Splits59 Chase Long Top

So I've been wanting to try out this activewear brand called Splits59.  One of my favorite fitness instructors at Equinox, Elise Gulan, is one of their "firestarters".  I don't know what that means exactly but it's something similar to Lululemon's ambassador program I suppose.  Elise is also a Lulu ambassador.  They were calling her the "face of fitness" when she was in their store on Sunday lol.  She is really cute and always has the cutest Lululemon outfits on which she wears very well.  But a while ago when I took one of her classes at Equinox, she was wearing a Splits59 tank that looked very cute.  Naturally I was curious about the brand, because I had never seen her wear anything but Lululemon.  Then I saw the price tag of their tanks at the Equinox Shop and they are about $80 a pop.  So yeah, I didn't feel like "trying something out" for that price, especially since nothing really caught my eye.

But later on, I found their website and signed up to receive email specials.  They were running a free priority shipping thing until the end of August (today), so I decided to get a top from the sales section as a guinea pig to see if it's really worth the price.  I feel very strange since I haven't bought a brand other than Lululemon for the gym in a long time.  It feels like I'm cheating on them?!?

I must admit, browsing through the Splits59 collection, the designs look nothing special.  Most of them look like very basic tanks.  So for $80 or so a piece, they must be made of some amazing material right?  I guess this company is started by triathletes that wanted to make clothes that would enhance your performance and last through rigorous work outs, while providing the sleek and streamlined look.  Anyway, I decided to get the Chase Long Top in Lemon-Eggnog since it was pretty much the only thing available in a size S from the sale section.  The price is $29 now, down from $80 original.  There were a few other tops in the sales section in size XS but I had never tried this brand on and didn't know how the sizes ran.  I figured S would be a safer bet.  Shipping was pretty fast since they are also located in the area.  I ordered yesterday and received it today.

The picture of the back of this top is only available in the black color

The outside layer is really nothing special design wise - just a racerback top, with some mesh inserts with circle design on them on the front.  But for $29 and being my only choice, that was fine just to try out.  The yellow is happy and bright too, I don't own any other yellow tops so this is a first for me.  The inner layer is a cream colored bra top to create that "layered look".  I wasn't sure how supportive the bra would be or if they would have pockets for cup inserts when I ordered it yesterday, but the answer is no.  It's a very low support bra with no pockets.  The bra is so thin I don't even consider it a bra.  I would have to wear a separate sports bra under it for sure.  The bra is only attached to the outer layer by a couple stitches on each side, so I think it would be pretty easy to cut them apart and wear them separately as well.

Aside from that disappointment, it seems to be made in pretty good quality.  Made in USA by the way.  All the seams are flat locked, like Lululemon.  However, I am in love with the material!  It feels close to Lululemon's luxtreme material, but thinner and stretchier.  It's a very soft and buttery feel.  Another difference between this material and luxtreme is that it doesn't show every bend and ripple in the skin like luxtreme does, even though it's thinner and is form fitting.  I don't know why this is, but it's true.  It really feels like second skin!  The Splits59 logo on this top is on the lower left side - not visible from the model pictures.  But it's a long vertical rectangular strip that is silver and reflective.  I like that it's not so "out there".

The size S fits well, and the length is perfect.  The bra band is very comfortable too.  I haven't been able to take this top off all night, and I can tell that it would stay in place very well during work outs.  Most of my tops from Lululemon do move around and ride up a little bit during vigorous movements - some styles better than others.  But for the most part, I'd have to adjust them by pulling them down from time to time, especially when I'm running.  Not a major problem for me, but I can tell that this Chase top would not move at all.  I can't wait to try it out during an actual sweaty work out! I'd imagine it would be really cool to work out in this material.  And I want to check out how well it wicks sweat.  But it still makes me think harder to shell out $80 for one of these babies when I can spend around $55 and get a Lululemon top that has a much more unique design.  So maybe I'll just stalk their sale section from now on because I have a feeling that I will want a few more!