Sweat Couture Show

That's it for the Dirty Runner blog on looking sweet while sweatin'.

Now it's time to take everything we've learned and put it into action! Join us at the Sweat Couture Show on Saturday August 27 in Port Dalhousie as part of the pre-race activities for The Chocolate Race.

Killing pretty

Today I ordered a pair of leg compression sleeves from a friend. He was a bit shocked when I said I wanted black - and not pink. I tried to explain the science of wearing a dark versus light colour with my not-so-thin legs and short stature. It was really pointless as he stared back at me like I was speaking Dutch-nese out of my third eyeball. I'm not - me, Stacey, Clinton and half a gazillion followers of the pop tv show What not to wear know that it does make a difference what you wear and how you wear it.

Which brings me to my next point. I'm not crazy! The whole idea of bringing femininity into the sporting apparel world is spreading like wildflowers! Really pretty wildflowers too!

Check out this line of feminine clothing for women that like to hunt:









The camo capris on the left are from the "Safari Chic Huntress" collection.

There's also the "Foxy Huntress" collection as pictured below for the woman that needs a little more coverage as she's out there shootin' and wrangling her big bad prey to the ground.

Details are frilling!

Pardon the absolutely cheesy title. But have you tried to sew? Have you tried to design? Baby it's tough. It's not easy. But like other forms of artwork, the mastery is in the details. It becomes fashion or style when attention is paid to tiny details, like in the Nike skirt above or dress below.

In fact, this tennis-oriented-now-deemed-for-running Nike dress is stunning not only for the ruffle details on the skirt but for the contrast band top left. It has this Jane of Jane & Tarzan feel to it. And the blue - it's not your everyday blue. It's fresh - which is why it goes with the skirt ruffles. That's it! This dress is fresh!

The passerby-ers that ate my dust

Tonight when I ran they whistled. I quickly asked my boyfriend to take a step behind me to make sure the hem of my dress wasn't flipping up to expose my meaty derriere. When he assured me all was clear, I lifted my head a little higher with my next step and thought "eat my dust passer-byers."

Yeh - here's the girl that's making a statement about looking sweet while she sweats and it's working! ...Which is why I want to post this next piece about a really cute new line from a Canadian designer.
























I came across the UMA yoga line recently and hesitated when I saw this top. It's quick dry (bonus for running), a lovely, lovely, lovely contrast coloured fabric (pink and brown) and my god - SO INCREDIBLY CUTE with the side tie!

Would I wear it in a run? Absolutely! I feel that I'm breaking barriers about what can be worn on a run. I'd probably wear this outfit on a long-ish, slow haul on the roads. Hmmm...afterthoughts: Bit unpractical for a run with the side bow. But I love it that much that I would take up yoga again just to wear it. Somehow, somewhere, I'd wear this outfit!

I'm just so smitten by this piece. Lovely darling just lovely!

UMA Athletic

Everbody Hoka!

I am not hip. I am not a hipster. But put me in the middle of "Frisco" and I too can feel the stylin' vibe that rocks that Californian city. And similar to my Frisco sensory experience, I totally felt the vibe happening this past weekend at an ultra race down in North Carolina.

I'm not talking about the groovy sense of je ne sais quoi that accompanies the ultra running scene. I'm talking about Hokas Baby! Everywhere I looked svelt runners embarking on a hundred miles of pure running bliss were decked out in Hoka running shoes. And here is another groovy thang - their colours. Canvas died a rich lime green, alarming red or psychadelic yellow cover the surface of these European imports.

Okay - maybe not everyone was sporting the Hokas. But the kids are even wearing them in the prestigious 135 mile Badwater race through Death Valley this summer. And a scientific, recovery-drink making 100 mile runner from last weekend also spoke of their virtues. I swear, every time I put my head down on that trail my eyes fell upon a Hoka.

You know that old reflective question you used to ask short-sighted folks, "If everyone was jumping off of a cliff, does that mean you'd jump off too?" Well, if you asked it of me, my response would be, "It depends - is everyone wearing Hokas?"

Hoka One One

I can't go on without this dress...

How FUNKY beautiful is this? How ingenious. How against the grain. How not-what-we-see-everyday. How sexy. What is this design saying? Can you feel the swoosh when you move in it? I want to dance in this dress. I feel invigorated just looking at it. Powerful. Playful. Crazy beautiful!

Fabric Roll Call No. 2

It's not just me. I swear. Only last night I once again heard a woman talk about a box full of vintage fabrics she had found that she couldn't keep her hands off of. My seamstress talks the same way. These swatches have me dreaming...

