Friday's Favorite Fit: Sloan Pants from Banana Republic

By Jess in Minneapolis

Before I delve into today's favorite fit, take a look at my fancy new pinterest icon! You can now easily pin outfits, race recaps, advice, whatever you want to your pinterest page. And you can also follow The Right Fits on pinterest!

So, Friday’s Favorite Fit is coming to you from Banana Republic.

My closet analysis/wardrobe consultation with A la Mode Wardrobe Consulting last June led me back to Banana Republic for all those basic work pieces I was missing, but while I was there, I fell in love with everything else in the store! I had fallen away from the store for a few years, but now I am back and loving all the great items they carry.

As I mentioned before, I love this blazer from Banana (find it HERE):

But today’s fav is their Sloan Fit Slim Pant.

I was first turned onto these pants by Carly at A la Mode Wardrobe Consulting  They made a great summer work pant, when paired these shoes or these shoes.

But the great thing is that these pants transitioned really well into winter. I can also pair them with these ankle boots, heels, or knee-high boots in the colder months.

The Sloan pants come in a wide variety of styles- plain, patterned, houndstooth, ankle-zip, a multitude of colors, etc. I have them in red, navy, black, and green, but I’m definitely keeping an eye out for more!

The Price: Regularly priced between $80-$90, I don’t think I have ever paid full-price for a pair of these. It seems that Banana is constantly sending out 40% off coupons for one full priced item, or you can often find last season’s colors on clearance/sale.

The Fit: The fit is always the same with the Sloans, so once you know your size, you can watch for online sales and stock up!

 

in Berlin in my navy Sloan pants

The Sloan pants sit lower on the waist with a sleek, skinny leg. They usually are made of a “power stretch” fabric (56% viscose, 39% cotton, 5% spandex) to give them amazing stretch and recovery. They are fitted through the hip and thigh, and ankle length.

One downside of these pants, however, is that they are dry-clean only, but that's my only complaint. 

Otherwise, I highly suggest you try out a pair and let me know what you think!

Weekly Recap and a Rekindled Love for Pure Barre.

What happened last week in the Right Fits' world in Fitness, Fashion, and Fitness Fashion?

Well, let's start with Fitness.

Last week was a pretty solid week in fitness.

Monday: Ran 7 miles in the AM with some friends, Balanced Barre BarreAmped Bootcamp in the evening

Tuesday: Ran 5.5 miles in the AM with some friends, 75 minute yoga sculpt at Corepower Yoga in the evening

Wednesday: Ran 7 miles in the AM with some friends, concert at First Ave in the evening!

Thursday: Complete rest. Happy Halloween!

Friday: Ran 5.5 miles in the AM with Matilda (the dog)

Saturday: Ran 11 miles with the Calhoun Beach Running Club

Sunday: Ran 4 miles with Dustin and Matilda, then barre class at Pure Barre

Total: 40 miles, 2 barre classes, and 1 yoga sculpt (3 strength)

The highlight in fitness this week was actually the Pure Barre class. I used to be a tad obsessed with Pure Barre (as you can read about HERE and HERE), but then I fell off the Pure Barre wagon for a little bit as I tried out other barre studios in the area. Pure Barre recently had a sale on a 5-class package, so I decided to head back there for a little bit. It really took me by surprise on Sunday, as it was a pretty tough class! The teacher incorporated a double exercise band like this one:

That double band was the devil!

We used the band for some of the leg work, core work, and even for stretching, and I felt like it made a lot of the moves quite a bit more challenging.I could feel it today in my abs and thighs, which is always a great feeling.  I took the Pure Barre  class with two girlfriends, one of whom is an experienced barre-ista, and one of whom had never taken a barre class before. I think that the first-timer really enjoyed the class as well! One challenge at Pure Barre is that its sometimes difficult to see the correct form for the moves. They are so small and subtle, its difficult to know if you're doing it correctly. But when you do it right, it burns!

What's new in Fitness Fashion?

I have a few reflective BIC bands that I am loving right now. It’s been in the mid forties on my runs, so I don’t yet need a hat or ear warmers. Therefore, these reflective BIC bands add just enough extra “see and be seen” on the early morning runs.  You can never get enough reflective power. Why not add some to your headband?

You can find them HERE. FYI, in my opinion, BIC bands and Sweaty Bands are both awesome, though BIC bands are usually a few dollars cheaper, while Sweaty Bands offer a bit more variety. These reflective bands are BIC brand. Go check them out!

Fashion:

The highlight this week in fashion was definitely the arrival of my first Stitch Fix, which you can read about here. I’m excited to wear my new polka dot skinny jeans soon!

The rest of my weekend included a date night to see Prairie Home Companion at the State theater, a pre-dinner drink at Marvel Bar, dinner at Bar La Grassa, Dustin’s wardrobe consultation (which I hope to share some more detail about soon!), lots of dog park time, and plenty of housework and errands. 

Here's what I wore for running errands: 

Sunglasses: Tory Burch- gifted; chambray shirt: JCrew similar, blazer: Banana Republic, find it here, and Banana Republic skinny jeans similar 

This pink blazer is my current favorite, (did I mention it has leather patches on the elbows? Love!) I have become such a Banana girl since my wardrobe consult with A la Mode. Move over JCrew, you may possibly have been replaced by Banana!

All in all, it was  lovely week in fitness, fashion, and fitness fashion!

