Sportswear Guide for Summer

               It’s almost here! School is winding down, the temperature outside is heating up and there is an energetic feeling in the air as summertime approaches. I wish I could spend every minute of every day outside, but I’m currently sitting here writing this blog so you will be ready for the awesome weather we are about to experience this summer. From shades, to shorts, to sandals, there is multitude of must have items for the best summer of your life, and I will make sure to hit the best gear for the summer of 2k15!

Nike Running Shorts

              First let’s start with the basics, shorts. Nike has their infamous running shorts line, where they come up with new color combinations and patterns each and every summer. If you don’t own a pair of Nike running shorts you need to get yourself to your local sporting goods store because they are a MUST for any summer wardrobe. Another great line of athletic shorts is Under Armour. They have running shorts similar to Nike’s, just a little difference in cut and then they also have a line called Women’s Play UP shorts which absolutely love. They come in numerous bring colors and are super comfortable as I have a few pairs myself. For tops I would recommend checking out Nike’s Dri-Fit line and Adidas Clima-Cool collection to help combat this summer’s heat.
              To spruce up any outfit this summer you need to add a few accessories as well. Top brands to look at for sunglasses would be Ray-ban and Oakley. Ray-bans offer a more classic take on sunglasses with aviator, wayfarer, and clubmaster styles that fit in more with the hipster styles. Oakley’s are a sporty style of sunglasses and you see a lot a baseball and golfers wearing them on summer days. Another accessory must have is sandals, or in the sports world I like to call them slides. Almost all sports brand offer these type of sandals, but I would have to say Nike, Under Armour, and Jordan have the more unique style of slides whereas Adidas stays more with their class 3-stipe style.

Victoria's Secret PINK Backpack

             Also when you are hitting up the beach, amusement park, or pool this summer another must have would be a bag to carry all your stuff in. You can always choose to go with the classic drawstring bag that all sports brands offer, but if you want something bigger and a little more fashionable I would suggest checking out Victoria’s Secret Pink Collection. Each summer they come out with new backpacks that resemble a knapsack and they are available in bring colors and patterns. I can tell you I will be investing in one of those for this summer’s adventures.

            Summer is the time to make great memories with family and friends, and why not do it in style with the latest sportswear gear. If you are looking for even more must haves for this summer just go to any sports brand website and that will be one of their top headlines as summer nears. I hope you have a great summer and these tips will lead to some awesome times!

Images Courtesy of www.victoriassecretshow.com and www.rulesforrunning.com



 

FINALLY!!!

              It’s been a long 5 weeks, but the wait has definitely been worth it as yesterday my first custom pair of Nike Running Shoes came in and the best part is that I got them for free! The first week of April, my high school soccer team was doing fundraiser in which we sold frozen pizzas, and the person who sold the most got to order a free pair of custom Nike shoes or cleats and I was the winner! Over the past months as you have been following my blog, you have probably caught on to my first obsession with Nike shoes and then my second obsession with their customizing program, Nike ID, so I was super excited that I got to incorporate both when creating these shoes.

My new Nike ID shoes!

              When I first heard that I got a free pair of Nike shoes, I really wanted to get custom Roshes that incorporated the Flyknit technology because those are my two favorite things about Nike shoes, but I had a price limit of $150 and unfortunately at the time the Roshes cost $160. But, I looked through the options available in my price range and found the Nike Free TR 5 Women’s Training Shoe. What really caught my eye about these shoes is all the different design options available. Usually when I look for new shoes I am really conservative and like to get shoes that are simple and have colors that I wear often so I can match them. But, when customizing these shoes I went crazy with the options, because they were FREE, so I thought why not go outside the box and get something I wouldn’t usually get. I am so glad I did that because I would have to say these are one of my most favorite pair of shoes I have ever gotten.
             I will definitely be showing off my new shoes at school tomorrow and will probably wear them all summer. I really like the colors I chose as well because they give the shoes a summery vibe and will bring a bit of spark to any outfit!

