Trying Out A New Brand - Titika Active Couture!

I have been following this Canadian brand called Titika Active Couture for like 2 years now.  I've seen some super cute designs by them, but they never shipped to the US!  I actually found some US sites that sold their stuff but the selections were very limited.  Well, a couple weeks ago I saw that they started shipping to the US!  They even offer free shipping if your order is over $100.  So of course I made an order right away.  I got 3 tanks, one jacket and one bra.  The thing I have to warn you about ordering from them if you live in the US is that their site is able to show all prices in USD (great exchange rate for us right now!) but once you are at the final page of check out, it all converts to Canadian dollars.  When I saw this, I thought ok... maybe they just want to show the prices in CAD.  But it turns out that they actually charged my credit card in CAD, which my credit card company then charged me a foreign transaction fee for.  My order was about $170 USD total, and the fee I was charged was a little over $5.  It's not a huge deal, but just a warning!  Since Titika just started shipping to the US, I think they deserve to be cut some slack.  But I did email their customer service to let them know that they should disclose that on their checkout page.  I've had a couple interactions with their customer service so far, and they are very responsive which is always a great sign!

So now onto their products - I received my order in about 1.5 week which is pretty fast considering they ship from Canada.  I really like the feel of fabrics they use and the quality and workmanship seems to be very good!  Since the USD/CAD exchange rate is in my favor right now, I think I'm getting really great value.  Their price point in CAD is not bad either though - a little bit lower than Lululemon I think.

Out of the 3 tanks I ordered, my favorite one is the Born tank in dark green.  It's super lightweight, almost a burnout material.  I love the drapey back and the color is great.  It's actually darker in person than the online photos.  It's only $27 USD too!

I wasn't sure about sizing, but I read that I could go one size smaller than my Lululemon size.  That seemed to make sense since their sizes start at 0 as opposed to 2.  So I ordered this tank in size 2.  It's the right size!

The color is rather dark in person.  It's a dark forrest green kind of color.

You can see better here the material which is semi-sheer:

The bottom is actually banded.  It's not really elastic though.  But it does cinch in a tiny bit:

The next 2 tanks I got I actually returned.  But I'm really going to "exchange" for a different size with one of them.  They don't really do exchanges, so basically you just ship it back for return and make a new order.  They did offer me free shipping on my next order though, so that's nice.

The Monarch tank is the one that I need to exchange.  The design is SO cute, and the fabric is soft and nice.  It's only around $28 USD too.

So it comes in both black and watermelon heather.  I got black, because I have a lot of tanks in that watermelon color family.  I do like it though!  I think the back is so pretty.  I got this tank in size S, but it is way too tight and short for my liking.  I think I can safely size up to M, and maybe even L if I want a loose, flowy fit.  I'm just really not into tight fitting tanks nowadays.   

Here's the up close of the fabric:

The tank that I'm just returning (will probably order a totally different tank style) is the Betty tank in light purple.  It is just too short and boxy for my liking, and it's not a sizing issue because it's already quite loose.  It looks cute on the model though!

I love the back of this tank, of course.  I got it in size S as well.  Unfortunately I just don't think it looks that good on me.  I need a few more inches.  

The fabric of this tank is actually on the heavier and thicker side.

The jacket I ordered was on sale, which means final sale.  But I thought it looked cute on the model and I could take a chance for the sale price of $55 USD.  It is the Flower jacket in bright pink.

When I first put this jacket on, I immediately thought:  the fit and fabric are so similar to the Lululemon Define or Forme jacket!  I then read the fabric composition which is 86% supplex and 14% spandex - that's pretty much luon!

I got it in size 2.  I think this is a form fitting style so 2 is my true to size.  But could also size up to 4 for a looser fit.  I like the tighter fit in the jacket though. 

Even the zipper pull resembles Lulu:

The cuffin, thumbhole and even logo are very reminiscent of Lulu:

I like the fit and the lace inset in the jacket.  But I am not crazy about the black hood pull strings.  Actually I was just thinking that I would rather not have a hood.  Then I looked at it closer and found that the hood is actually removable!!  They don't even say that in their online description.  But the hood zips right off!  Awesome!

The zipper is hidden behind this extra material as shown below, so you can't see at all when worn:

So now this is what the jacket looks like without the hood - I like it better!

You can also see the lace on the back better without the hood:

Ok lastly, I got the Inferno bra in red.  It's also on sale, so it's non-returnable.  It's only $22 USD though.  So I got it too.  The back of this bra is a pretty unique design for a sports bra, and I also love the red.  Plus it comes with bra inserts!

I got this bra in a size up - size 4.  I don't like tight bras so I didn't want to chance of it being too tight.  It's got some fit issues though.  The sides don't lay flat, which bothers me.

You also have to mess with the placement of the upper back strap or it doesn't look good.  I have a feeling it might move around as you move.  Too bad - it's a good idea, just doesn't completely work.  That's probably why it's on sale lol.

It does look cute if you adjust it right though!

So anyway, if I could return this bra I probably would.  But it's not a big loss so whatevs.

In general I think Titika seems to be pretty promising so far!  I wrote to them that I'd like them to consider putting fit advice online about each item.  That would help me order in the future and avoid having to return to Canada (you are responsible for return shipping cost).  When they refund my credit card, I'm guessing it will be in CAD too and I wonder if my credit card company will charge me a conversion fee again!  Argh.  I hope Titika works out these details - ideally if they offer their products to the US with USD prices listed, I'd like to get charged in USD.  

Anyway, like I said, they are new to the US so I'm not going to hold it against them yet.  Excited to see what improvements they make and what other designs they come up with in the future!  Maybe try out some tights too!  Canadian readers - do you have experience with or advice about this brand?