Featured Fit: PV Body Follow Up

By Cool J in Minneapolis

Last month I shared with you all about my experience with pv body. Since then, several of you have been asking me how it was going, and I didn't have an answer! I had told you that I liked the pants and top I received back in December, but that seemed so long ago. And January was coming to a close, and I still hadn't received my January goods.

I decided to send a follow-up to the company, politely inquiring about the delay. I received a prompt reply addressed to "Justin"...Justin? Okay, fine, they didn't have time to look at my name. The email response stated that my goods would be coming soon, but the apparel was just SO great and SO popular this month, that everything was backordered and my order was delayed...Hmm..seemed fishy.

It turns out the people at PV Body probably were pretty busy, but not because the goods were so popular. Actually, it's because the company is changing completely.

pv body is no longer.

It has been replaced with "Ellie" (you can check it out here).  It seems like basically the same idea as pv body: a monthly membership to receive a fitness top and bottom every month, but with one significant change. They now will only carry one brand- Ellie.

hmm...

The reason I was attracted to pv body originally was partially because it was a way to get exposed to new fitness apparel brands to find out what I liked.  Now that the company is changing to just one brand offering, I'm probably going to cancel my membership. It's too bad, as I really loved it at first!

And the second month (when I finally received it) wasn't so bad. Yes, after "Justin's" inquiry, I finally received my second month of goods on Thursday (finally). 

 The top was another Beyond Yoga top:
 the Infinity Stripe Cami.

This tank retails at $73

The color was a little boring- I prefer something bright!
But I did like the long style.

And the criss-cross back was cute:

The pants were also okay- capris in a purple shade with a pink stripe. They were "Ellie" brand. I think that this was PV Body's way of subtly introducing members to this brand. 

The pants are okay, though the D-man thought they looked cheesy. I think he was looking at the heart shaped logo...or the purple and pink colors. I'll still wear them, and they fit pretty well.

The capris retail around $60.

Overall, I liked the goods this month, and I paid $50 for over $100 worth of apparel. But I'm just not sure I love the idea of receiving one brand every month- the same brand every month.

I think I'll stick with "Ellie" for one more month just to see how it goes, but most likely my relationship with this monthly fitness apparel program will soon come to an end.  Failed Fit? Not necessarily. I am sad that it's changing, but I have still enjoyed it while I was doing it! I did learn that I like Beyond Yoga apparel, and that American Apparel's fitness wear is pretty cute as well.

My new Beyond Yoga top was perfect for a Sunday morning Body Pump class. Yes, I decided to switch from LA Fitness to the YMCA a few weeks ago. I actually have about a month of crossover, where I can go to either gym. My husband jokes that I'm a "member of every gym and every studio in Minneapolis", and sometimes it feels like it! I am enjoying the newly remodeled YMCA by my work, and taking full advantage of the classes there.

Featured Fit: A Masquerade!

By Cool J in Minneapolis

Last Saturday, the D-man and I put on our black-and-white attire (he even donned his tuxedo!), scrounged up some masks, and met up with our favorite neighbors for an interesting night out.

Why the masks? It was all for a good cause:

 "Young Professionals Finding a Cure Presents: The Black and White Ball."

CURE is the primary young
professional fundraising group for
the American Cancer Society in the 
Twin Cities. All proceeds raised at
CURE events go directly to cancer
research taking place right here at 
the University of Minnesota. Please 
join us in the fight against cancer.

The night included drinks, dancing, and light appetizers at the Aria at the Jeune Lune in downtown Minneapolis. The people watching was phenomenal...Where do all these ladies get full-length ball gowns? Are they pagaent princesses? Who knows...

As for me, I am no pagaent princess, and had to go with a simple black cocktail length dress I had in the closet from my mother-in-law's wedding (which I posted about here). 

My coworker lent me the mask, which I loved, but I have to admit it wasn't quite as awesome as this couple's masks!

{oh, what a fun couple}

Honestly, the frozen half marathon earlier in the day left me a little sleepy, so we didn't stay at the event all that late. We did a bit of dancing, had a drink or two, perused the silent auction items, and then called it a night.  But it was an interesting change of scenery- a side of Minneapolis I probably don't see every Saturday night. 

....And I always love an excuse to get dressed up!

So, where does one find a mask in Minneapolis? Cost Plus World Market is your best bet for a fun mask. Like I mentioned, mine was from a coworker. I did hear that Pier 1 also carried lots of fun masks, and had I had more time to plan, I definitely would have checked out Etsy for a handmade one. 

Featured Fit: What to Wear to Priscilla Queen of the Desert!

By Cool J in Minneapolis

My husband's company is a trust sponsor for the Hennepin Theatre Trust, and every so often, they offer up free tickets when a show is in town. Last night, it was Priscilla Queen of the Desert!

Priscilla Queen of the Desert, making its national tour debut in Minneapolis, tells the uplifting story of a trio of friends on the road trip of a lifetime. In the middle of the Australian outback, searching for love and friendship aboard a battered old bus, they end up finding more than they could ever have dreamed.

