I don't wear gear outside of athletic pursuits, but I am not a terribly casual person anyway. What others wear doesn't concern me. Wearing high end athletic wear IS "getting dressed" and is just as interesting and takes just as much effort to some people. If that's their chosen style, who am I to judge?

What I will judge is being done up yourself and not putting the time or the effort into changing your children's clothing or brushing their hair. Sure, everyone has had a toddler who refuses to take off the Superman costume, but pajamas? At 2 pm? With messy hair and a dressed up mum? Yeah, not okay to me.

I'm also Team LisaP. I don't have a problem with it at all.

I with LisaP. I love my gear and I"m very active. I don't wear it all the time, but I work out at least once a day, so I wear it at least once a day Comfy cute gear makes me happy. That said, I could not care less if others wear gear. In my town, yes, the people you see are probably coming from something active and/or on the way to someway else active. I don't have the energy to be bothered with anyone's clothing choices. (I'm talking about-town, not in an office/work environment.) I don't judge the mum who didn't fuss with her kids' appearance...maybe they had a nap or just a lazy sleep-in or they weren't feeling well but she needed to get something in the mail. You never know what someone else's life is like.

Anchie, you are not weird. Hahaha ! Last Friday, I took my daughter and her friend for a hike. We were all in gear. The only place that we could find to eat was an elegant Italian restaurant. I slink in and asked the hostess if we were dressed ok to eat there. She laughed at said that as long as we had shoes on and weren't wearing bathing suits, we were perfectly fine.

She Said that in the summer, people often show up in bathing suits and barefoot.

I'm getting a gear t-shirt made up with the Team LisaP logo.

I'm with LisaP too. I personally don't wear gear cause I find it too revealing of my lumps and bumps and non yoga-fied self. But if someone is happy in it, why not, no matter what shape they are or are not in.

I'm with Angie on this topic. In fact, as Jenn said, Colorado residents take their gear very seriously and I don't even want to try to fit in that way. This discussion reminds me of the members of my parent's generation who disliked jeans and tee shirts. To them, jeans were part of a blue collar uniform and tees were underwear.
These days what I really hate to see are the school kids wearing gear or athletic clothing to classes. To them, even jeans are for dress. They have no idea how and when to wear actual clothes. Too much emphasis is put on comfort even if it is sloppy. Even gym shoes can be rare. Flip flops have taken their place.

LisaP, I'll order one of your shirts as well. I love athleisure/Sporty Luxe and where I live, it's what a lot of us wear. Denim was farm work clothes when it started--gear, but now it's not considered gear.
I love dressy clothes, too, but sometimes sitting all day in high rise pants doesn't feel great.
Where what makes you feel good, and comfortable people (no matter what they are wearing!) are interesting.

This might be missing the point, but I would like to put in a word for yes dressing a bit for other people. For me, travelling in big European cities, or even Tel Aviv, and certainly parts of NYC is pleasurable because a large plurality of the population does dress for show. Makes the entire environment more beautiful and pleasurable and maybe even a bit more aware of each other and thoughtful (not promising that). Anyway, no we should not be obliged to dress for others, but it has its virtues.

shevia, I do agree with that too!! I love people watching in a fashionable city, it is a lot of fun.

I have had a very casual summer for a variety of reasons and finally this Saturday I have a chance to dress up - so looking forward to it!!

Echo, that was my first thought, too: a mother taking care of her own appearance but not that of her children. That struck me as very odd.

I don't mind what others choose to wear, just so long as they are clean and sweet-smelling.

I understand both camps here. Personally, I reserve gear for exercise and athletic pursuits. Maybe it's habit? However, there is something about wearing the same type of clothes I do a heavy workout in for the rest of my day that doesn't appeal. I sometimes do grab my Yoga pants and a gear top on the weekend to wear around the house because they are easy and convenient. My neighbors have seen me, but I wouldn't wear it out to work, the grocery store, or to a school function.

My gear is fitted/bodycon by design. The athletic pursuits I enjoy, like Pilates use equipment, and involve inversion and twisting in ways that loose clothing could get snagged or caught in something, or expose something I don't want exposed. Gear is designed with an active pursuit in mind. In my world, you purchase the gear that works and is practical for what you plan to use it for, not for its appearance.

My neighbors are very prone to wearing gear because it's their business. One teaches fitness, and the other sells gear! :-). LOL, they definitely have the best gear wardrobes I've ever seen!

I have no problem with people who are neat and thoughtful about their gear selections. As others have mentioned there are so many nicely designed options. The gear I am least fond of is baggy sports team logo sweats worn dropped down too low with panties showing. It still happens here.

