Stride Jacket in Black Stripes Galore. It's actually my first Stride Jacket (I have a Define and Mynah Jacket, as well as a Gratitude Wrap, Savasana Wrap and Flashback Jacket), but I love it! I like the long length, high collar that keeps me warm, hood, two way zipper, and especially the pattern of the jacket; it's like nothing else I have and the stripes are actually this really cool black, grey and purple combination (a little hard to see in pictures). I also really like the Quickstep pants; I've been wearing them almost everyday since I got them. My Dance Studio Pants are probably my favorite casual pants and I would wear them everyday if I could. Pluses of the Quickstep pant vs. the Dance Studio: slimmer in the leg with a little more design and stitching up and down the leg, flattering back pockets and no front drawstring bulge. Minuses: the extra stitching design was a little distracting and uncomfortable at first, the bagginess of the Dance Studio pants makes them even more comfortable and the Quicksteps can't be hemmed. Not a big deal because I didn't hem my Dance Studio Pants until well over a year after wear. I just have to tighten and tie the bottom of the Quickstep pants around my ankles and fold over the extra fabric. The Triumphant Tote has been an awesome travel bag as well as large around town bag with a billion pockets (future diaper bag?), the Power Technique tank is really comfortable, especially with the super soft mini check striped top, I like pretty ribbon detailing and space dye pattern of the top of the Bulerias Tank, and I also got two pairs of very comfortable Still pants which are being discontinued (not pictured). All stuff that I'm planning on wearing lots in the upcoming months, as I am 4 months pregnant and only getting bigger, but I'd say I'm definitely done for awhile... Also as part of Christmas, K. got his first Lululemon as well after trying a bunch of things on, two pairs of Core Shorts for running (he prefers shorts without builtin liners), which look really nice.

The high collar, hood, and long cozy length really make this jacket quite warm. Plus fits over the baby bump.

The Quickstep pant has two drawstrings, one around the ankle, and one vertical for cinching up to crops. I love the fabric, same lightweight fabric as the Dance Studio Pants, most comfortable for lounging around and travel. The Dance Studio Pants are baggier in the leg by about 1.5x, they almost cover my shoes when I wear them

The Triumphant tote is my favorite Lululemon bag. Very spacious with a billion zippered and open pockets. I also like the option of the shorter double straps for everyday use when carrying heavy items and longer strap for messenger style hands free use. Perfect diaper bag!

Power Technique Tank in Black Heathered Coal Mini Check. The mini check material is the softest and coziest ever, I wish I got more in this fabric. Tank is very billowy and comfortable, and is actually a size up (6) since they were sold out of my size. Worn with reversible lolo purple wunder under crops

Bulerias Tank in Magnum Space Dye. Hard to see, but the satin ribbon detail is very pretty and I really like the soft grayish purple color.

Bali Motorbike Adventures: Goa Gajah & Yeh Pulu

Goa Gajah

 We rented a brand new Honda motorbike for $4 a day for the five days that we were in Ubud.  For the most part, we just used the bike around town, to lunches and dinners or massages. It was really convenient; we could have walked, but it was quite hot and humid while we were there, generally in the 80's, plus all the roadside pollution from the motorbikes, so traveling by motorbike was much more comfortable. We stayed a little bit far from the center of town, north of Raya Ubud near the Botanical Gardens, so one-way cab fares to and from our villa would have been about $4 as well. We didn't want to take too much risk on the motorbike so the only places that we went outside of central Ubud was to do a little sightseeing at Goa Gajah and Yeh Pulu. Goa Gajah was super crowded with not a lot to see, but we enjoyed Yeh Pulu, There was no one else out there and it was a nice little walk through rice paddies and ducks.

OT, but Lululemon is the best for hot and humid tropical weather. Love the No Limit Tank.

Gas was quite inexpensive as well, $1 for 2 liters. You didn't even need to go to the gas station, just buy them at roadside stands, look out for the yellow liquid in glass liquor bottles.