Bob Marley's spirit lives on!

Cedella Marley, the daughter of Bob Marley is chosen as fashion designer for the Jamaican team at the 2012 Olympics:

Styles to flatten your tummy

I've chosen a number of athletic pieces that help hide a very common problem area - the tummy. If you're in the market for a new running top or dress and this is something that concerns you, look for ruching (gathering) around the stomach area, free flowing material or inserts of different fabric that help camoflauge this area.

The Vagina Natzi Shirts

I'm just entering the realm of making custom running apparel for groups. I was resistant for so long because I thought "custom" meant sacrificing your artistic input. It does to a certain degree but there's something even worse that the artist often has to face: The Critic.

I came across an article on MSN the other day. It actually made me laugh as the author highlighted the ten worst jerseys in the NHL today. With references by the critic to vaginas and natzis, you do wonder what the designer was thinking in creating some of these shirts:

Are they really that bad? Doesn't every sporting industry suffer from not-so-great apparel? Sure it does - which is exactly the point of this blog. My own running club has deemed one certain marathon shirt "The Vagina Shirt" for its awkward artwork front and centre.

Artists and designers of the world unite! Let's come together and resolve the ugly workout clothing dilemma terrorizing our world. Perhaps we need one regulating body that will oversee bad design and put a stop to this unsightly problem!

Egads! In reality, I only hope that my designs don't get trashed by mainstream media!

Layering Sex in the City style

I was just watching an episode of Sex and the City that opened with a scene of Carrie playing around on a trapeze in the name of writing a new article.

I was bummed that I couldn't find the outfit she wore in the opening scene. But - her other workout outfit is equally as stylish.

What I think is really neat is how the idea of layering continues with her workout gear. The photo on the left really highlights this dynamic with the pink striped piece matched with the blue tie-dyed piece below.

I think that the idea of dressing in layers for a workout - throwing a strappy tank over a tight under top - is so unique. If not in the name of style, it's a way to use those strappy tops that are collecting dust in my closet.

Where the "bad" fairy comes from

When I started gardening and landscaping in the fall of 2009, I discovered a very peaceful and meditative world. It was in the midst of this enlightening time that I felt this incredible urge to bring my "pretty dirty girl" line of technical tops to market.

I find such indescribable beauty in plants and in designing with nature. It's been just over a year and I'm completely blown away by the colours and shapes that nature produces. One of the first blooms in my garden in the spring is my hot pink rhododendron (bottom of photo). The drama of this plant is intensified with the pairing of the soft pink flowers of the Wine & Roses in the background (taller mini tree).

Because I find such beauty in flowers, I wanted to create a design on the tech tops that reflected this. I also wanted to get across the idea that flowers can deliver a certain calm if you immerse yourself in them. What I came up with is the Tattoo shirt (next photo).

I started with a number of flowers I manipulated to create a pattern. I wanted very soft colours but still some contrast so used charcoals and soft pinks.

I used a fairy as a focal point on the back left of the top. The fairy represents me or any person that meanders about the garden and finds the same peace that I often find. For me, it conjures up this idea of having gentle wings on my trunk and buzzing unnoticed in the warm sun of the garden and being an observer of nature's beauty.

When I completely let myself go in running, I can conjure up that same feeling - sunshine, the buzz of insects all around, quiet hidden trails, the atmosphere almost engulfing you as you pedal your legs forward on nature's pathways.

I probably have just as much fun envisioning how I'm going to represent these tops to sell as I do in creating the designs. The funny part of labeling the collection "The Pretty dirty girl" is that we can be immersed in all this beauty, yet we still have to spit, stink and all the other humanly acts that accompany running - or gardening for that matter. It's this dichotomy that I wanted to capture in my photo shoot.

The first shoot never made publication but it was so much fun to do. My idea was to capture me in the Tattoo shirt climbing among trees and acting somewhat like the fairy buzzing about the woods. Here's the outcome:



















































Fun, but it just didn't capture what I was looking for. I came out of this shoot with a tear in my fave pair of pink cheetah sneakers too! I'm not even sure that I had the name of the shirt at this point. But I did with the idea for the shoot that eventually made publication.

In the next photo shoot the "Tattoo" top would feature me with big pouting lips like some "hardcore" biker yet riding an eco-friendly e-bike. A deep hot red e-bike but that's probably it for true harshness. The idea of the top being called Tattoo reinforced the "badness" it meant to represent.