I hope you all had a nice week as well. 

What was your fitness highlight??? 

What about your fashion highlight??? 

Please share in the comments!

Favorite Fit: Polka Dot Pandemic

By LL

Every so often I do an inventory of my wardrobe. This helps me assess what I have, what fits, what I actually wear and, too often, realize what I have too much of. That is what happened this morning. Recently, I purchased a new navy and cream polka dot silk dress from Banana Republic (it had pockets!). As I was pulling it out of the closet to wear this morning, I thought to myself "I need to get more polka dots. They are so in this season!" Then, I took a glance around my closet and realized that polka dots might be my favorite fit this summer (in a close race against bold stripes). 

Perhaps I have too many dot patterned pieces!! Here is a glimpse at those in heavy rotation right now:

    {Old Navy Ruffle Button Tank & LOFT shorts}

     {The new Banana Republic silk dress}

    {Ann Taylor Silk Blouse & H&M Tank}

Maybe I like polka dots too much, or maybe they are just a favorite fit! We all have those!

Favorite Fit: Banana Republic Friends and Family Sale!

By Cool J in Minneapolis

In honor of my friend Jill's birthday, I want to give her an official Right Fits shout-out! Happy birthday!

And while I'm at it, I want to thank her for passing along a recent Banana Republic "Friends and Family" coupon a few weeks ago. Thanks to Jill, I updated my work wardrobe with the below new items, all for 50% off with my Friends and Family coupon. Thanks Jill!

Jill is a friend from the Calhoun Beach Running Club; in fact, she was one of my first running companions at the club! She was training for Grandma's Marathon (in Duluth) when I was training for the Seattle marathon in 2010.

{Seattle Marathon 2010}

Now she lives in California, where she runs an Athleta store (jealous!) We miss her here in Minneapolis, but wish her much birthday cheer on her special day!

{The birthday girl on the left, at her going-away-shindig!}

Featured Fit: Holiday Cocktail Party

By: LL
This past weekend was my work holiday party. It was a semi-formal event held at an upscale hotel (the InterContinental) in a ritzier area of Kansas City called the Country Club Plaza. This was an ideal location since this area has an pretty amazing Christmas light display. The venue was beautiful, which was to be expected. The jazz band was excellent - good music and not too loud. And the service was also great. Unfortunately, the food was only so-so. With the InterContinental's reputation, my husband and I were expecting a bit more. Needless to say, it was a nice evening. It did run over a little bit with the executive speeches, but a few of us still managed to make it out on the Plaza for a few cocktails post-party.

Here is a look at what I wore to the event:

{Outfit Details}

Dress: Banana Republic

Necklace: JC Penny (discussed here a year ago}

Tights: Ralph Lauren (TJ Maxx)

Pumps: Aldo

Originally, I had hoped to borrow a very festive dress from Jess. When that didn't work out, I searched for something in a holiday color that wasn't too fancy, but had a little intrigue. The external zipper down the back was just enough visual interest and complimented the necklace I chose quite well. Having 3/4 sleeves was also nice since it ended up being fairly cold that night. I wore a Calvin Klein faux fur shrug over the top with a pair of black leather gloves. 

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!

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

Featured Fits: Share Our Strength Cakewalk

By Jessie

Last Thursday night, Dustin and I joined some friends at a charity event downtown. One of our fellow run clubbers is the event chair for the local "Share Our Strength" organization. This particular event was held at the Fine Line Music Cafe.  It involved cocktails, desserts, and an actual old-school cakewalk, and 100% of the proceeds went to a great cause!

The desserts were prepared by some of our city's top-name chefs, such as James Beard award-winner Tim McKee of La Belle Vie: 

...and the cocktails were created by the well-known mixologist, Johnny Michaels:

My outfit was a repeat wear from this post, but check out the cute outfits below!

These fashionable friends put together some stellar "fits" for this special evening!

Where do these fashionistas find such cute ensembles?

Here are the detes:

Meggan: 

(She's a yoga/barre instructor- you can tell by those Halle Berry-esque arms!)

Skirt: Primp Boutique (cute & affordable clothes in St. Paul & at their new location at  the West End!)

Scarf - Street vendor in NYC

Tank- Gap

Necklace - Target

Purse- Coach outlet

Tights - Banana Republic

Jennifer:

(Jen's gorgeous hair stayed perfectly coiffed through a walk in a snowstorm and the dance party at the end of the night- Jealous!)

Top: Anthropologie

Skirt: Anthropologie

Clutch: Target

Jacket: Banana Republic Factory Store

Scarf: Macy's 

Kelly:

(Kelly is always well-dressed, and when we ask her where her ensemble is from, the answer is often Old Navy! She makes Old Navy look like Valentino- Kelly knows how to put together outfits that "Fit the Bill!")

Dress: Buttons (from Francesca's Boutique)

Leggings: Banana Republic

Earrings: Francesca's Boutique

Necklace: Gifted

Boots: Ciao Bella (from DSW)

Purse: Stolen/"borrowed" from her mother :)

Thanks Kelly, Meggan, and Jen for letting us feature you and your unique styles on the Right Fits!

The event itself was a blast, and the desserts were scrumptious:

And we did get a chance to meet some "local" celebrities, like Andrew Zimmern!

Congrats to our friend Laura on organizing such a successful event. Can't wait to attend more in the future!