I will admit that about a year ago, I was very confused by the phenomenon of spending more than $20…read moreon a workout top. I always said to myself, "I could get something similar for half the price at Target." However, I started teaching exercise classes, everyone else owned expensive workout wear, and I fell under the spell. I'm glad I did, as I love my new name brand workout wear, and I can definitely feel the difference, especially in the pants.
A word of advice, if you're going to be spending lots of money for a single top or a single pair of pants: try them on, and try them on at several stores. Each store uses a slightly different body type for their clothes. For instance, I think lululemon's pants fit me very well, but their tops don't work for me. On the other hand, lucy's tops fit me like a glove.
Another word of advice: lucy always has a sale section but if you wait a little bit, they'll have a "30% off everything already on sale" sale! I haven't really been tracking, but my guess is that this happens about once every six weeks.
Recently, I spent over an hour in this lucy store, and I probably tried on most of the store. I was helped by a lovely young woman named Kerry, and she was oh-so-helpful. When I walked into the store, she noticed right away that I was wearing a lucy jacket, and then proceeded to walk me through all of their different sports bras, pants, and top options. Once I found a pair of pants that I liked, she probably brought me every single color and pattern that they had in stock. I checked out some sports bras, and I was also pleased that she directed me to their "super sale" section.
This store is lovely and has wonderful employees. Tell them all of your requests in workout attire and they'll help you find something that works for you! Also, that lucy jacket that I own? It's the hatha jacket and I get a compliment almost every time I wear it, and I've owned it for almost a year :-)