run, rest, eat, bitch, buy things, cross-train, blog, repeat.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Gear Review: Moving Comfort Shorts

Every summer I purchase a couple of pairs of running shorts to work into rotation. The past two summers they have been Lululemon shorts. I've loved the particular ones I've purchased, because they fit well and they didn't have liners. (Liners typically fit my body weird, so I opt to just wear underwear instead. And unlined running shorts are a rarity). There are some definite cons to the Lululemon shorts though:

1. I am not a rich soccer mom. Their shorts are always $50+ per shorts. WHAT IN THE HELL?

2. Their return policies are shit, which means I don't order online, which means I have to physically go to their store. I don't look like a rich soccer mom or a skinny college girl, so my personal customer service experience at their stores is embarrassingly uncomfortable. I would rather go to the dentist than to a Lululemon store.

3. Their founder is an asshat.

 Since my thighs touch, I am not their target 
demographic. 

I have also purchased Oiselle shorts in the past. But, I will no longer support their company, because...

1. The quality isn't there. I have 3 pairs of rogas and from their first washes, they just haven't held up. Seams suck. Fit isn't consistent.

2. Their companies marketing philosophy grosses me the fuck out. I used to really respect Lauren Fleshman and Kara Goucher. And then they got with Oiselle and their social media presence turned me WAYYYY OFF. I am one of the biggest feminists out there, but I don't think being a whiny, spoiled brat is the way to enact change. This is a topic for another day (you can google "GOMI and Oiselle" and have fun reading that thread if you're interested).

Actually, I love that thread.
I just also love this gif and wanted an excuse to use it.
But, the gif still works. Because Oiselle seems like a nice company
And then you start reading their twitter feed...

I've tried Athleta shorts and their shorts just don't fit my body well. So, I had given up on buying shorts this summer that I could not only feel good wearing but also in supporting the company with my money. And then Sierra Trading Post had one of their many sales and I bit the bullet and gave some lined shorts a chance.


First up, the price was brilliant! Even with shipping, I ended up paying $22 a pair for these. ( I got two pair, a purple pair and this black pair). But, even if they are cheap, they still need to fit well and look good. Well, I LOVE THEM. They fit really well, loose in the legs and longer in the back to cover the pale cellulite, but short on the sides! Because... don't we all love the sides of our legs, ladies? Yes, yes we do. I love the wide waistband (very Lulu-esque) and there's a nice little zipper pocket in the back.

I like the fabric of the Lulu ones better. But, at less than half the price and the fact that I haven't gotten annoyed by the company Moving Comfort, yet*. I can deal with it. I plan on ordering a couple more pairs (stock up while I can!!!) this summer. But, I wanted to share it with you, in case you were looking for some cute, flattering, well-priced shorts from an all women company with a respectable code of conduct (re: labor and environment), that has at the very least... not publicly referred to their customers as fat or taken to twitter to cry that their logo had been cropped out of a video.

*I just found out they are apart of the Brooks company. So, there may be more dirt there. I am hoping not.

4 comments:

Gracie said...

LOVE Sierra Trading post. I've gotten many $39 pairs of shoes on there! And thank you for the reviews! I think shorts are terribly hard to find. There are too many variables - waistband width, liners, pockets length, material, leg opening, side slit... bleah. I found some Saucony's I love for hot weather (very lightweight), but when I ordered two more pairs, they were totally a different size. And then they were discontinued, of course. I just got some Coeur shorts as an "ambassador" but, derp, having surgery tomorrow and haven't tried them yet. Some ambassador I am.

Gracie said...

Also, I had no idea Moving Comfort was a Brooks company.

Angela Knotts said...

Nice! I've been wearing MovingComfort bras for years, but never tried their shorts. I kind of can't stand Oiselle's marketing schtick but I do love my Rogas; at $45 a pop, though, I'd be pretty happy to find something else that worked. (I have a few pairs of cheaper Brooks shorts, and while they're fine, I don't *love* them.)

chiara said...

I have heard the founder of lulu is a jackass.

Also, I am always uncomfortable at lulu unless I am with a friend. I feel like a frumpy dork or something. Idk.

And wtf with oiselle. I mean their stuff looks cute but quality is eh and it is only slightly cheaper than lulu. And their marketing is dumb.

Most if the moving comfort stuff I have, I love. Especially the sports bras.