Report Marks Boots and Madewell Sweatshirt

Madewell sweatshirt, Uniqlo jeans and Report Marks Ankle Booties in Cognac

Two of my latest fall purchases: the Report Marks ankle boots and Madewell sweatshirt. I'm on a self-imposed shopping ban until Asia, but couldn't resist these two purchases, with the justification that I will get a lot of use out of them on my trip and for the next few months in general. I've been looking for the perfect pair of ankle boots with a heel for awhile; I love the Isabel Marant Dickers, but they are forever out of stock in my size (37), not to mention pricey. I've done a lot of research for similarly styled ankle boots and settled on the Report Marks in cognac. I wanted a slip on style without a zipper as the zipper could cause abrasion with leggings / tights (I know it sounds ridiculous, but I was really disappointed when my beloved Fryes caused pilling on a new pair of Lululemon leggings), plus with a 20% off shoes.com coupon and at $99, they were the cheapest amongst all the similar ankle boot styles (and a lot cheaper than the Isabel Marant pair, which go for $600+). I am surprisingly pleased with them, they are actually quite cushioned around the sides and at the soles and the heel height is perfect for a little height but very comfortable and stable. I've worn them around town with a good amount of walking and they are as comfortable as a pair of flats. I bought the Madewell sweater mostly because it was on super sale for only about $13, plus I love the super soft and cozy heathered sweatshirt knit.

Isabel Marant Dickers. Image from net-a-porter.com. More intricate detailing and slightly more Western style

Lululemon Gratitude Wrap Review: Believe the Hype

Lululemon Gratitude Wrap in Black Swan / Black Swan Heathered Black Skeletonbone (second part refers to the herringbone inner lining that no one can see except for me). Worn with MiH Marrakesh Kick Flare jeans and Toms red striped wedges

For some reason, the Lululemon Gratitude Wrap is one of the most popular item that Lululemon has ever made, with quite the cult following. It is particularly coveted as it hasn't been released in the last few years, so Gratitude Wraps on EBay often sell for many multiples of the retail price. I never quite understood it as I had never seen one in real life before, even though I've been buying Lululemon for several years now. Lululemon re-released the Gratitude wrap to the Canadian stores over the last few weeks, but only to US customers through the online store last Thursday. I wasn't planning on being up for the release; usually they upload new items around 7am pacific, but I happened to naturally be awake at 6:50am on Thursday, so I hopped online. I managed to snag a Black Swan (dark purplish blue) in my regular size 4 as soon as it was uploaded at 6:59am; I was amazed to see the size 4 quickly sell out not a minute later. Unfortunately many people were not as lucky with website failures and canceled orders, shades of the Missoni for Target debacle.

The Gratitude Wrap arrived via fedex today and I have to say, I am in love. I was originally planning to think about it for a few days, and possibly wait for different colors to be released, but I couldn't help myself and tore off the tags so I could wear it immediately, which is quite unusual for me as I often vacillate on these kinds of things. I know the pictures aren't really that great and it does look a little like a potato sack, but I just love the Gratitude Wrap, even more than my beloved Savasana Wrap which I bought on sale for half off and wear as much as I can. The photos probably make it look bulkier since I'm wearing jeans as opposed to workout pants, but I plan on wearing the wrap with both workout gear as well as casual wear. I love the warm ribbed sleeve details with the thumbholes of the Gratitude Wrap; it's like wearing gloves and keeps me a lot toastier than the Savasana Wrap. The double breasted rows of buttons keeps the wrap buttoned up more securely, pockets at are a more accessible angle and I like how the wrap is nice and long in the back; looks proportionally better on me than the Savasana Wrap. I love the little contrast details like the elbow patches, back triangle patch and drawstrings. It's a lot more structured with interesting details than the Savasana Wrap, even though it's the same retail price. It's perfect for LA weather; I'm comfortably wearing a long sleeve shirt underneath and it will keep me warm and toasty for the LA fall / winter. I'm sure my usual top size 4 is the right size for me as I can still layer a long sleeve or thin sweater, the shoulders and sleeves are comfortable without any noticeable tightness but keep me warm, and the vertical edge of the wrap falls straight up and down, even if I have some bulk in the pockets like my hands. I'm really grateful that I was able to snag one and I know that I will have to restrain myself from wearing it everyday, neglecting all my other clothes, for the next few months. I've been pretty good at keeping my Lululemon purchases under control except for last week where I also bought a bulerias tank and my first pair of still pants, both on markdown. This should keep me covered for awhile... Oops, realized most people wear the Gratitude Wrap buttoned all the way up. Too lazy to take another picture at the moment.