I just love it as I love all things that seem unfathomable for the brain to process - a dichotomy - a sweet "biker" fairy. For me, it captures that perfect "pretty dirty girl" conundrum - the women is essentially beautiful and this is not compromised with all the spitting (well I spit!), sweating and stinking that running brings! Tattoo Top

I rocked like a star for 5k!

5k - No Way!

I did run a 5k once several years ago but the only reason I did was because we got to pick out a funky red dress to run in. I died my hair red to match and actually ran quite well. I was first woman but in all fairness, there was probably only myself and Lisa, also pictured here (left).

Lisa has never forgotten the Red Dress Run and has been bugging me for the past several years about my 5k time. I always run for time - as in, I did 1 hour or 4 hours today, not 10k or 40k.

So in the name of fun and good spirit, I suggested Lisa and I duel it out in a 5k race. Enter our club's Valentine's Day 5k road race.


Yes, yes - we hammed it up before the race start. I decided, after an epic run in snow filled trails yesterday followed by a hardcore twelve hour sleep that this was going to be a hoot.

I first dawned my new Succi, not Pucci Sugoi hat. I then turned to my own collection of funky running tops and decided I felt like a Rock Star this morning so threw that top on. A little running skirt and voila - I was dressed to kill! (A 5k that is)


Well here are Lisa and I at the start line - still hamming it up, or so I thought. Who in all of Southern Ontario didn't enjoy their run today with the temperatures reaching a balmy plus, not minus five degrees! Who cared about the 33 km/hr winds, down at the lake to boot!

This was going to be a jolly good run with us neck and neck all the way. You know - laughing, egging each other on. Lisa is deaf but I imagined us still calling out as best we could to each other on the course.

WAS I WRONG! Although we were standing beside each other right before the start, the little bugger edged her way to the sidelines right before the gun and then shot off into the clearing as the race started. "Damn" was all I thought and then "she's in this for real." So I mushed my touche in my hot little number and mozied pretty quickly on by a number of folks to catch up to Lisa.

I fell right in behind her and decided I needed to get my lungs in a rhythm before I started to compete. For about half of the course I neatly followed her keeping an equi-dstance between us. Then about half way through the race I saw her heading for a wide take on a street corner so took it really tight and voila (again), I got my edge and pulled ahead.

Lisa definitely gave me a run for the remainder of the race. The only significant other passing was by a beautiful Lululemon jacket with a funky cut and design in the back panel. I noticed little else.

At about the last k, Lisa pulled ahead of me. I knew it was do or die in that last bit so made a plan to progressive pick up the pace but leave some for the final run in. And there we were - the final stretch. The way it ended was that I made certain we crossed the finish line together. Although official results paint a different story (I had folded up my bib and hid it in my pocket as this fashionista does not like pinning her clothes!), I know that we crossed that line together.


And so, today I was a Rock Star.

Funny thing, the first thing I felt like when I crossed that finish line was chocolate milk.

Lisa did win a chocolate heart being the Valentine's 5k and all. And you know what? She shared half of it with me. I will tell you that someone told me Lisa is a choco-a-holic and shares her chocolate with NO ONE. How sweet is that!

How I became a Cheetah

I've been working on a piece about proper fit with our running clothes. It started with a visit to a local shop where I tried on a number of running pants and a jacket. Much to my dismay, I looked horrid in most of the pieces. I can attribute this to my unusually large weight gain over the Christmas holidays that's taking awhile to work off. For me, my problem spots are the top of my thighs and tummy.

Some all-too-familiar thoughts came to me as I stood there looking at the spandex disaster staring back at me in the change room mirror. I've heard them so many times before, "it doesn't matter how you look - these pants are for running."

That phrase has been on my mind all week as I've been researching proper fit for my body type. As part of my research, I went through photos of me from the past six years of running, canoeing and climbing mountains. For some outfits I actually thought "geez, I really wish this was never caught on film." But should I really have avoided spaghetti straps with my big shoulders and arms? Should I have not worn a light grey spandex short that showcased every bump in my pear-shaped figure with an equally unflattering top? Why does it matter and why am I way more excited these days to sport a cute running dress, skirt or flowery patterned top with dark pants?

The Confidence Continuum






From one perspective, it doesn't matter because just doing sports is a confidence builder in itself. I'm referring to inner confidence - that "umph" that shines through when someone knows exactly who they are and what they're doing. It's the person we all want to be around because they have a certain buzz about them - their own energy.

Running can definitely help boost our confidence. Think about how wonderful it feels finishing a race or a hill workout. We can feel on top of the world. If we think of confidence as ranging from weak to strong along a continuum, then sports can help move us further along that continuum.

