Fits on the Road: Shopping in Brookfield, Wisconsin

By Cool J
Friday morning in Brookfield came with a drastic change in weather, and my “long”-ish run with Matilda was very windy and cold. I was ready to be done with the outdoors after that run, so I happily headed out for a day of shopping with 3 of my 4 sisters. Normally, I try to avoid the insanity of Black Friday, but we weren't planning to go to the normal malls or stores....instead, we checked out some unique Brookfield locales!

First, we hit up “Faye’s Boutique” in Brookfield.

My sister Cresta had been fitted there recently for a charity fashion show through her college sorority, and she wanted us to see the killer Diane Von Furstenberg dress she found there.

Don't you just love it? She is still debating whether or not to purchase this dress. I say, DO IT! You’re worth it! The dress looked great on her (to be honest, I wouldn’t mind borrowing it sometime too!) She works very hard, and deserves a little splurge. A black DVF cocktail dress will be a staple for many future events.

Though I did try on some dresses that I liked, I didn't end up buying anything. This Diane Van Furstenberg dress was one of my favorites.....

Apparently this is a popular dress- I found this picture of Lauren Conrad in the same one!

Buyer's remorse! Maybe I should have bought it....
Cresta, learn from my mistake- buy the dress!

I would recommend checking out this boutique for some higher-end retail therapy if you're in the Brookfield area. The store carried a lot of fun jewelry, accessories, Splendid tees, Tory Burch clothes and shoes, and clearly lots of fun dresses!

{another fun black dress at Faye's}

After Faye’s, we took things down a notch to a more budget friendly store that “Fit the Bill”- Elite Repeat! 

Website: http://www.eliterepeatclothing.com 

This consignment store actually carried some of the same brands as Faye’s, but they were slightly used, and going for a much more wallet-friendly price.

All four of us found a lot of fun new articles to add to our wardrobes. LL found a unique clutch and an awesome leather skirt, which I hope we'll see soon on the blog! I found a striped nautical cardigan, and a bold pink wool skirt, as well as these two funky necklaces.

{New accessories that Fit the Bill!}

My skirt was actually a little big, but my mom is quite the seamstress (I wish I had her skills) so she will be altering it for me and shipping it to me soon. Stay tuned for pics!

I’d definitely recommend Elite Repeat for any styling girls on a budget, if you find yourself in Brookfield. You might not always find the right fit every time you're there, but I guarantee if you’re a repeat shopper, you’ll be able to score some winners!

Fit the Bill: Fashion Swap

By: LL
You will soon realize that Jess and I are big fans of the fashion swap. (See here for advice on how to host a swap.) What better way to mix up your wardrobe than swapping in a few pieces from someone else's closet. In our family, it is an annual tradition for us sisters to get together at Thanksgiving and swap clothes. This year, Jess and I were taking requests. Any clothes that we had each worn enough times to part with were up for grabs. I think that we, along with our other sisters and a family friend, came out with some great "new to us" pieces that fit the bill - because they were FREE!

{Two mustard Anthro cardis for LL}

{Turquoise and coral necklace for Jess}

{A yellow polka dot ruffle blouse for Jess}

{An orange Chloe top for Jess}

And what fashion swap is complete without good food and wine?!? After the swap, EC and her husband hosted the entire family for a make-your-own-pizza night. 

{Five "fitting" sisters}

Jess: Banana Republic cords, Anthro top and anthro necklace

LL: Ralph Lauren sweater, Old Navy Diva jeans, H&M lace tank

{EC makes some great pizzas} 

{Good wine and fun games} 

{Cutest baby fit ever...little Hoodie with her Etsy hat}

Featured Fit: What to Wear to Thanksgiving Dinner

By Cool J
Nothing says Wisconsin Thanksgiving like an over-the-top cheese tray. Each year, the cheese tray gets bigger and bigger…(hopefully the same is not true about our thighs!)

With so much great food to consume, LL and I both went for something casual and "forgiving" for our Thanksgiving attire. I paired my favorite pair of mustard Banana Republic cordoroys and a simple navy top, (also from Banana), with a vintage necklace from Covered Boutique (in Uptown). 