Victoria's Secret PINK a Sporwear Contender

             

                When most people think of Victoria Secret’s, skinny models clad in bras and underwear come to mind. For years it has held the ‘monopoly’ on women’s lingerie. But, about 13 years ago they created their offshoot known as PINK where they offer more clothing options. It has been a big hit amongst teenage girls, which is obvious when you walk into any high school as you will see the PINK logo flashed everywhere. Over the years this brand has transformed itself from just selling underwear and bras, to include swimsuits, and most importantly to me, sportswear!
             So last week I got the PINK summer magazine and was surprised to see all the new and sporty options they have. One thing I really like about the sporty PINK clothes is that they take a classic clothing item like sweatpants, hoodies, or sports bras, and add a girly twist to them to make the clothing item a little more fashionable and up to date with the latest trends. In the magazine, some of the sporty items I saw were joggers (a mix between yoga pants and sweatpants), a sports bra-push up bra combo, windbreakers, athletic t-shirts and tank tops, and shorts. Another big part of the magazine was their swimsuit line. One thing I really liked was that the tops had different cut outs that were unique when compared to a normal bikini top. Also another great aspect of their swimsuits is that they have numerous different colors and patterns available.
            My favorite thing to get at Victoria’s Secret PINK is definitely their yoga pants. Yoga pants are like my go to article of clothing because you can wear them in a sporty way when paired with a sweatshirt or t-shirt, or you can dress them up and wear them with a nicer top. This year it seems like every girl in my school has their marl grey yoga pants and I would have to agree that they are probably my favorite pair.
            So, if you are looking for some sporty gear to pick up for this summer but you want it to be a little outside the box from the regular Nike or Adidas I would recommend checking out Victoria’s Secret PINK line. I can attest that all the clothing is very comfortable and I especially love the girly, flirtatious twist they add to their clothing that makes it seem a notch above regular sportswear.

Images Courtesy of www.polyvore.com

 

US Women's National Team 2015 Jerseys

                So in the past week Nike has unveiled the home uniforms that the US Women’s National Team will wear for the World Cup this upcoming summer in Canada. Currently, for the friendlies and qualifying games they have been playing around the world, the team has been wearing an ombre top that starts as white and goes to a royal/navy blue color as you go down the shirt, then paired with white shorts. Obviously those are the colors we expect them to wear when they represent us at the World Cup, and you would think that for their home jerseys it would be an innovative design from Nike that incorporates our national colors. So, when I first saw the new jerseys Nike created I did a double take.

                In case you haven’t seen the new home jerseys for the Women’s National Team, I’ll give you a quick rundown. They are all white with black piping, with a similar design to last year’s home jerseys, and then the socks are ombre, with white at the top and neon green at the color. Yes, you read that right, the only colors I mentioned where white, black, and neon green. These are the colors that you will see out on the field representing the United States of America.

USWNT Home Jerseys 2015

                Personally, I am sitting at a crossroads about how I feel about these new jerseys. I mean, it seems like lately neon has been the new trend in sports fashion and I understand why Nike would want to stay up to date with the latest trends, but is the grand stage of the World Cup the best place to be tinkering with our national colors? If it were a few friendlies or a tournament besides the World Cup and the Olympics that they decided to create these jerseys for, then great, it’s cool to throw something a little funky into the mix and try new things. But, I feel like when you are representing your country on a big stage like the World Cup, that will be televised worldwide, you should probably stick to the colors that so many people can recognize. When people think of the United States, they think of it as the home of the red, white, and blue.

                Once the jerseys were unveiled, I first saw them on the accounts of the players who I follow on social media, like Instagram and Twitter, and I didn’t see too many people in the comments who absolutely hated them, it was more about how we were going to win, and it had a patriotic feel. So in the end, I guess the jerseys don’t make that much of a difference, people are more focused on them winning the World Cup, which really is the number one priority.

