When Did We Start Wear Pearls with Sweats?

The pearl necklace has always been a timeless piece, giving the wearer an aura of sophistication. It was always something I would see my mother pull out of her jewelry box for a fancy dinner or party. Needless to say, I was not expecting to see matching Vivienne Westwood pearl chokers accessorizing the casual sweatshirt outfits of two famous TikTokers, Jordan Huxhold (@jhuxhold) and Vinnie Hacker (@vhackerr), as I was scrolling through my TikTok feed.

Image via

Intrigued, I took a quick dive into their pages, and I saw that Jordan and Vinnie both wear these pearl necklaces daily, regardless of whether they’re sporting a plaid button down, a graphic hoodie, or no shirt at all. Soon, I started to notice other TikTokers wearing pearls with their casual wear as well –you’ll see it if you scroll far enough into Chase Hudson’s (@lilhuddy) page. That’s when I thought, since when did we start wearing pearls casually with tanks and sweatshirts rather than with cocktail dresses and suits?

Dating back to ancient times, pearls have been recognized as a symbol of prestige and great wealth. It was said that Julius Caesar of the Roman Empire was one of the greatest (and possibly one of the first) connoisseurs of pearls, spending nearly $1.5 billion one particular black pearl he ended up gifting to his mistress. From then onward, royalty and elites around adorned pearls with their eveningwear. In a number of her portraits during the late 1700s, Marie Antoinette can be seen wearing purple necklaces. That was a time when pearls were very rare and exclusive, only for a selective few –but that was centuries ago.

The Golden Age of American Capitalism that began in 1950 seemed to be the turning point. After the Great Depression and after wartime, per capita income increased notably and large amounts of Americans entered the middle class. Interest in pearls were increasing slowly but steadily before this, but in 1950, it shot up. They became a worthy and more affordable investment, as they were advertised as a staple for women to add to their look of being “well groomed”. 60s and 70s icons such as Princess Diana, Jackie O, and Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s were often seen wearing pearl necklaces, which made them even more appealing to the everywoman. But that still doesn’t answer the question –how did we get to wearing pearl jewelry (and necklaces in particular) with our sweatpants?

Image via

I think it began when we, as the everywoman –no, the everyperson, began wearing leisure clothing publicly and stylishly. And, honestly, I’m here for it. Though we still dress up in gowns and suits on occasion, or casualwear has evolved from frocks to oversized sweatshirts, baggy denim, and cropped half sleeves. And though casualwear has changed over the decades, our use of pearl necklaces to accessorize has returned.

The most surprising thing in all of this isn’t that we’re wearing these with casual wear, it’s that it works so well. The chokers in particular seem casual while still carrying an air of sophistication. And now, rather than being a symbol of great wealth, pearl necklaces are just another way to express individual style and uniqueness.

Image via

Featured image via

A Colourful Collab: STAUD and New Balance

In the middle of spring and approaching summer, we typically trade our neutrals, white, and black, wardrobe for pops of colour. STAUD and New Balance have recently launched a collaboration combining modern tailoring with classic athleticism and comfort. Collaborations between trendy on-the-rise brands and established favourites are usually a hit-or-miss. This collab is definitely one to keep an eye out for.

STAUD is a brand from LA is known for its vibrant hues and modern fitted clothing.

Designer Sarah Staudinger cites her muses as Princess Diana in her gym clothes and Susan Sarandon sporting New Balance sneakers in Cannes.

Image via

Here are a few stunning pieces from this collection:

1. A colour-blocked take on an iconic shoe.

Image via

2. A jumpsuit not just for gymnastics

Image via

3. This two-piece set that is both retro and modern

Image via

This collection reminds us to shed our wintry, dark, and neutral pieces for fresher and more playful colours, fits, and sets.

---

Featured image via

How Much Money Is Too Much Money to Spend on a Pair of Leggings?

I have never been a leggings fan, and I’m vehemently against the Lululemon cult following. It always baffled me how one could drop $100+ on something that you wear to the gym. That is, until I discovered the brand Ultracor.

I do not know precisely what it was, but I saw this girl wear them at a party and I just had to stop and say “Wow, you look great, I love those leggings!” She proceeded to rave about her Ultracor leggings, saying they were the most flattering bottoms she owned. They were sleek, had a cute and subtle design, and most importantly, looked so flattering… I just had to hop online and buy a pair! However, I was not prepared for the price tag. The leggings average at a whopping $200! Is an ultra flattering, super cute pair of leggings really worth the price of a one way flight to Florida? When does a online shopping splurge go above and beyond?

Image via

Let’s be real here, the athleisure trend has been hot for a while now, but has it gone too far? From the rise of brands like Outdoor Voices with dedicated followings to mainstays like adidas, Nike, Puma and New Balance churning out endless collabs with the latest model/it girl/influencer/singer songwriter of the moment, it’s become kind of hard to keep up. While more and more brands are turning to more transparent pricing methods as means of earning consumer trust (think Instagram favorites like jewelry brand Mejuri or Everlane), we have yet to really figure out the true cost of a pair of leggings.