They have the cutest jewelry at this boutique. Though my husband calls me “Mr. T.” in this necklace- I pity the fool!- I don’t mind. It’s one of my current favorites!

And two days in a row- more yellow and navy for Jess!

LL wore a polka dot blouse with a navy cardi (both fitting the bill from Old Navy) with her Always Skinny's from the Gap, with riding boots from Abound. 

 It was a little breezy on Thanksgiving, so please forgive our crazy hair! It looked a lot better inside.

And our lovely host Dr. CJ, my oldest sister, also posed for a few pictures.  She was comfortably chic in black leggings, a fun green patterned top, and a green cardigan, which complimented the color of her eyes quite well.

 Looking good, Dr. CJ!

Jess's ensemble:

Mustard cords from Banana Republic- buy them HERE

Navy top from Banana Republic

Vintage necklace from Covered Boutique

LL's ensemble:

Polka dot blouse from Old Navy

Navy cardigan

Always Skinny jeans from the Gap
Riding boots by Abound
Pearl earrings (gifted)

CJ's ensemble:

Flowered top from Anne Klein

Green cardi from Target (what a great find!)

Black Leggings from White House/Black Market
Black ballet flats by Sam Edelman

We enjoyed a great meal, thanks to CJ's husband's cooking, and then we played games throughout the evening.

We hope you too had a great Thanksgiving! Cheers from the Right Fits!

Featured Fit: Dog Park Attire

By Cool J
After the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving (for more on the race, read this post), Ms. Matilda, Dusters, and I were off to a nearby dog park for a little more exercise. 

A four mile race was not quite enough for Matilda! 

She was ready to bound through the hay fields with some new-found Wisconsin doggy friends.

My niece also accompanied us to the park. She loves to play hide-and-go-seek in the hay, though Matilda always helps me scope her out: I just say “Go find Clara,” and she does!

The weather was very mild (low 60’s) so I didn’t need to layer much. My purple Hunter boots are the perfect dog park accessory. These boots, paired with “the perfect hoodie,” (as written about in this POST), a pair of Athleta chaturanga tights and a Lucy puffy vest kept me plenty warm while running around with two of my favorite dog park pals!

The Hunter boots were also great because they kept the hay out of my socks. They're tall enough on me...and even more so on my niece Clara!

Running around and playing hide-and-go-seek was an old-school "FIT" but hey, it was still exercise right?

And how about little Clara’s Thanksgiving colored tights? 

So cute! Definitely the right fit for the holiday!

Dog Park Attire:
Athleta chaturanga tights
Lucy puffy vest
"The perfect hoodie" by Reebok
Blue and white BIC band
Purple Hunter boots in Magenta

Weekly Fitness Recap:
Monday: 6.5 morning miles with Abby, 60 minute Moksha Yoga with Meggan
Tuesday: 7.5 morning miles with Abby, Theresa, and Kelly
Wednesday: 5.5 morning miles with Kelly and Ms. Matilda
Thursday: 4 mile Turkey Trot!
Friday: 9 frigid miles with Ms. Matilda
Saturday: 4 miles with my sister Cresta
Sunday: 7.75 miles back home in Minneapolis

With 44 miles of running and one yoga session, I realized that this was not a very balanced week. I definitely need to cross train more. And I can feel it in my body that this was not a balanced week, as what I refer to as IT band problem is quite sore (though I know true IT band is at the knee- mine has currently has manifested itself in my hip and butt). I need to make sure I do more non-running activities this upcoming week!

Fits Do Race Reviews: 5th Annual Family Turkey Trot

By Cool J

Five years of a healthy family tradition continued this past Thursday morning, as nearly everyone in my immediate family arrived for the 5^th annual running of the family Turkey Trot.  

Eight runners and one dog ran the new and improved 5k (which was actually a 4 miler) on a (very) warm Thanksgiving morning in Brookfield, Wisconsin.  There were also two babies, three kids, one race volunteer (Mom) and her dog, and one injured runner (still recovering from her IT band issues) present. 

