As a yogini, my worldview is fixated on uniting breath, body, and mind. This wellness paradigm informs every aspect of my life, including what I eat, where I live, how I sleep, how I exercise, who I befriend, and . . . what I wear. In this post, I’m going to do something I don’t even do for my closest friends! I’m going to share my clothes with you! Well, I’m not going to actually share my clothes as much as I’m going to share an explanation of what I wear, why I wear it, and where I buy it. Spoiler alert: I buy almost all of my clothes from my favorite clothing retailer: prAna.
Simple clothing. . . What is the purpose of clothing, anyway?
Hmmmm. This is a good question. Depending on who you ask, the answers will be varied and all over the board. Some say clothing serves no purpose. Others say clothing serves the utilitarian purpose to keep our bodies protected from the elements, while others will say clothing is for fashion and communicates something about yourself. Almost everyone agrees clothing serves a purpose to maintain modesty. Perhaps, it’s a mix of all these and more.
For me, clothing provides a combination of style, modesty, and means of expression. Here are three quotes that sum-up my philosophy about clothing:
Be careless in your dress if you must, but keep a tidy soul.
Mark Twain
Know, first, who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly.
Epectetus
No one in the world needs a mink coat but a mink.
Murray Banks
Not a shopping girl
I’m not a girl who “likes to go shopping.” This isn’t just because I’m an introvert and don’t like mall crowds (which is true). It’s because I’m a simple person, and when I know precisely what I want and where to buy it, I don’t waste my time exploring alternatives. It’s also because most stores at the mall aren’t interested in corporate social responsibility, which is HUGE for me. That’s why, almost EVERY article of clothing in my very basic wardrobe comes from what I deem is a wonderful, socially-responsible company called prAna.
Clothing for a Positive Change
If you’ve spent any time on my blog, or know me personally, you’ll understand why I connected with prAna’s three pillars of purpose: Inclusivity, Social Responsibility, and Always Improving. I was immediately sold as a customer when I read the company’s statement: “Together, we can outfit our adventure with respect for the planet and its people; We can inspire new generations to thrive and stay active in their own unique way; We can create clothing for positive change.”
Wow. And we haven’t even begun discussing their products . . .
As mentioned earlier, I’m a simple person, and I don’t need an extensive wardrobe. And, frankly, I don’t believe ANYONE does. How many pants do you really need? The French designer Andree Putman put it well with her statement: “I love America, and I love American women. But there is one thing that deeply shocks me—American closets. I cannot believe one can dress well when you have so much.”
prAna has everything for anyone
One reason I’m keen on prAna is they have such an extensive product line-up, which means there is a pretty good chance they’ll have what I need when I need it.
I initially stumbled on their website when searching for yoga pants, and quickly discovered a gold mine of apparel. By the way, the yoga pants I purchased were their Transform 7/8 Leggings (in black), which. I. absolutely. adore. I also purchased a pair of Manta Pants (in gray).
Their catalog has activewear, dresses, skirts, loungewear, denim, and even swimwear.
My wardrobe summed-up
To get an idea of what my day-to-day wardrobe looks like, look no further than the prAna “Basics Collection.” Yup, that catalog page pretty much sums up my wardrobe J
The thing I love about their Basics Collections is, well . . . it is so basic . . . and easy to decide what to wear each morning. The way prAna says it on their website is: “The go-to pieces you grab every morning without hesitation. That’s why we designed our women’s basics to go beyond.”
And just because we’re dealing with basics doesn’t mean we’re dealing with bland. prAna has a knack for combining simplicity with style!
Wrapping things up
To wrap things up (no pun intended), prAna has gained a reputation of being one of the world’s more popular retailers of yoga clothing. Their line-up includes many styles of yoga pants and yoga tops. Whether you’re looking for a lot of “support” or “no support” they have you “covered” 😉
Although, I don’t buy a ton of yoga clothing (probably a pair of yoga pants and 2 yoga tops a year), I always go back to prAna when I do, and I never hesitate in recommending my friends to do the same. The price is right. The fit is right. And the style is right.
