Sigh, Runner Fashion

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the Brooks Pure Flow fashion show at The Runner’s Sole in LaGrange, IL.  The event was hosted by the Western Cook Run Club and I want to thank Dan for inviting the Bolingbrook Fun Run Club to attend.    LaGrange was a little further from Naperville than I remembered but the event was worth the drive.  

For the event, the store had closed for the evening.  As I entered the warm, cozy space I was met with a big hello, given directions to where I could hang my coat, and pointed towards the food and drink.  I immediately felt welcome.   Have I told you that I love runners and the running community?  Before I went to this, I ran 5 miles at the gym and was feeling quite hungry.  So, after hanging up my coat, I grabbed some food and a glass of wine and went to stand at one of the tables dotting the room.  Immediately, a woman asked to join me and we immediately started talking about when we started running, races we had recently done, where we live, etc.   Shortly after that, Michelle and Ali from BFRC joined us, the room filled up, the music was booming and the party was underway.  

Shortly before 8PM the Brooks Pure Flow fashion show got underway.  I don’t know if the models were from the Western Cook Run Club, store employees or others but they all looked really good in the clothing.  The Pure Flow line seemed very functional and I was particularly struck by one pair of shorts that had something like five pockets. That’s my biggest complaint about running shorts, few or no pockets.  Nice to see Brooks including so many.  The colors in this line are pretty subtle with an occasional bright pink thrown in.  This is not a get in your face collection of clothing.   

But I do need to sigh at this point and note that I don’t know how this clothing would fit and look on more

normal sized runners.  OK, I know it is a fashion show and the models were likely chosen to most enhance the clothing line.   Yet, one of the models was so slender that she didn’t look like she had the muscle to run.  She was very pretty and the outfits looked great on her but I don’t think a size 6, 8, 10, 12 ….. would look as good.  Another one of the models had more muscle tone and looked fabulous in the shorts, but even she was so far off the woman that I know that again, I question how the clothing would work for the normal woman.   Don’t get me wrong, I understand this was a fashion show but one of these days I would like to go to a show and see average size woman wearing good looking clothing.  Even in the running community, super skinny isn’t the norm or the average.   As I looked around the room last night, sure there were a few people that had body builds like the models but the vast majority of the people looked more like me.

I will continue to buy my Brooks shoes, I absolutely love them, but I don’t think you will be seeing me in the Pure Flow line.  It was fun, though, to get out with the running community for last night’s event.