Lots of fashion designers have been grabbing for a piece of the activewear trend pie lately, and some of the resulting pieces have caught my eye. Since I’m always trying to scope out new brands, I decided to give some a try. Specifically, I ordered Trina Turk’s Bermuda leggings in pink berry and Rebecca Minkoff’s Raegan leggings. Here are my thoughts.
Trina Turk Bermuda leggings
Initial thoughts: SUCH a vibrant color. The hot pink was what drew me to order these in the first place, and the bright pink did not disappoint in real life. These also come in black, but that just didn’t have the same allure.
They fit pretty true for a size XS legging, maybe on the smaller side (but not quite as small as a lululemon size 2). Nordstrom marks the XS as good for size 00 and 0 (street size), and I agree with their assessment there. The rise is a hair lower than a lot of my active bottoms, but not so low that it felt like it would be a problem.
There’s a raised rubber logo on the front left side of the pants (it’s on the opposite hip of what’s in this pic–oops–but you can see the white edge of it). It’s a small gripe, but I don’t love it there since it would be a lump underneath shirts–a logo that sits more flush is nice. The pants also have your garden variety waistband slit pocket, but no other pockets.
They are full length, but not excessively long. At 5’3″, I have a tiny bit of ankle bunching to spare. If you’re taller, these might end up more like 7/8 length on you. The length is a positive in my eyes, since if they were longer it would’ve hidden the styling at the low leg.
The fabric is partially a nylon/spandex blend and partially supplex. It’s soft, but not too cottony. The main body of the pants with the triangle pattern is actually a textured fabric. It’s a cool pattern, and the texturing is a big part of what attracted me to try these pants. (I was also hoping the texturing would mean thicker fabric to help with the sheerness issues that are common to lighter pants.) Also, points to Trina Turk for doing something more unusual.
Now for the bad news…
They’re sheer! I initially tried them on with dark colored underwear, and you could see them standing normally at the panels directly above where the textured triangle part ends. As I’m sure you can imagine, the squat test did not go well either. The textured parts are a little thicker than the plain bits of fabric, but still not enough to pass the sheerness test.
On a similar note, the fabric felt quite revealing overall. The slightest little wrinkle in my underthings was visible, and in general looking at myself in the mirror, they looked like they clung in ways that felt like too much to me.
If these weren’t sheer and generally revealing, I probably would’ve kept them since they fit well and are pretty cute. But ultimately, the decision to return ended up being easy.
Rebecca Minkoff Raegan leggings
Next on the docket, a run tight style from Rebecca Minkoff. They’re called the Raegan leggings, and I was attracted to these for the paneling on the legs. The pattern spices up an otherwise plain pair of black tights but still means they’ll match pretty much anything. The seams stay out of the way of your knee joint, so you don’t sacrifice comfort or function for the added panels.
My first reaction when I pulled these out of the package was how thin the fabric felt. I immediately assumed they were going to be super sheer. The fabric is a slick running/high-intensity fabric, like lululemon’s luxtreme.
Then, when I pulled them on, I was in for another surprise: these run big! Although they aren’t actively falling down, there’s this saggy sort of feeling when you’re wearing tights that are too big, as opposed to feeling like everything is nicely in its place. If you’ve tried something that’s too big, you’ll know what I mean. They just felt very wrong, fit-wise, and I know if I tried to work out in them, they would slide down and around like nobody’s business. In these pics, you can see that there’s a bit of wrinkling due to the extra fabric.
Granted, a pair of tights being too big for my body type doesn’t mean they’re necessarily bad, but it’s hard to make an informed comment about much else when fit kind of ruins things.
Interestingly, these managed to pass the squat test for sheerness, despite my initial misgivings about the fabric. I’m not sure if sheerness would rear its ugly head if the fit was better.
The length is similar to the last pair: full length on me without a lot of ankle bunching. They’re your average mid rise, not too high and not too low. There’s a continuous drawcord at the waist and a zippered back pocket. In the pics online, the zipper is white, but it’s actually black on the pair I received.
Overall, these are an easy “nope” for me. The pattern accent is basically the one thing I really liked about these, but it’s not enough to make up for the fit problems, especially since they come with a hefty $128 price tag.
This wasn’t a successful run for me, but if you’d like to check these out for yourself, you can find them here:
I have some Trina Turk leggings. They have the cutest styles. I feel like they do run a tiny bit small. And the fabric is super thin. Glad it’s not just me.
I’m glad it’s not just me, too! I wouldn’t rule out trying something else from Trina Turk if something caught my eye, but I’ll probably avoid light colors like this pair for next time.
Too bad about the sheerness because those Trina Turk leggings look awesome on you!
Thanks! I agree it’s too bad, I was excited for them!
I just received my Alala order from Nordstrom Rack. I am size 4 in lulu tops. I have to say that Alala xs is more like lulu 2-4. Supernova sweatshirt is really thick and cute but it is short and fits more like lulu 2. I am on the fence about toughie tank in cobalt and edge sweatshirt in black. Toughie tank fits well but it is polyester. Edge sweatshirt is nice and thick, but a little tight. You can’t beat the price from the Rack, but my closet is so full that I should only buy things that I love independent of price. I still have not pulled the trigger yet on fast track and rolldown pants.
Has anyone tried Alala’s pulse pullover? It looks like it only comes in two sizes based on the description in Carbon38. S looks very roomy though.
Suzanne, has your Alala order arrived yet? Can’t wait for your review!
Hm yeah, it looks like the same 2 sizes are all that’s available in the pulse PO on Alala’s site too. I guess the style is pretty flexible as far as sizing goes. Anyway yes, I did get my order! I took some pics this weekend and am working on the post. The fractal tee fits *very* generously through the body but like a lot of Alala’s stuff, is cut slim through the arms. The twist back tank is cute, but not sure if the cut is working for me, especially at the price point. Hoping to get the post done in the next couple of days with more thoughts. :)
Btw, not sure what size you are in bottoms, but the rolldown sweats are $88 on Revolve in S and L: http://www.revolveclothing.com/alala-rolldown-sweats-in-black/dp/ALAL-WP1/?d=Womens
Yeah, the fact that a lot of their stuff runs a bit smaller and shorter is part of why the brand works well for me, but can make sizing tricky. I have the cobalt toughie tank and it’s actually tactel (which is nylon)–it’s just the mesh that’s poly. For what it’s worth, I was gifted that tank from Alala and at first I didn’t wear it much, but this summer I wore it allllll the time. It’s ended up getting so much wear that I’m considering buying the new one in cerise. I actually ordered the killer crop top from Rack myself just this weekend–like you said, can’t beat the price. :) We’ll see if it fits, though.
Neat pants, but disappointing neither worked out. It’s probably for the best so that I’m not tempted to buy them ;)
True! Part of me is happy when things don’t work out, because it’s money right back in my pocket for something else! :)
Love how honest your reviews are! Keep ’em coming!
Thanks Michelle! I do my best to make reviews useful, even if that means giving the thumbs down sometimes. :)