 {one sad injured runner}

 Post-race commentators raved that this was the best Turkey Trot so far!

The weather was extremely mild. In fact, some runners wore shorts.

 {showing some leg there Dusters!}

The new course was hilly and a bit more challenging than the old route, but it was well-marked (see below) and easy to follow (a perfect square).

 {Well-marked course}

 {No getting lost on this course!}

One participant did mention that the race started a little late (around 8:30 am rather than the advertised 8 am start). However, this delayed start was only to ensure that all the runners had a chance to use the (plentiful) bathrooms before the starting gun, as there were no facilities on the course.

We asked for a volunteer to sing the national anthem at the start, but instead we enjoyed my niece Clara’s rendition of  “Apple bottom jeans, boots with the fur!” Close enough, right?

Race tees were a high-quality dri-fit, with  {mostly "made-up"} local sponsors (though the Right Fits was a legitimate lead sponsor!)

 {Race tees}

A big turkey meal is the normal post-race "party," but this year we had a unique kind of post-race refreshment: apple fritters and apple cider! My nieces set up the cutest apple cider stand with piping hot apple cider for participants.

 {Post-race refreshments at the Apple Cider stand}

{LL enjoying a post-race apple fritter. Check out her turkey BIC band!}

As for this year’s winner? Well, it was a tie. If you recall, Matilda was the winner last year, with Dusters right on her heels. But this year, Ms. Matilda ran with LL and me. So Dusters was able to sprint ahead with Todd (my brother-in-law) and the two of them finished together for a “tie”. What good sports they are J

Everyone is a winner!

 I gave this race a 10 out of 10! Best race ever! 

Why? Well, because it’s with my family of course.

Featured Fit: Yellow and Navy!

By Jess

Sorry for the short hiatus from the blog, but it was a busy Thanksgiving in Wisconsin! 

LL and I have a lot to share from the weekend, and you'll be seeing a lot of posts from this reunion of both ladies behind the the Right Fits. But let me start from the beginning!

The D-man and I arrived on Wednesday evening in time for a perfect pre-race meal at Jake’s Burgers, (previously known as Haute Taco where we enjoyed our pre-race meal last year.)  

Jake's Burgers was cute, and they had a variety of options from the classic burger to the more interesting type, such as the truffle burger that I ordered, which had melted brie, white truffle oil, and arugula. So good!

LL had shared her packing tips on Wednesday (in this POST) and I guess her color scheme must have stuck with me, as I ended up wearing a very similar outfit…Twinsies!

What can I say, great minds think alike! 

Yellow and navy are a perfect combination. 

Add some stripes or polka dots to spruce up an otherwise simple outfit. 

Pair it all with a funky necklace like LL did!

{Yes, I am a giant compared to LL...and I was wearing flats!}

While visiting my family (probably our most loyal readers), my sisters mentioned that we had strayed from our fashion focus on the blog. They mentioned that most of our recent posts were about fitness. So, we are going to try to amp up our outfit posts! 

Some quick tips for those sisters: mix and match! 

Not everything has to be match-matchy. Mix patterns. Mix colors. And mix some bright colors into your neutral wardrobe, even if just with a bold necklace. (Insider tip: you could probably find the J.Crew bubble necklace on ebay for a fraction of the price....)

LL’s ensemble:

Yellow cardigan from Old Navy (find it HERE for only $22.50)

Striped shirt from the Gap

Necklace: Red bubble necklace from J.Crew (find it here)

Boots: Abound

Skinny jeans:  Always Skinny by The Gap (find them here)

Cool J's ensemble:

Yellow cardigan: J.Crew- Find it here on sale now for $62

Polka Dot beach coverup, worn as a shirt (as seen HERE) from J.Crew

Pants: Navy corduroy skinnies from the Gap

Boots: Aubrey riding boots in cognac (as seen HERE)

I’m sure you’re DYING to hear the results of the 5^th Annual Turkey Trot. 

Check back in a few hours, and that post will be ready!