But what if we have a bad run? What if we only run once a week? What if we run only in summers and do nothing all winter long? What if our physical pursuits turn us into a spoil sport when we don't win? What if our diet is atrocious in spite of all the exercise? What if we plain lose motivation to keep running? Or...what if we suffer plain jane with bouts of poor confidence?

Although sport is great for helping us to build real self-confidence, it's not infallible for exactly the reasons I identify above. To complicate matters, we need clothes to run in and clothes also fall on a continuum that affects our self confidence.

The Clothing Continuum






If we look at the clothing continuum from a running perspective, on the very far left we have folks that choose clothes just to cover their bodies while they run. Fit and feeling good in these clothes are irrelevant for the wearer. Fine and dandy, but consider this scenario:

I know that for most of my running life (some thirty years), I would always run at night. Why? Because I never really viewed myself as "a runner." Running was always training for other sports. That said, I preferred to go out at night when I knew there was little chance of being recognized as I huffed and puffed away in a big old t-shirt and un-matching shorts. I'm not alone in the "closet runner" syndrome. Not only was this reported in a recent interview with the owner of the Running Room franchise but it's quite the phenomenon among middle age women that are new to running (or working out in general) and are carrying extra weight, self-conscious about their aging bodies and/or have never done sports before! And it's probably not limited to middle aged women either.

In this scenario, fitting clothing to your body type is important to keep the workout momentum going. No use derailing your workout that is meant to build self confidence with clothes that work against your self confidence.



Let's consider now someone that sits somewhere along the middle of the continuum. This probably represents the bulk of female runners today. Compared to our everyday clothing needs, we probably only buy a few pieces of performance wear for running every year. Coupled with the problem of limited selection in mainstream stores, most wardrobes represent a mish-mash of performance tops and bottoms. We'd most likely find that most women are wearing running wear fitted to their bodies, but lacking in style. The latter is also a problem inherent to women in general. With the growing presence of small companies at expos that offer unique and stylish performance pieces, this is changing. This doesn't mean selection leads to style, but it certainly makes it easier.

This still doesn't mean that we choose pieces that are best for our body types. I'm going back to the questions I posed at the start of this article - should I ever have worn god-awful too-short and too-revealing, light grey spandex shorts? In looking back at photos I see they were definitely a bad choice for my body type. But in the midst of my activity, it mattered little. I was probably sitting somewhere in the middle of that confidence/clothing continuum. Today, I definitely am moving towards the far right of this line. This is an area of complete self-expression.

My choices in running clothing are funkier, hipper and they definitely represent more of my somewhat rebellious personality (for a fourty-something year old!). Part of this is finding funkier options out there (skirts, dresses, patterns). Part of this is learning what suits my body best in everyday wear (pear shape that morphs into something more athletic in the height of summer). But really, it has so much to do with moving along the continuum of confidence in life and the artist in me bursting out. As I've chatted about in earlier posts, when I run, I feel incredibly free. When I run trails - especially gnarly, hilly, even mountainous trails, I'm in my element. I feel my inner cheetah taking over and feel like I'm making my stamp on my territory. As running ultra distances has reinforced in my mind, it's not about the win, it's about the second to second experience that running delivers for me. It's about feeling alive and loving running. And dammit, there are companies that make running clothes that represent my cheetah nature so I'm going to dawn my cheetah-esque skin when I'm out there!

My permanent cheetah attire:

Defining style and success in active wear

When I'm researching active wear clothing I come across a fair number of companies that have the same colour offerings. Take for example the three pieces on the left. These were popular colour choices in 2010 and according to trend researchers, will continue to be so into 2011.

Apart from big name designers and companies that are players in the growing female active wear market, I ask myself what contributes to the success of a line put out by a company like Running Skirts? They may incorporate the season's latest colour trends into their line, but other factors also contribute to their burgeoning success.

I've been contemplating this for some time and chose to look at Running Skirts after viewing this television segment on the company:



Perhaps I just haven't looked deep enough into current styling trends to expose an interest in argyle. I think this is irrelevant though. I think companies like Running Skirts are setting a trend in the market. Similar to other women-run companies in North America (Skirt Sports, Moeben), the Running Skirt's line incorporates funkiness through pattern selection, use of bold colours, playful femininity and the presentation of coordinated outfits. The company's approach to merchandising and promotions certainly creates a strong picture of their brand.

I also think that the concept of wearing a coordinated outfit in a sport like running is so novel that it sells. Of course it repels some that believe fashion has no place in sport, but the success of these smaller companies and their global presence show the demand is there. And at the end of the day, fashion is business and it's the bottom line that counts.