Oh, and in a hotel, if you are worried about wearing your gear to the exercise room, which in most hotels is in fact the proper etiquette unless you are staying at the most expensive of hotels, then you can purchase a lightweight cover-up to wear over your workout outfit, just like you might wear a cover-up over your swim suit to go to the pool. They sell them everywhere they sell gear. A track jacket will work in a pinch.

Very interesting thread. Sign me up for a tee shirt too!!!

Are these considered gear? I'm kinda obsessing over them right now.

I'm not sure I understand what is meant by "gear." In my mind there are sort of two categories of activewear, one which is more urban/gym wear (think Lululemon) and the other which is more outdoorsy (think Prana or Patagonia). Are these both considered "gear" around these parts?

If so, I really disagree with "gear is gear" as I think there is a huge difference between these types of clothing. Although I live in a big city, my preferred workout is done outdoors so I am drawn more towards the granola-y type of clothing. And I have no qualms about stopping by the store in my Prana jeans or my Toad & Co. jacket even though admittedly they are not the height of fashion.

It's funny because living in a big city, the Lululemon type "gear" fits in more even in a non-gym setting because it feels more high-tech and urban, while the Prana hiking stuff seems out of place even though it looks more like "regular" clothes.

I do now have a few athleisure-y pieces from Athleta that I wear when working from home. I love this stuff and I definitely don't mind ducking out for an errand in my "nice" knit pants and a sweatshirt. I am Team LisaP although I work from home so much that when I have an occasion to wear my more structured clothes, like a brunch or whatever, I take it just for a change of pace.

For me, gear is what I wear when exercising and then I change out of it. However, I am in the absolute minority where I live. Gear is appropriate for almost all occasions in Australia and often I think gets worn for all activities except for exercising. It is very much like a 4 wheel drive vehicle that gets bought without ever being taken off the city streets!

I don't go to a gym or yoga studio, so I don't have any *nice* gear. What I wear to walk around the track or for hiking looks like and is ugly hiking gear. So no, it doesn't get worn for errands. I have a sartorial reputation to maintain!

A worry I have is what to wear on my feet for a (not yet planned) walking vacation. The only shoes I own that will hold up to ten miles of walking are my Brooks (gear) walking and running shoes and my hiking shoes, all of which I wear with Thorlo's most padded socks. U-G-L-Y!!! Athleisure shoes tend not to be big enough in the toe box, wide enough for the bunions, nor padded enough on the bottom. Plus, the soles tend to be too flexible for my foot issues.

Dansko Pro clogs work for me up to a point. The shoes below are gear and to my eye undeniably look like gear -- but a step up from my gear shoes since they look a tad less clunky. We'll see if I ever buy them.

DonnaF, what I would do for a walking vacation is wear your most comfortable sneakers when you're putting on miles, and bring something foldable for when you need something a bit nicer -- Tieks, vivobarefoot flats, barefoot sandals, etc -- and keep them in your day bag. When I walked the Camino de Santiago, I'd switch from my sneakers during the day to a pair of lightweight barefoot sandals in the evening. I wore a knee-length dress that looked fine with both the running shoes and the sandals. It was more comfortable for walking, and more presentable, than any pair of trekking pants.

Go Team LisaP! But there is gear and then there is gear. Few people can spot the difference between my Athleta Metros and my workday ponte pants. And I wear the same J. Crew T-shirts with jeans/chinos and with my gear bottoms. BUT I never wear sports bras solo and I wouldn't be caught dead in public in a skimpy pair of Lulu tights. My hoodies are fancy ones from Eileen Fisher that I can and do wear to work.

My life is super-busy and I have to catch exercise when I can. Wearing clothes I can move in means I can fit in all my evening chores -- take the dogs for a walk, cook dinner, attend my kids' sports events, run errands -- without taking precious time to change, change, change. Comfy clothes also make me smile. And who doesn't look better with a smile?

Sylvie55 - I have Athleta metro pants too, but have them in kind of a olive grayish color. I like them, but kind of lament I didn't get the black, because the ones I have look like gear, but the black wouldn't.

Also want to clarify I'm on team gear too. Not that I wear it all day (at least not most of the time). Just that I'm not bothered if others do. If I want to feel great, my own gear clothing isn't the answer for that. if someone else's gear makes them feel that way, so be it, as long as the setting is casual.

And one more thing - the bed head children. I say, pick your battles! If you had to fight over every little thing, and decided to tow about scruffy kids, it's ok with me. I let my kid wear those clompy princess shoes and a Cinderella dress at times. she probably went out in pjs at some point too. Eventually, they will be too embarrassed to do so, and the problem will take care of itself. Now I am in the position to embarrass my kid instead of the other way around.