Ultracor isn’t too clear about what exactly warrants the steep price tag of their “luxury activewear,” but chances are their products are made of spandex and other synthetic materials (like most other leggings on the market). In the mean time, I think it’s time for some soul searching about whether or not a trip to the gym mandates made-to-order workout gear.

Feature image via.

How to Focus on Fitness

January brings an exciting time of setting goals and starting new routines, but is anyone really thinking about their New Year's resolution health kick by the time May roles around? Well, we’re back to the beginning of the year and although the January Warriors at the gym may have started strong, a couple months later and early mornings at the gym are already less crowded. Here are some tips to stay in line with your health and fitness goals all year.

Start Small

Training logs provide a great place to track your goals and hold yourself accountable. The Believe I Am training books are the best I have found. They also offer logs specifically for runners if (like me) running is your kind of exercise. Image courtesy of Believe I Am

It’s easy to set big, long term goals. I want to lose X amount of weight. I want to do X every day. I want to be healthier. I want to be fit. While it is certainly important to have long-term goals, remember that a lot of small events must occur to achieve large goals. Additionally, achieving small goals provides a sense of accomplishment once completed and acts as a tangible way to quantify progress. So let’s start small. Say your end goal is to be more mindful this year. Start with a small goal of meditating for 10 minutes three days this week. Then the next week bump it up to four days. Then five, so on, until it becomes a part of your every day routine.

You may be familiar with the idea that it takes 21 days to form a good habit, and while that may be true for simple tasks such as drinking a glass of water after breakfast every day, more difficult goals such as exercising every day take much longer—up to 225 days—until they become habitual. Have patience; it certainly is not going to be rainbows and sunshine trying to form a new habit, but beginning with weekly or daily goals provides an attainable starting point. As ridiculous as it may sound, a good goal to start with is to set aside time to establish your daily/weekly goals. Write down your goals and hold yourself accountable. Make it your goal to keep making goals, then go out and start tackling them!

Find an Accountability Partner

(Or Someone to go to Workout With)

This piece of advice may not help everyone, but if you struggle with motivation or feel like you don’t fit in at the gym, having someone to workout with can be crucial. The gym can be a scary place—all those football guys with biceps the size of your thigh making grunting noises. Or that girl who could squat your bodyweight, yeah, no thank you. I’m here to tell you do not be scared! The gym is a place where the majority of people could care less about what you are doing and are focused on their own workout. Still, it can take time to build up confidence in using equipment or navigating around said sweaty, jacked men.

Exercising with friends can grow your comfort in the gym and place accountability on getting out the door. Can’t find a friend, then make some at the gym by signing up for a class. Group classes also offer an opportunity to exercise in an environment that will push you and keep you accountable. Join a beginner class and try something new like yoga or kickboxing. Don’t have access to a gym? Workout buddies are even better for gym-free exercise. Go on a run or do a bodyweight workout and have a partner to work together with in order to finish the workout. 

Staying Motivated While Alone

Nike Training Club App

Image courtesy of alternativeTo

This is the hard one. Everyone has different intrinsic motivations and pinpointing how to channel this motivation to form lasting habits can take time. In terms of fitness, I highly recommend the Nike Training Club (NTC) app, a free application full of workouts. The application offers a variety of workouts and includes video demonstrations for every exercise in each workout. You can sort through workouts of varying lengths, difficulties, and equipment usage. A majority of workouts require no equipment and provide great ideas for exercises to do at home. After downloading a workout, it’s as easy as pressing “play” and the application will time the workout, give motivational prompts, and keep you moving. The application also has yoga workouts of varying difficulties, meaning some of their yoga routines may be a nice relaxing way to start or end the day while others will put your body to work. If you enjoy running or want to give it a try, Nike also has the Nike Run Club application which includes commentated runs from Olympians such as Shalane Flanagan. Start the app and let the professionals walk you through running techniques for your body and mind.

Aside from applications, go back to small goal setting. Say you want to work on core strength; make a goal to do eight minutes of core work three days this week. Then up it until you do the routine every day. Then make it a goal to do 10 minutes of core work three out of seven days, until you’ve upped the time to 10 minutes every day. Of course this is only one possible example, but setting small goals allows you to actually achieve them until what was hard becomes easy and habitual. From there you can look back at your progress and see the actuation of a larger goal.

Sites to Shop: Bandier

Let's be real, the only thing that motivates me to work out is cute work-out gear. It's not staying healthy, it's not the spring break beach body, it's the cute work-out clothes. And no one has more stylish gym wear than Bandier. Bandier carries brands ranging from Beyond Yoga and APL to Nike and Stella McCartney x Adidas, so it's your one stop shop for anything active. 

Plus, you get 15% off your first order with Bandier when you sign up with your email! Take a look at some of the pieces we have our eyes on:

Follow their Instagram below for athletic inspo!

Seamless, high waisted, and subtle color blocking :: just a few reasons why LNDR is one of our new favorite brands (link in bio).

A photo posted by BΛNDIER (@bandier) on Feb 10, 2017 at 11:50am PST

All images via