 

Images Courtesy of www.ussoccer.com



T-Shirts for a Cause

          The battle against cancer is one that all American’s are fighting whether they have it or not. Across the country, and even throughout the world, people are donating money to charity, holding fundraising events, and having dance marathons as ways to help find a cure. In my own hometown area, there have been two big fights that have been initiated by two separate schools, one being mine, and the other in a city about 30 minutes away. Each of the schools have held different evens and fundraisers as means to supporting their cause, but there is one symbolic thing that brings everybody together, and it is the t-shirts.
          At my school, freshman year, our school supported a classmate who was battling cancer and the slogan was “Just Drew It” with bright purple shirts. The other school in the past year has been supporting another boy battling cancer with the caption “Fight with Flash” on red shirts. These two fights have been huge in our area and supported by everybody in our own respective communities. I find it amazing how in times of need people come together to support such a great cause. I think that the t-shirts at each individual school are a uniting factor. My freshman year, we had a Just Drew It t-shirt out for one of our basketball games and I found it was amazing how even our rival school who we were paying that night wore the t-shirts and supported the cause. That night all you could see in the gym was a sea of purple in support of a kid battling cancer and nobody cared what school he went to, all we cared about was helping fight his battle.
         So what would happen if these two schools paired up and fought their battles together? Well last week in soccer we were playing the other schools and they thought it would be cool to design a t-shirt that incorporated both causes. Both teams then wore the shirts during warmups for the game and snapped a picture to show our combined support.
         What amazes me is that all it is, is t-shirts. The face of both of these battles are the respective t-shirts that you see classmates, teachers, parents, and community members wearing. It’s amazing how people put aside their hatred for their rival school and throw on a t-shirt to show their support for a student. These t-shirts truly are powerful.

Half-Zips are Perfect in the Spring Time

                We are at that point in the year when we are kind of at a limbo with the weather. One day you walk outside and it’s a perfect 70⁰ and sunny, and then the next it’s a chilly 48⁰ with gusty winds and even a few rain showers. So, when you are getting ready in the morning, it can be difficult to decide exactly what to wear because you know that the weather could throw you a curve ball at any point in the day and what you planned for doesn’t end up happening.
               Half-zips are definitely my new favorite piece of clothing for this time of year. They are nice and easy to pull over any top and come in numerous colors so they can go with your outfit for the day. Also, another nice thing about half-zips is that they come in varying forms of thickness, so you could get a heavier half-zip to wear in colder situations, or you could opt for the lightweight half-zip to wear on a breezy afternoon. Also you can decide if you want the half zip to be a little looser on you like a sweatshirt per say, or you could get a tight fit half zip that is common in yoga clothing. Personally, I think half-zips can work in any type of situation. Sometimes I like to wear them during warmups before my soccer game, or you could easily pair them with jeans and wear it to schools for a casual look.
              Almost all sportswear brands offer their own take on half-zips. My personal favorite brand to wear is Under Armour because I like the more lightweight feel of their material and the different color options they have available. Also for the half zips that you want to wear for sporting events, it’s common for people to get a team logo added on one side of the chest. (You can check out my post Embroidery Applications to determine which style for the logo that works best for you.) I highly recommend for you to go get a half zip because they are something that can honestly be worn year round and can be worn in many different situations. They are a universal piece of clothing.

Personal Soccer Cleat Collection

                                                               Adidas       Nike

           In my past blog posts, like, “Nike, Adidas, or Puma: Which Cleats Reigned Supreme at the 2014 FIFA World Cup?” where I have debated newly released soccer cleats, you have probably caught on that I am an Adidas girl when it comes to soccer. The cleats pictured above are ones that I have worn in the past 5 years and as you can tell, I have experimented with traditional Nike soccer cleats once (the lime green ones on the bottom right are indoor shoes). I love the way that Nike soccer cleats look buy my dilemma with them has been that that are more narrow when compared to Adidas, and I find them uncomfortable to play in.  I think another reason for my alliance to Adidas soccer began when I first started playing. My dad was the first coach I had (he used to play in high school) and he has always been a big fan of the classic all black Adidas cleats with the three white strips down the sides and my first pair of cleats looked exactly like that. As you can tell I haven’t followed exactly in his footsteps with my taste in cleats, as I have more graphic and colorful cleats, but just like him, Adidas will always be my number one choice when it comes to soccer.