An international hit with more than 500 dazzling, 2011 Tony Award-winning costumes, this outrageously fun Broadway musical features a hit parade of dance floor favorites including “It’s Raining Men,” “Finally” and “I Will Survive.”

Recommended ages 13+ due to explicit language and mature situations.

I knew that this musical was colorful and flamboyant, and it did not disappoint. The costumes and the songs were so fun! You couldn't help but dance and sing along. The people watching was also great, with many colorful outfits in the audience as well. And of course, many of the attendees had donned bright, pink boas for the night!

I guess I should have worn something a little flashier, but the right fit for me on a cold, rainy night was a simple color block dress:

I purchased this dress at Motto, a relatively new boutique to the Minneapolis retail scene. It's a great store located right on Hennepin in a beautiful old "home" in Uptown. If you haven't been, definitely check it out. It is actually owned by the sister of the woman that I go to for my eyebrows at Extrados (another place I highly recommend!)

Motto is a lifestyle store that carries a wide variety of goods. I have only purchased clothing there (a skirt, another dress, etc) but have been very pleased with the unique selection. Go check it out!

http://shopmotto.com/home.html

This dress is pretty classic; it's not exactly all that colorful or flamboyant, but for a last-minute Thursday night event it seemed like the right fit!

I paired it with black tights, black Cole Haan Gerina boots (Find them HERE), and a necklace from Covered boutique in Uptown.

Recommendations from the Right Fits? Head on over to Motto Boutique, Extrados Salon, Covered Boutique, and then maybe grab some tickets to Priscilla Queen of the Desert  at the Orpheum for a fun night out!

Featured Fit: Another Holiday Cocktail Party

By Cool J

Did I mention my sister visited Minneapolis last weekend? Oh, of course I did. Multiple times. Like in this post and this post...oh, and this post too I guess. So YES! I have mentioned it, but I love having visitors, especially my sisters! (Hint, hint, LL!)

It turned out that a friend of ours was hosting a holiday cocktail party on Saturday evening. I was told the attire was "cocktail" and that the hosts love any excuse to dress up. Well, isn't that convenient? I also love any excuse to dress up!

I was practical this time around. I didn't go out and buy a new outift; instead, I wore a dress I bought last year (discussed in this POST). I purchased it from "Haute Look," which is one of the online discount retailers (similar to Gilt Group). LL wrote about these online retailers in this post.

This Jessica Simpson dress definitely Fit the Bill- even more so because I'm getting many wears out of it!

Just paired last year's dress with this year's necklace from Anthropologie.

(The Moonstone Treasure Collar- buy it here)

The party was lovely, and it was so much fun for my sister to meet all my friends, 

and for my friends to meet my sister!

The men looked pretty fabulous, didn't they? So many Right Fits!

(or, according to one partygoer, "Whatever Fits!")

Our smiles get bigger and bigger after a few glasses of wine....and the wine was bottomless! The appetizers were wonderful, and we had such a fun time.

How about these two awesomely right fits below?

Megg and her man looked perfectly suited together. 

Love the outfits!

Megg's dress also fit the bill, for quite a good price. 

Find it at PRIMP!
(Primp is located at the Shops at the West End and in St. Paul)

We didn't stay out too late after the cocktail party, as the snowstorm had arrived....but thanks to the hosts for inviting us. It was such a lovely and festive evening!

{Picture from brunch the next morning at Tilia,
which we walked to, in several inches of snow!}

Featured Fit: A Night out with a Special Visitor

By Cool J

My sister came into town on Friday morning for a visit (and to shop 'til she dropped). In fact, she and the D-man spent the entire day at the Mall of America (as I had to be at work). We also shopped Saturday, and more on Sunday. I seriously think my sister may have set a record for hours shopping in one weekend!

But we did have more planned than just shopping, I swear!

On Friday, even after Dusters' and my sister's full day of shopping, we had a full evening planned!
So, first, what to wear?

Tunic: Franscesa's 

Necklace: Bahari necklace from Stella & Dot
Purse: Len Druskin Outlet
Leggings: Athleta
Boots: Aubrey Brooke Tayler Riding Boot

Outfit- complete. 

Now onto dinner at Bar La Grassa:

And don't worry, we definitely ordered the Gnocchi with Cauliflower and Orange:

{source}

...as well as the soft eggs and lobster bruschetta, the charred red onion and goat cheese bruschetta, the cavatelli with braised rabbit, and the mushroom and taleggio agnolotti. So good!

After a scrumptious meal at what is probably one of my favorite Minneapolis restaurants, we headed over to the Brave New Workshop for a showing of "Fifty Shades of White: A Minnesota XXXmas". It was a lot like a Saturday Night Live Christmas special. It was something different, and I definitely will go there again. We had plenty of laughs!

 So that was our Friday....Stay tuned for more from Saturday!

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!

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!