Oh, geez, I'd never judge a mom with a bed head kid or a PJ kid. Kids' hair is hard, and then you try a new conditioner and they have a skin reaction, so you go back to no conditioner. And you go through phases where they don't want *any* help. And even professional hair dressers can't make them hold still. And some kids have sensory issues and wont wear trousers, only soft pull-on pants. And sometimes they get sick right before bed or early in the morning and you rush them to the doctor in whatever they're wearing. And sometimes they were wearing a snowsuit with long johns, but then it got too hot for the snowsuit in the afternoon. And sometimes they spill chocolate milk all over themselves and the only extra clothes you have with you are long johns...

All of the above has happened to me. Granted, I'm not going out with flawless hair and make-up myself, but still, I never judge parents for that stuff. (Also, no one EVER judges dads for how messy/poorly-dressed the kids are; they're just so impressed Dad managed to make it out the door at all. SUCH a double standard.)

Ok, I haven't read this whole thread yet (just started), but I am so over the whole idea of criticizing what other women (or men) wear out in public unless it is truly and obviously inappropriate.

If someone sees me in the grocery store in my gear (because I often do errands in my gear after running because making a separate trip back home to shower, change and put on makeup adds time to my day I do not care to spare), to be blunt, if they don't like it, they can look away. No, I don't wear makeup and finished hair to work out, so you would even see me bare-faced (probably red-faced), ponytailed, cap-wearing and sweaty. Don't like it? Too bad. My life is busy and sometimes it's just more efficient to stop at Target after my workout.

Also, I often wear hiking gear to go out and take photos (because I'm often in rugged environments for that and don't want to ruin my regular clothes). I often go to a casual restaurant afterwards for dinner because I usually photograph until the sun goes down and am then famished and don't feel like going home and cooking. So yes, I go out and eat, by myself, in my hiking gear. Granted, this is more likely a casual sushi place than anything else, but again, if someone wants to judge me for wearing gear to eat alone in a restaurant without knowing anything else about me, so be it.

So no, I don't have a problem with it.

Ok, I'm wading in one more time, even though I feel this has become one of those "Mommy Wars" threads where I am likely to be misunderstood no matter what I say.

1. I was not criticizing a busy mom. I was saying that the norms of my new town (where a mom in gear had nonetheless clearly spent a lot of time on her appearance) differed from the norms of my old town (where a mom in gear was overlooking her own appearance because she was so focused on that of her kids.)

2. I was suggesting that spending a lot of money on a pair of exercise pants does not elevate them to street clothes.

3. I was also suggesting that a person with time to spend on exquisite makeup and hair has the time to put on something other than yoga pants. Does anyone bother with exquisite hair or makeup on their way to (or from) exercise class? Seems unlikely.

I feel better in my workout clothes than in my "regular" clothes not because they're more comfortable, but because they fit better and because they fit better (and are designed more to flatter an athletic body type), they look better. Take jeans. Any pair of jeans (skinny, "straight" legged, even many boy- or girlfriend) that fits my waist and hips strangle or catch on my (apparently disproportionately) muscular calves. For me to wear skinny jeans that fit over my calves, they have to have so much stretch in them, they're basically leggings. At which point? I'd rather just wear leggings. I mean, I still wear jeans when it's more socially acceptable to do so, but I don't feel as attractive in them.

Can I get my Team LisaP shirt now?

I'm working on it And guess what I'm wearing right now? Adidas track pants.

Ah, so here we have a case of the market not responding to your body type, AH. A problem, to be sure. There are definitely many bodies that get ignored by retail -- probably most of them, if we're honest. Too short, too tall, too plus (or not quite plus enough, I now understand), too large-breasted, and you are simply out of luck. Or you can buy but will pay through the nose for extra tailoring costs.

Believe me, I am sympathetic to the practicalities of gear. I taught preschool for 8 years in the 80s and 90s. The clothing choices in that job were roughly 3: denim (if permitted); dress like a preschooler yourself, e.g., leggings with tunic; or drop-waist dresses with long full skirts; or gear.

When I landed my first job where I "got to" (had to) dress up every day, I was thrilled. No doubt these experiences have colored my attitudes.

April, I actually totally understand being irked by the perfectly-manicured Lululemon ladies. It's not so much the gear, but the way gear has become yet another form of class/privilege signalling. It's like the new "ladies who lunch" look.

Like many have mentioned above, gear seems to be to the 21st century what jeans and t-shirts were to the 20th.

I salute you, LP -- at least there's no deceit in Adidas track pants. They are what they are, and they don't cost the moon pretending to be something else.

.

From two years ago

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=.....&t=12

LOL Anna!