Lululemon Gratitude Wrap: I love the thumbholes; makes the wrap so snug and cozy

You can faintly see the ribbed elbow patch

Nice and long in the back

Lululemon Savasana Wrap in  Coal / Coal Strata Stripe (also a size 4)

Stone Brewing's 15th Anniversary Celebration & Beer Festival

Beer Fest! The regular tents

We headed back to San Diego again on Saturday for Stone's 15th Anniversary Party at Cal State San Marcos. We should have learned our lesson from the previous weekend, but traffic was terrible again, particularly between Dana Point and Oceanside. Crawling along in traffic is so brutal, especially when you want to get somewhere to start drinking beer. We got there in time to meet our friends for the afternoon session but actually ended up with All-Access passes. Usually it's a guys trip, but this year, the girls were invited along as well. I was skeptical at first, but the All-Access passes are totally worth it; it gives you admission to the VIP tents on the top of the hill with two rare beer stands, free duck and pulled pork tacos, and awesome live music. It was so relaxing to just chill in the grass under the shade of the trees, listen to the music and sip on delicious beer; a perfect way to spend a beautiful Saturday afternoon. There was never any wait to get beers or tacos and plenty of empty chairs around. We never made it down to the regular tents; it just looked like a zoo down there, way too crowded. We did miss out on the Stone 15th Anniversary beer that was only being poured in the regular tents as well as onion rings, but it was much more enjoyable. The rare beer menu:

I'm definitely missing a few, but we tried:

• Ballast Point Habanero Sculpin Ale,
• Beachwood BBQ Thrill Seeker American IPA
• Ladyface Trois Filles Tripel
• Maui Heaven and Hell Barleywine,
• Mother Earl Paul Sangster Collaboration
• 2004 Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine
• Redstone Meadery Hoppy the Terroir
• AleSmith / Mikkeler / Stone Belgian Style Triple Ale
• Dogfish Head / Victory / Stone Saison du BUFF
• AleSmith Brewer's Reserve Speedway Stout
• Pizza Port Carlsbad Bourbon Barrel Aged Night Rider
• Allagash Lawrence
• Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout
• Stone SoCal Hop Salute Double Black IPA
• Tustin Brewing O.E. Rye Whiskey Barrel Aged Barleywine

My favorite were: Ladyface Trois Filles Tripel (just a really nicely balanced Belgian), Ballast Point Habanero Sculpin Ale (love the prickliness from the habenero, just the right amount to give the beer a kick without being overpowering), Maui Heaven and Hell Barleywine (favorite Barleywine, very balanced with deep and delicious flavors) and Mother Earth Paul Sangster Collobaration (my favorite chocolate-y rich porter).

I liked the pourers at Dr. Bill's Corner, they seemed to really be enjoying themselves

The VIP tents on the hill; a lot less crowded than the tents down below

First time drinking cider since my college days

Jimmy and Enrique rocked! They played the best covers of great classic songs like "Don't Stop Believing,""Free Fallin'", Santana, the Beatles, etc

Pulled pork tacos. Goes well with beer.

Cheers

Random people shots:

Almost everyone was wearing a random beer t-shirt. I wanted to get a beer t-shirt to fit in but they were all sold out by the end of the day.

Beer + great music = drunk people dancing

Outdoor beer fest drinking outfit: coal Lululemon Bliss Dress (bought on sale), Prada Minimal Baroque Sunglasses, H&M hat, H&M x Swedish Hasbeens clogs, Balenciaga velo bag in black and Lululemon heathered coal vinyasa scarf (in the bag). I got a lot of compliments on my outfit, particularly on my shoes, but I think it's just because people were drunk.