The Paleo sisterhood will agree with me: You can be primal, give it your all in a workout and still work the look. And the ladies will also agree: There is a sport top for every occassion. It's not only a girly thing. For long trail runs where a hydration pack becomes necessary many would prefer wearing T-shirts over racer-back sportshirts since a backpack can chafe at arms, shoulders and the back of the neck if not covered by fabric. For my circuit and core training where folks will regularly come in contact with Mother Earth e.g. having to crawl on grass, I tell my class to leave their HKD 500 pastel Lululemon shirts at home and show up in wear which they don't mind taking the grit.
Having the notion that you can never have enough sport tops is not girly either: Until you have dialled in your training routine, found your brands, got your size and are aware about your best fitting there will be an invasion of hit and miss sportsgear in general. There will also be the day(s) when you realize that you have not caught up with the laundry and ran out of moisture wicking functional sports clothes. And you will have to resign yourself having to wear... (dare I say it?) common cotton. *gasp*
Perfect cue and transition to the the brand Cotton On (now it gets girly): Most of us know this Australian brand for their very affordable, laid-back, young-ish casual clothes. When they started bringing out their own sportswear, they first came out with cotton shorts and tank tops which rather more resembled sleep wear. You could wear that for a light yoga or pilates session but for outdoor activities in hot and humid Hong Kong it would make you feel like a sweat sponge.
Having the notion that you can never have enough sport tops is not girly either: Until you have dialled in your training routine, found your brands, got your size and are aware about your best fitting there will be an invasion of hit and miss sportsgear in general. There will also be the day(s) when you realize that you have not caught up with the laundry and ran out of moisture wicking functional sports clothes. And you will have to resign yourself having to wear... (dare I say it?) common cotton. *gasp*
Perfect cue and transition to the the brand Cotton On (now it gets girly): Most of us know this Australian brand for their very affordable, laid-back, young-ish casual clothes. When they started bringing out their own sportswear, they first came out with cotton shorts and tank tops which rather more resembled sleep wear. You could wear that for a light yoga or pilates session but for outdoor activities in hot and humid Hong Kong it would make you feel like a sweat sponge.
Now that's wisdom. :-D
But they have learned their lesson quickly and have now come out with women's active wear either made of moisture wicking cotton or functional man-made fabric. The design of the tights slightly reminded me of Lululemon especially the use of a wider, softer waistband to counter the muffin top effect. They also came out with their own version of Strong Is The New Skinny mantra shirts you often see CrossFit girls wearing.
The workmanship and fabric is not as good as Lululemon, but it is up to par with Nike and much much cheaper. While a Nike sports top made of functional knitted polyester with integrated bra and pads usually costs around HKD 300, a similar top at Cotton On only costs HKD 180.
The fitting is a bit more relaxed. Measurementwise a Cotton On size Small or European 36 would pass as a Nike Medium or European 38.
All in all, Cotton On's sportsline is good enough to become a woman's inexpensive workout wear staple. The quality is durable enough for most workout activities. Also, accidentall spilling your post workout drink on your sport top would not be much of sting for your wallet.
Not all Cotton On shops carry the sports line though. I myself spotted it at the Cotton On flagship store on 2-10 D'Aguilar street, Central. Of course I could not resist and bought a mantra shirt. Yeah, it's cotton, but light, comfy and in a colour which camouflages grass stains very well. Looking forward to get down and dirty with it.
See you at training.
The workmanship and fabric is not as good as Lululemon, but it is up to par with Nike and much much cheaper. While a Nike sports top made of functional knitted polyester with integrated bra and pads usually costs around HKD 300, a similar top at Cotton On only costs HKD 180.
The fitting is a bit more relaxed. Measurementwise a Cotton On size Small or European 36 would pass as a Nike Medium or European 38.
All in all, Cotton On's sportsline is good enough to become a woman's inexpensive workout wear staple. The quality is durable enough for most workout activities. Also, accidentall spilling your post workout drink on your sport top would not be much of sting for your wallet.
Not all Cotton On shops carry the sports line though. I myself spotted it at the Cotton On flagship store on 2-10 D'Aguilar street, Central. Of course I could not resist and bought a mantra shirt. Yeah, it's cotton, but light, comfy and in a colour which camouflages grass stains very well. Looking forward to get down and dirty with it.
See you at training.
