A first...

I set out this morning to look for one item at LL Bean--yoga pants--and came back with just one item--yoga pants.  Not that I didn't look at other clothes.  One in particular would make a great fall dog walking shirt---a padded blouse.  But I stuck with my plan and only tried on 2 pairs of "fitness pants".  (LL Bean stopped calling them yoga pants a while ago.)  I had looked on the LLB web site, but couldn't decide which type to buy, if any.  I love the cropped LLB yoga pants (back when they were yoga pants) I bought some years ago, but they no longer exist.  Everything's been "improved" and generified ("fitness").

I tried on the two types of cropped fitness pants I'd seen on the web--luckily they had both, and in my size. I went with the "Black Fitness Crop" as opposed to the "Perfect Fit Pants, Cropped".  I actually thought the "perfect fit" pants were a little softer, but they had, in my view, a fatal flaw--side pockets that stuck out with wings.  Who wants more attention to the hips?  I'm thin, but relatively speaking my hips/upper thigh are big.  The pants I bought are not as soft and comfortable as the old yoga pants, bur they're a lot cheaper than Lululemon at $39.50 (with a $10 coupon $29.50).  My late departed Lululemons cost almost $90.

One improvement in the new LLB crops is a back zip pocket--my old yoga pants have no pocket at all.  Aside from the fabric blend being a bit heavier and less soft, the new crops have an elastic waistband.  Even at a size XS, the waist is already too big, and likely will get bigger as the elastic gives way.  Which it always does.  I wish they'd go back to drawstring, with is what the old pants (and my Lulus) had.  Even though the drawstring disappeared some time ago, the waist is still comfortable.

Also, the new XS is a bit more form fitting than my old LLB yoga pants--I like the old fit better.  They're neither baggy nor form fitting.  But this seems to be the new norm--the new crops have 12 percent spandex.

Limiting myself to what I set out to buy--and focusing on only one purchase--is a rarity if not a first for a recovering shopaholic.  But I do have my eyes on that puffy shirt...maybe I'll just look it up on the LLB web site to get more info...