Fit the Bill: Target Dress WITH pockets

By: LL 
Spring weather in the midwest is in full swing, which means that one minute it is hot and steamy, the next it is pouring rain. Luckily, there was a break in the rain, which allowed us to head out for a later afternoon stroll. Here is a peak at the cute little dress with pockets (#1 selling point for me) that I picked up at Target when I was supposed to be making a necessities run ... aren't cute dresses with pockets necessities? I wish my husband saw it that way!

Anyway, the dress, in stores now, is reasonably priced at $24.99. It comes with a matching tie belt, which I thought was a little too matchy-matchy, so I went ahead and paired it with a leather J.Crew belt.

{Dress - Target; Belt - J. Crew; Sandals - Steve Madden; Sunglasses - Rayban}

This steal of a dress comes in prints and solids, and has a striking resemblance to a dress featured in the InStyle "Under $50 Summer Must-Haves" (Page 201 for those of you with the June issue), but was even more of a bargain! 

Throwing a Fit: On a Boat

By: LL
As Memorial Day comes and goes, it is officially, by anyone's rules, appropriate to wear nautical-inspired attire. I don't know about you, but there is something crisp and classic about navy, white, red and gold combinations in prints that just scream summer on the east coast to me. Here are some of the pieces that I am throwing a fit over as we head into the heart of summer.

From left (clockwise): Gap Maxi Dress ($74.95), Kardashian Kollection Striped Shoulder Tank ($24.95 - Sears), Jubilee Flutter Sleeve Top ($34.95 - Rouche), Seersucker Blazer ($34.95 - H&M), Sailboat Print Shorts ($34.95 - Land's End), Sailboat Top ($24.95 - Old Navy)

What is nice is that each of these items also fits the bill, coming in under $100! Can't beat that!

Fits Do Race Reviews: TC 1 Mile

By Jessie

I participated in the TC 1 Mile last week, which was the second time that I ran this unique event.

It was a hot, windy Thursday evening. When I met up with two run club friends for a few miles of warmup beforehand, we could tell the conditions were not ideal.

The race included multiple "waves," the first of which was the "Friends and Family" wave. Since we were at the start line and ready to go at 6:50, we decided to go ahead and run with this heat. Unfortunately, the casualness of this wave (i.e. lots of little kids and parents) left us feeling a little less than our "most competitive" selves, and my mile time reflected that. However, it was nice to run in the first wave so we could cheer for all the others!

I was supposed to run in the Corporate Team Wave, but since the event is chipped-timed, it doesn't really matter which wave you go in (though I could not have participated in the Masters Wave, the Open Wave, or the two championship waves of course). The D-man ran in the Open Wave, our run club coach, Paul, ran in the MN Team Circuit Championship, and my coworkers ran in the Corporate Team Challange wave.

It was amazing to watch the Championship wave. The winning man ran in 4:04. Last year's time was a 3:58, so it was definitely a slower day, but the time was still quite impressive!

I would give this race a 9/10. It's only $20, which includes a dry-fit shirt. It's a nice event, because runners of all levels and abilities can participate. Though I prefer a longer distance event, it's fun to occasionally push myself a little harder for a short amount of time.

Pros:
Price- only $20
A wave for everyone! The Friends and Family, Corporate, etc allow all types of runners to participate.
Location- there are plenty of pubs along the course for a post-run beverage
Opportunity to cheer for some amazing runners

Cons:
Parking- getting downtown and finding parking can be challenging. I suggest running from Uptown or elsewhere as your warmup if possible.
Air Quality- for some reason, we all were coughing like crazy after the race. Some people thought it was the cottonwood in the air or the humidity, but it seemed like maybe the air quality was bad at that time of day downtown. My cough lasted until the next day- ugh!


I would definitely recommend this event to others for next year. Stay tuned to this website for more details!

Featured Fit: Island Colors

By: LL
This past weekend, my husband and I made a conscious effort to spend some time appreciating our new city and stepping away from our stressors. What better way than to spend a little time downtown for a Saturday evening art show, and follow that up with a nice dinner. It was a warm weekend, but since we were going out in the evening and would be dining at an indoor restaurant - and I am ALWAYS cold in restaurants - I paired something bright and flowy on top and dark on the bottom. I felt that the color combination of the top and the necklace was island-inspired. Maybe it is because I was talking to Cool J about her upcoming trip to Cancun. Who knows, but the outfit really made me feel like it was a summer evening and I craved a tropical drink ...

