Loving LIJA!

I want to introduce you all to this Canadian athletic brand called Lija, if you haven't heard of it already.    They are based in Vancouver, and they make some super cute workout clothes!  When I first found out about them, I was actually very very excited because they started as a golf and tennis line, and in 2012 they started expanding into running and gym gear.  Well, I love golf, tennis (though I'm not very good at this one), and I pretty much live at the gym, so this brand is exactly like meeee!!!  You can get their clothes all over the US and Canada in different stores/studios, for example my gym chain Equinox carries them in their shop.  But for me it is always most convenient to buy online.  They do have a $15 shipping charge, but since they don't have a store in California, I don't have to pay sales taxes.  So depending on how much I buy, $15 could be equal to or less than what I'd pay in taxes.  The merchandise themselves are on the pricey side, but you do get what you pay for.  If you sign up for their email list though, you get 10% off first purchase.  Also, check out their sale section online - there are some great deals!

I have to say though, their website is not the easiest to shop on, because there is typically only one photo from the front view for each product, and you can't zoom in on it very well.  The color swatches are pretty small and you can't really get a good idea of what it looks like on the actual merchandise if it's different from the one shown on the model.  So it took me a little time to figure out what I was getting.  But they do have these beautiful lookbooks, which hooked me right away and made me want to get everything in it!  Here are some pages from it:

How beautiful are these clothes!!!  Their construction looks to be really great as well, as far as I can tell from the items I got.  They have two types of materials - compression and fuse.  Compression is a silkier and stretchier material, like Lululemon's luxtreme but softer.  Fuse is like a mesh type of material.  They are both made of combinations of nylon and spandex.  I really like both!  They are totally different, I think compression works well with tighter fitting clothing, and mesh can be looser because it is heavier and has better drape.  It would also hide flaws better.  Anyway, here are the items I got!

Ok, I have to say that after seeing Anna Kournikova in this red Compression Revise Skort, I pulled the trigger. 

Too bad they didn't have this red one anymore.  So I bought it in "glacier".  It is exactly the same as Lululemon's aruba color.  I have 3 Lululemon running skirts - 2 Jog skirts and 1 Energy skirt.  While I like all 3 of them, I have to say that this Lija skirt is my favorite by far!!  It just fits so much more comfortably than Lululemon skirts.  With the Lulu skirts, I always felt that the waistband needed to be pulled up more, otherwise it would fall and create a muffin top kind of look.  The built in under shorts sometimes feel a little tight around the opening as well.  And then when you move around in them, the swift material is a bit more stiff and bunches a little and I'd have to pull it down.  But not the Lija skort!  It seriously fits like a dream (I got size small)!  And I also really love the style of having a little bit of ruffles on the bottom of one side of it only.  I don't want a lot of ruffles on my skirts - I tried on Lululemon's Speed skirt many many times and could just never pull the trigger on those because I think the back ruffles make my hips look large since you can see some of it on the side from the frontal view.  Here's the Lija skort on me:

And here's the under shorts (sorry for the close up crotch shot!):

The skirt on its own:

The length of it is a tiny bit longer than my Lululemon Jog skirt in size 4.  But not much difference at all.  However, Lija does make this same skirt in longer length more appropriate for golf - the Ultimate Golf Skirt.  But I like this length for running/tennis.  Here's a comparison photo of my Jog skirt over it so you can see the length difference.  The widths are identical.

I got these Compression Climate Short as well in the same color - glacier.  They are kind of exactly like the under shorts of the skort.  I love these too because the waistband is super comfortable and doesn't dig in!  I'd wear them under dresses or even tights.  The color actually goes really well under my Sweaty Betty Adrenaline ombre tights!  These are size small as well.

Next, I got 2 tanks!  First one is the Compression Crossover tank top, in "mystic" which is a light purple/lavender type of color.  I really like this tank, and it's on sale now for $37, down from $75 - totally worth it!  I like the streamlined design with the flattering v-neck and little opening on the back.  The back actually matches the Lululemon 50 Rep bra exactly!  (Shown below).  This top does come with a built in shelf bra, but there's no room for cup inserts and I wouldn't want to chance showing any headlights at the gym, so I like it layered over the 50 Rep!  This tank is one of those styles that is a classic and will last no matter what the current trend is. 