Olympic fashion gold, Stella style

Last summer it was reported that Stella McCartney had been chosen to be the Creative Director for Team Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics. Fitting - given that England will also play host to this prestigious event.

Here's what I love about Stella McCartney's designs for Adidas - the feminine touch. Of course, not every design embodies the embellishments I showcase in the photos below, but some do. Her pieces go beyond what most are even capable of producing in the active wear scene simply because she has the design background and experience of working in the fashion world.

Each of the pieces I've chosen below contain details that create a strong feminine look and feel from the use of sheer fabric, school-girl pleating, ruching over the belly area and the use of textured fabric to outline the female form and bring attention to bare shoulders.

Textile Design Interview

The following is an interview with one of the owners at Creativo Surface Design Studio in New York. The studio produces textile designs for a major performance apparel company.

DR=Dirty Runner, CSD=Creativo Surface Design

DR: Are there differences in designing for technical fabrics (e.g. poly/spandex or nylon/spandex) versus non-technical?

CSD: One difference would be in the style of print. Most performance apparel companies tend to like active prints or prints that have movement. Also, from company to company, there may be certain color limitations. Other than that, you can pretty much achieve what you want, design wise, on most fabrics.

DR: Are you commissioned to create a specific design that the end user is looking for or alternatively, is the user buying textile designs from your collection?

CSD: In most cases both. Sometimes the client will find exactly what they are looking for in our collections, other times, they find something close that needs to be reworked slightly. Alternately, we also get commissioned to design single prints and whole collections as well.

DR: You’ve stated elsewhere that your influencers for textile design are shopping the market in New York and trend reports. Does this apply to active wear as well or does active wear have it’s own unique influencers?

CSD: Yes, it does. Trends trickle down in to all markets. It's just some markets will use those trends slightly different depending on use and market.

DR: Do you find that there is less demand for textile design in the active wear industry than in others industries (e.g. home furnishings)?

CSD: I wouldn't say that. Our core customers are swimwear/activewear. The active wear market certainly isn't as large as women's or juniors on a whole, but it's pretty large and growing none the less.

DR: Is there a predominant application for textile design in active wear? For example, are textile designs used primarily for accents on tops or as side panels? My thinking is that the cost of performance fabrics is usually greater than non-performance and in turn prohibits a design-intensive approach to active wear construction.

CSD: I would say the approach is the same as far as design no matter the application or placement.

DR: Do you find that your textile designs for active wear are more feminine in nature, and this is based on the assumption that there is more demand for design in the female versus male active wear market?

CSD: Typically, they are more feminine in nature, but most of all that is driven by color. The mens active wear market is pretty large as well, but is less print driven than the womens side.

Boldy go...

In an earlier post I wrote about there being two distinct sweat couture categories: chique and playful. I'm beginning to see a third category and this is bold, non-patterned designs as pictured above from Fit Couture.

My own style is more suited toward prints, but on the pieces pictured above I do love the contrast in the black piping/trim with the solid, distinct colour of the top. And the colours chosen for the tops break that old mold of drab green, blue or grey as the only choices for women. Paired with your favorite black running pants and voilà - you have a perfect example of sweat couture!

Pucci thing going on

Sugoi's got that Pucci thing going on with these technical running hats.

They've named their version "Souchi."

For me this is really beginning to define the term "sweat couture."

Itchy & scratchy no more!

I remember in my years of downhill skiing of reaching for something wool in a desperate attempt to keep warm. I can still recall the feeling of being so itchy from wool that my skin still rebels at the thought of anything that offensive next to it.

That was before Merino wool!

Last weekend I was running alongside a gal that wore a beautiful hot pink Merino wool hoodie. "Dye-able" is what crossed my mind. I know that Merino wool isn't a 2011 phenomena, but check out this gorgeous piece on the left. Love the fit, love the technical aspects of what it does for us cold weather runners and I love the design! This top is available here from Nature Shop.

Funk this outfit!

Here's a budget-conscious approach to adding a little funk to your running wardrobe.

Start with one piece that is representative of life on the wild side - like these poly/spandex shorts (yuppers - cheat a little and look to other sports, like volleyball for unique pieces).

Add your favourite black running top - long/short sleeve or short with black armbands. Spice up the outfit a little more with some black running socks and my god girl - you're smashing!

Fabric Roll Call

Here is a selection of activewear fabric's I've chosen that would make my "roll call" list for production. Sassy little running skirt? Dress? Armbands?