Details:
Jeans - Gap Always Skinny
Sandals - Steven Madden (also here)
Tank - 5/48 (Off 5th ... so excited to find one in KCK)
Necklace - J.Crew Bubble Necklace
Sunglasses - Versace (spring 2010)
Handbag - Brooks Brothers (also here)

Featured Fits: Share Our Strength Recap

By Jessie

Remember a few months ago, when I posted about the "Share Our Strength Cakewalk" event?
Well, check it out ... the ladies and I ended up in the May issue of Minnesota Monthly.

Dustin is there too, on the right. Way to represent, Calhoun Beach Run Clubbers!

Fitting Debates: To Maxi, or Not to Maxi?

By Jessie

Maxi dresses: I am aware that I am quite a bit behind the curve to be purchasing my first maxi dress. But, I just assumed that this style would not be flattering on my body type - I assumed that it would be a failed fit, as we say.

But again and again, one of my stylish friends would arrive to a social gathering, looking adorable in a flowing, bright maxi, and I wondered if I should reconsider ... There had to be a maxi that worked for me too!

Finally, many years after the debut of the maxi dress. I made my first purchase.

I went easy on the pocketbook with this Len Druskin outlet dress. It had adjustable straps (woo-hoo!) and seemed to be made of a versatile print with bright summery colors.

And then I tried it on...so comfortable. Why hadn't I purchased one of these before?

It's not too late to rock the maxi!

Outfit details:
Dress: Len Druskin
Purse: Target
Necklace: TopShop
Shoes: (not pictured) Nine West
Sunglasses: H & M

Fundamental Fit: Stress Relief

By: LL
So, if moving to a new city and starting a new job was not stressful enough, now let's throw in a home search and the pressure of making an offer on a house. I have seriously been on stress overload. So what is my remedy? Fitness in the form of a 4:30 a.m. run each day. Yes, you read that correctly. The perfect stress relief for me has been waking up very early, when it is still quiet, there is no traffic, no one else up besides a few deer. You simply hear the padding of your feet and the rhythm of your breathing. The dim light from the sun rising is all that lights the path. The cool, dampness of the air ...

This is the type of run that I have needed and that I have experienced over the last two weeks. I will admit that it has been hard to get into the routine, and difficult to get up and out the door each morning, but without it, I can only imagine how stressed I would be and how cranky I could become.

No matter how tired I am, or sore, or motivation-lacking, the first 5-10 minutes out on the path makes all that disappear. I return home rejuvenated and relatively stress-free (or at least stress-managed).

These types of runs are possible since my husband and I choose to live in the northern part of the city, up where there are more green spaces to enjoy.

This is just one of the views that I get (except that this was taken in the daylight as you cannot see any of this at dawn). It is crazy to think that you can find areas like this in big cities, such as the Lake Calhoun area in Minneapolis.

And, since everyone needs a go-to stress-reliever, why not double up on the benefits and use physical activity? Yoga is always a good alternative if you prefer something more soothing than pounding on the pavement or peddles of a bike. 

Hope you all have a stress-free rest of the week. I can almost guarantee that I will not ... so you will continue to find me out here most mornings!

Favorite Fit: BIC Bands!

By Jessie

In the past, I had tried several different methods for keeping my hair out of my eyes while running or working out, and nothing seemed to work. Clips, bobby pins, other types of headbands...they all seemed to slip off, and I would be left with annoying fly-aways distracting me during a run.

Then, about two years ago, I discovered BIC bands. These headbands have a velvet interior, which sticks very well to your hair, meaning these babies don't slip off!

They come in different sizes- skinny, medium, and thick, and there are all kinds of fun prints to choose from.

Over two years I have accumulated quite an array of different bands:

I am sure I have mentioned BIC bands many times on this blog. This brand was started by a woman in California, who first start selling these on Etsy. There are other similar brands out there (i.e. Sweaty Bands) but a nice thing about BIC bands is that $1 of every band goes to charity. 

BIC stands for "Because I Can". i.e. I run because I can, while others cannot. And $1 of each band goes to helping those who can't. Read more at the end of this post about this cool company!

Sandy, the owner, has grown her business exponentially, but I was fortunate to find out that she was still willing to make customized bands for our running club. She sent me a few examples of font, etc, and we decided on simple white wording on a red background.

The actual color on the bands is more of an orange/red, but I'm still quite pleased with the results!

I only ordered 25 bands to start, and will sell them for $10/piece.
Let me know if you're interested, CBRC'ers!