I loved this tank during my workout!  It stayed in place, dry, and comfortable.  It's very light weight, and I worked out hard in it, but I did not overheat at all.

Pretty supportive bra band, but I would love some pockets for inserts!

The next top I got is the Fuse Approach tank top.  I actually like the stock photo they have of this tank in this apricot color, but they no longer have it so I got the all black one.

This is the only piece I got in the Fuse material.  I really really like this top!  It also happens to be on sale for $37, down from $75.  This one does not have a built in bra, and I got it in size small as well.  I don't usually like black tops because most of my bottoms are black.  But the style of this tank just looks super cool in black!  It fits looser, and makes a staple piece as well.  It makes you look like a hardcore workout chick!  LOL!  I got it in size small as well.  The back is a scoop style so it's very open and you can show off your pretty sports bras.  I wore it with Lululemon Free To Be bra in pow pink and Lorna Jane Devoted tight.

So it is actually longer than I wore it.  I sort of like it shorter and sitting above the hips, but you can let it down more too.  The bottom band is elastic, and it stayed in place really well during my entire workout.  I really like this fuse material, the mesh is very breathable and wicks sweat extremely well.  I was really impressed that during my workout, this tank did not ride up or move at all!  My Lululemon tanks with elastic band on the bottom, like the No Limit tanks, always always ride up when I move.

Here's a close up shot of the fuse material.  The color got blown out a little though but you can still see it pretty clearly.

And here's the detail around the straps - as you can see, the outer layer is different from the rest of the tank.  You can see it in person better than on the pictures above.

And of course, I got a tennis dress!  The Compression Grand Slam dress in white.  It went on sale from $110 to $50!  It's a size small too, and it is fitted on top but looser and yet figure hugging around the waist and hips.  That way it won't show any of your imperfections.  This dress is super comfy, and I needed a white tennis dress!  I like the mesh inserts in the middle too.

There's no built in bra or shorts in this dress, so you have to wear your own.  The side of the dress may look like there are pockets, but there isn't.  I think it would be nice if there were pockets though, especially at the original price of $110!  For tennis balls or just whatever.  But I do think the cut of this dress is very flattering.  I haven't had a chance to wear it yet, but I will wear it to tennis next week!

Last thing I got was the Axis Classic Argyle vest.  I am a sucker for argyle prints.  I thought it would be perfect for golf, and then I got the great idea of wearing it to work too!  Super versatile!  I love it when I can wear pieces casually as well as to work.  Here is my work outfit:

This vest is pricey at $95.  But the color I got was on sale.  It's very very nicely made, but I don't think I'd spend full price on it.  Maybe if I were a serious golfer or something and wore these often to the course.  I love the lookbook photo of the vest over a sleeveless polo.  So preppy!  I used to dress very preppy when I was younger, so I still have a tender spot in my heart for preppy looks lol.  So I might have to go get the sleeveless polo too at some point soon.

I also got some knee length shorts but I got them in the wrong size and had to send them back.  I ordered size 2 based on the size chart, but I really needed a 4.  I was kind of bummed that many of their beautiful plaid knee shorts were sold out of my size.  They would be so great for golf or just to wear around in the summer!  

I inquired as to how often Lija gets new products so I can get all the goodies before they sell out in the future.  Their response was that they release new products twice a year - Spring (Jan - Apr) and Fall (Jun - Nov).  June is coming up!  So I'm getting excited!  Within each season, they launch 3 golf and 3 tennis/active/studio collections which contain different colors.  They tell me that golf and tennis collections typically had different color palette before, but now they are starting to combine them so you can mix and match from different collections. 

I definitely think the products I've gotten from Lija are of very good quality and will last me a long time.  I don't mind spending extra money for quality.  80% of their goods are made in North America too, so it will benefit my home turf anyways.  Their tennis line is their biggest sellers, but I think the new run/gym line is very promising as well.  I'm very impressed with everything so far, and I really can't wait to see what more comes out of this company!