Successful search for smart yoga pants puts practitioner at peace

One of the first things I learned in yoga class was the concept of unattachment, which is, in really distilled terms, a letting-go of material wants.

So why can’t I stop thinking about new yoga pants?

I’ve been so good since I started my practice. I didn’t rush out and buy anything yoga-related. Of course, it helps that my parents bought me the requisite yoga starter kit last Christmas (mat, blocks and cord). I resisted the cute yoga tank tops at the Grasshopper Shop in Ellsworth last spring. I’ve consistently walked away from the active wear racks at T.J. Maxx ‘n More in Bangor. Every week, I wear my droopy gray pants to class, feeling like Babar, only less flexible and less French.

I thought I had made peace with this, but clearly I hadn’t. Who wants to feel like an elephant – even a yogic elephant? And besides, droopy pants can’t be good for the root chakra.

So last week, I set out in search of something om-worthy.

At T.J. Maxx ‘n More, I found a pair of Everlast pants that were a little tight, which made me think that I need to practice more often. I looked twice at the J.Lo by Jennifer Lopez velour track suits, which, to be honest, I was shocked to see in Bangor. Stylish, but they were a little too expensive for yoga class, so I skipped them. The selection at T.J.’s couldn’t be beat, but I didn’t find anything that quite worked. Off I headed to Mardens, but I struck out there (as an aside, they had brown and black dress boots for women by Worthington priced at two for $12.99 – a steal).

A weekend trip to Ellsworth did little to meet my yoga needs. A friend told me she got the perfect yoga pants at Cadillac Mountain Sports, but they cost more than $30, and frankly, I’m too cheap to spend more than $20 on workout clothes. Renys had knit and velour pants from the Gap and American Eagle that would’ve worked (and matching hoodies, too), which cost about $16. I just saw velour and sweat pant-material pants at Gap from this season for the same price, so I figured I’d just pick up a pair of those instead. I went back, and a pair of baby-pink terry pants caught my eye, but they cost $39.50. I’ll wait.

Then I went online, where I found the standard selection of baggy pants and overpriced gear. I did get a kick out of the “Om Depot” T-shirts at www.yogasite.com/yogaclothes, but they were baggy, too.

I was beginning to give up hope when a colleague dropped a copy of the Victoria’s Secret catalog on my desk. A pink banner on the cover read “Clothing Sale,” which was a good sign. Inside, a velvet yoga pant caught my eye, as did the standard yoga pant, and the fold-over yoga pant (with a superwide waistband), and the beauty is, they all cost less than $19.99. I’ll send in my order as soon as I decide between Paris Pink and Charcoal Gray.

I need to be at peace with my pants, after all.

Reader response

Last week’s question about where to find stylish plus-size clothes generated a flurry of suggestions from ShopGirl readers.

A formerly plus-size woman from Ellsworth had good luck at Burlington Coat Factory in Bangor, especially when shopping for career clothing. The Ellsworth Mardens now has clothing up to a size 5X, but that may not last for long. She also suggested the sweaters, shirts, and Just My Size jeans and workout wear at Wal-Mart. For lingerie and bathing suits, she recommended Jessicalondon.com and silhouettes.com.

Lands’ End, Roamans and Just My Size all have print and online catalogs that carry clothing in larger sizes, and juonia.com carries a full line of stylish exercise and casual wear.

A reader from the Down East town of Charlotte has had great luck with the plus-size department at Marshall’s. She writes, “They have a good selection that doesn’t look like ‘old lady’ clothes, which I don’t want, even though I am over 50.”

And one more reader said she doesn’t like the phrase “plus size.” She writes, “When I go into a store, I ask, ‘Where is the clothing for the mature figure?’ There is never any question as to what I am asking for. They either point me in the right direction or they tell me that they do not carry anything over a size 18.” Well said.

ShopGirl would love to hear from you! Send questions, comments or suggestions by e-mail to: kandresen@bangordailynews.net, by U.S. mail to: Kristen Andresen, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402-1329, or by fax to: 941-9476.