More About BIC Bands:

From Sandy:

These amazing headbands started all as a fundraiser for my run with Team In Training. I was looking for a way to raise the necessary funds to run my first half marathon. I had started to make some handy dandy headband that didn't slip because I was cheap and crafty~ friends said they'd buy them, so I decided to try my hand at making and selling them. My small little venture began and I started sewing. I donated the profits to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. OVER $1000 was raised through the sale of B.I.C. Bands!

B.I.C. Bands~ Because I Can Bands ~We raise funds because we can…for those who can’t so that one day they will!

Because B.I.C. Bands were been such a hit after my race, I decided to keep making and selling the bands, and keep giving back to those in need!

From the beginning days of making B.I.C. Bands for my run with Team In Training, giving back has been at the heart of the business.

Each month we donate from the sale of every band to a different charity. Check out the facebook page to see who we're helping this month!

facebook.com/bicbands 

These bands don't slip- SERIOUSLY!!! The magic lining of these little guys stick to your hair. And as an added bonus~ they're soft and stretchy, working hard to not give you a headache

While the major majority of customers fit perfectly into a 20" B.I.C. Band, a small handful of customers need a larger size (21") or smaller size (19"). The beauty of these is that they are all handmade and can easily be custom made to fit you! (Kids love B.I.C. Bands too!!)

If your not sure which size to order, measure your head where you'd wear your B.I.C. Band~ you're looking for an inch to two inches of stretch (i.e. head measures 21.5", order a 20") If you don't specify a size in the notes at checkout, your band will be a standard 20” B.I.C. band.

YES! B.I.C. Bands are washable. It's recommended that you hand wash it. Or, you can wear it straight into the shower after your workout! Rinse it out and hang it up to dry =)

Friday Fit: Casual Friday Attire

By: LL
Happy Friday!
Besides it being the last day of the work week, today is already shaping up to be a good day primarily because it is my first "casual Friday" at work. Since I have not had many of those in my career, I am relishing in the fact that I get to wear jeans to work today. So, here is a quick peak at what I decided to put together for my inaugural relaxed work day.

{Details:}

New Adrienne Vittadini flats, with white venting that make them perfect for spring/summer

Always Skinny Jeans from the Gap

A yellow polka dot ruffle top from F21

Subtle manicure using Essie Mamba

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and don't forget to honor your mother on Sunday! Maybe with a fun shopping spree ;-)

Fits Do Race Reviews: Lake Minnetonka 1/2 Marathon

By Jessie

The Lake Minnetonka 1/2 Marathon was held on Sunday, May 6, rain or shine (that last bit turned out to be pretty important!)

Packet pickup was held on Saturday, May 5 from 9 am- 6 pm at the Optum Health Performance center in Eden Prairie.

There was plenty of parking at packet pickup, but not much to see at the expo. We grabbed our bags and headed out.

Check out these cute light blue dri-fit shirts for participants!

The above pictures were taken during the only dry part of Saturday. The rest of the afternoon and evening were stormy and pouring rain.

And by Sunday morning when our alarm went off, the storms were still going crazy outside. Neither one of us wanted to drive out to Wayzata to stand in the rain, only to end up with a delay or cancellation! We checked the race website, which stated that "due to weather conditions, the status of the half marathon is pending." Pending???

Well, that isn't very helpful!
We stayed in bed for a few more minutes before we decided we had to get that long run in either way. The treadmill didn't sound very fun so we decided to toughen up and get up! We stumbled out of bed and started to get ready for the race. Thankfully, the rain did let up, and we headed out the door by 6:30 am.

There was ample parking in Wayzata, where the race started. Luckily our friend had dropped her car off at the finish in Excelsior, so we had a ride home afterwards. I know that last year there were a lot of complaints about the post-race shuttles, but we didn't have to deal with those.

The gear drop-off was just a small van on a side road...but the start line was organized, and everything started on time.

I didn't have my camera on the course due to the rain, but it really was quite pretty. It followed rolling hills along Lake Minnetonka, and then went through residential areas past beautiful homes, which made the miles pass by quickly.

Unfortunately, for me, the miles didn't pass quickly enough! My legs just weren't feeling very strong. I'm not sure if it was all the Pure Barre classes I had been doing (nearly every day) for the past two weeks, or just where we are in our marathon training, (i.e. a 20 miler last Saturday) but my finish time definitely displayed my weak legs. I was hoping for a time about five minutes faster. Five minutes in a half marathon is not an insignificant amount of time! (i.e it's not just a few slow water stops!)

So I was disappointed with my personal performance, but fortunately the D-man had a very strong race, and many of my run club friends also set PR's (Congrats runners!)

My friend Angela also ran the race, and she told me she was just behind me...I didn't realize just HOW close. She's the one in the blue!

I still enjoyed the race, and will probably do it again next year.  I give it a 7.5/10!

Pros:

Easy packet pickup

Plenty of parking

SWAG: nice medals and technical tees

Lovely post race party at a city park

Good pacers

Solid crowd support

Cons:

Potentially the shuttles, though I can't speak from experience

Several parts of the course are on the shoulder of country highways that are still open for traffic- not my favorite

Hills- be prepared (though not as tough as Goldy's Run)

Some congested parts to the course

Potential rain delays- I think the website could have added more information

Website: http://www.lakeminnetonkahalfmarathon.com/

Fitting Debate: White Before Memorial Day?

By: LL
If you are like me, you were ingrained with the notion that to wear white, it had to be between Memorial Day and Labor Day...unless, of course, your wedding falls outside that time frame! However, one of my proper Southern belle friends told me that she had always been told that the rule was no white prior to Easter - and no patent leather until after Easter (had never heard that one before). She also grew up adhering to the age-old rule that your shoe color also had to match your handbag.

With multiple rules and different perspectives about when to wear white, it shows just how arbitrary these rules are.

As the climate becomes warmer, and we are hitting the 70s and 80s weeks before the Easter or Memorial Day holidays, why can't we wear white earlier? And, I don't feel that I am alone on this feeling.

As I perused my normal list of style blogs and fashion magazines (including Glamour, InStyle), I picked up a few tips about wearing white prior to the arbitrarily set date.

1. Make sure that the white piece is weather appropriate - white jeans over white shorts.
2. Pick white fabrics that are not summer fabrics. In other words, avoid linens or gauzy fabrics that should be saved for July and August.
3. Pair the whites with darker pieces - not too many pastels. A white blazer would look good with a pair of dark denim and a black blouse.
4. Don't wear multiple white pieces together. If you are wearing white pants, do not wear your white shoes.

This is definitely a fitting debate...as is when to wear seer-sucker. But, does fashion ever really follow rules? Aren't rules meant to be broken?

Here are a few celebrities that rock white pieces year -round (note: most of these photos were taken of the celebs outside of the Memorial Day to Labor Day window.

{White Blazers}

{White Skinny Jeans}

Finalize My Fit: Vegas Attire Recap

By Jessie

Las Vegas has come and gone, and I haven't yet posted a recap of the attire.

 Las Vegas allows you to wear dresses a little bit shorter, and perhaps a little bit "tackier" than my conservative city. I'm not complaining- it was fun to take some liberties with my outfits for this special weekend.

Dress #1:

Dress #2:

And here is the finished product:

Don't all the ladies look phenomenal?

The zebra dress was definitely "so short I couldn't sit down". The combination of short and tight was a bit of a failed fit for me, as I spent most of the night pulling it down after it crept up as we walked around the Strip.

The silver dress may have also been short, but it was not as tight, so I feel like I could possibly wear it again.

We had a lot of fun over the weekend, dancing, a Cirque de Soleil show, great food, and lots of laughs and memories with all the girls.

A bit congrats to the two brides-to-be! So excited for both you on your upcoming nuptials!

Throwing a Fit: Heat Wave Must Haves

By: LL
We've only been in KC for a week and I feel that we have gone through all four seasons in just over seven days. When we arrived, it felt like spring, then it rained for two days, followed by the cold and a little sleet, another warm day, and now - sweltering and muggy. I just don't get this weather! Guess that there will be no "putting away the winter wardrobe" up here.

Since my husband and I have a lot planned over the next few days - activities that will require us to be outside in the heat (aka Cinco de Mayo) - I pulled a few of my heat wave must-haves. After living in the South for a few years, I have learned (but will probably never master) cute ways to stay cool. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. A cute, yet totally functional, fan, which is a great accessory for any outfit.

{Find this fan and many more fashionable, affordable fans here}

2. A breathable, short dress, keeping in mind that you will want a color that will not show any sweat. The stripes in this dress will help to mask any noticeable sweat.

{J.Crew Villa Dress}

3. A shady hat, to keep out the sun and protect your skin, all the while providing a little shade.

{Nasty Gal Asymmetric Straw Hat}

A good compliment to these must-haves are a good side braid and minimal make-up as all the sweating is not good under layers of foundation, and even the strongest mascara will be a little smeared by the end of the day.