Category: Education

Women’s History Month

Women’s History Month is winding down and you can bet that we’re going to give it some air time. It is rare to find an all female owned and operated company, but Title Nine is proud to be just that – by women, for women. We are all who we are because of women who have gone before us- those that have inspired, encouraged, supported, loved and motivated us. They are women like our mothers, coaches, teachers, friends and teammates. They don’t take ‘no’ or ‘later’ for an answer. Fit women. Fit for office, fit to run, fit to win, fit to eat bon-bons and mostly fit for everything. We’re in the business of outfitting all types of fit women just like you. Women like Amelia Earhart, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Eleanor Roosevelt, Billie Jean King, Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner (google her). So, we asked ourselves, “Selves, what would some of these inspiring women choose if they stopped into a Title Nine store chock full of new Summer awesomeness? What pieces fit perfectly with their busy, active, exciting (and probably sometimes less than exciting) lifestyles?”. They need clothes and bras to carry them through whatever the day throws and still look fresh. Here is what we came up with for when you want to channel your inner and/or outer ‘fit woman’:

Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, she set a kajillion (exactly) records and to top it all off, was a best-selling author. Her classic style called for functional practicality with a touch of femininity. – we can see her in the Urbanator II Jacket in Smoke, the Lifesaver Sweater in Bouganvillea, the Take a Hike Capri in Silt topped with the Maybe-A-Matador Scarf blowin’ in the wind

Babe Didrickson Zaharias was the queen of multi-sport long before that was code for triathlon. She was a golf, basketball, baseball, diving, and track super-star. Oh, and she was a 3 time Olympic medalist 40 years before the Title IX amendment. No biggie. We’re pretty sure this gal would have rocked the Swing Skort in Blue-Black, the Aplomb Merino Tee in Citrine and the Spector 70 Jacket in Island Blue.

Eleanor Roosevelt worked tirelessly to advance the status of working women in a time when that wasn’t such a good thing. She was a First Lady, a civil rights advocate, an author, speaker and politician in her own right. This lady stone cold knew what she believed in and fought for it. We think she would travel in the Print Breeze Dress in Cyan, the Texture Wrap Sweater in Cloud Dancer and (obviously) the Crusher Hat in Aubergine.

Billie Jean King. Do we even have to explain why she’s here? She beat Bobby. But she also won a total of 39 Grand Slam Titles and went on to found the Women’s Sports Foundation. We see her in the Tuck-N-Run Skort, the Print Paradigm Tank in Citron, the Paradigm Zipneck in Campanula and of course, the 3-Reasons Bra.

Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner is an Austrian mountaineer and the first woman to summit all 14 mountains over 8,000 km (a.k.a. 26,247 ft) without supplementary oxygen. Think K2, Everest and Annapurna. She’s certifiably hard core. She would totally rock the Boulder Knicker by Kuhl (get it? Kuhl is German for ‘cool’) in Indian Teal, the Tip Top Tank in Turkish Coffee and the South Fork Shirt in Grecian Blue.

Take some time out this month (and every month for that matter) to thank the strong women that have been a part of your history.

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All I am Saying Is Give Skorts A Chance

Skorts?? Eww. I mean, really? Those things from the seventies that looked like shorts in the back with a skirt flap in the front? You’ve got to be freakin’ kidding me.

Yep, that pretty much summed up my thoughts when I was first aware of the fact that I would need to start considering skorts as a category when I was a merchandiser for Title Nine. It pained me to think that I had succumbed to buying something that I not only didn’t feel passionate about, but that I out and out despised. I equated it with pull-on polyester “travel” pants.

Then it happened. I wore a skort. In public. And loved it.

The first step into my spiral of skort wearing was realizing that skorts have come a long way from the stereotype that I had in my head. Skorts these days actually look like skirts – like CUTE skirts, but with a point and a purpose. No one should know you are wearing a skort until you need them to know that you are wearing a skort. Skorts are sneaky little tricksters like that. With my newfound love of skorts, I often find myself wondering why in the hell anyone would ever wear a skirt. In response to that, I have inadvertently upped my collection of athletic shorts to create DIY skorts out of my favorite skirts. I can feel my skirts giving me the stink eye from the depths of my closet, but I don’t care.

My first skort was the Title Nine solid Dream Skort. A simple black skort – a true skirt in disguise. Wearing it to work was not that big of a deal – people in the T9 office are much more liberal minded when it comes to this sort of thing. However, the first test was wearing it outside of the safety of the walls of T9. I took a baby step and wore it roller skating with one of my good friends. As I was sitting to put on my skates, the skirt portion flipped up to expose the (gasp) attached boy short. Below is a sampling of the conversation

“Are you wearing a SKORT?”
“Yep.” (insert smug face)
“YOU are wearing a SKORT.” (this was, in fact, said more as a statement than a question)
“Yep. Crazy right? I freakin’ love it.”
“Wow. I’m shocked, but it’s kinda’ cute. I would have never expected it.”

Unexpected AND cute – score! This upped my confidence and prompted me to wear a skort in a much more frightening arena – roller derby practice. This is NOT the place where you want anyone to question your bad ass-edness. This is NOT the place where you want to be heckled or make yourself a target (or more of a target that you already are by the nature of the sport). I was not only a newbie to this wicked sport, but I was a newbie wearing a skort in front of seasoned rollers. I hoped to leave practice in one piece, with all teeth in my head and all bones in alignment. I did.

The reveal came about at my own doing, which again, is what makes skorts fabulous. Someone on the league mentioned that my skirt was cute, to which I responded, “it’s a skort!” and proudly flipped up my skirt to show off the “ort” part of the garment. It was met with a “Wow!” but more of a “Wow!” of “that’s a pretty good idea!” It was followed with the “I didn’t know skorts were cute like that” type of response that I love. No one targeted me for additional pummeling. No one rolled their eyes and told me to sit out of the next drill. It was a pretty seamless, if not uneventful, reveal. From that point on, I have worn pretty much nothing but skorts as my bottom of choice to derby practice. It has become kind of my trademark with some of the girls, who ask in a joking, kind way “Are you wearing your skort today?” I now own approximately 5 skorts, and I am looking to grow this number.

The practicality of a skort is immeasurable, especially in a sport like derby, where falling is part of the game, and you are ass over teakettle in front of a lot of people on a regular basis. A skort gives you the mobility that you need to get a deep plow stop but the modesty you need to feel comfortable enough to fall doing it (trust me, I know about falling at derby practice…) Sure, I can just wear a super tight legging or hot short or Capri, and a lot of girls do, but I personally feel much more comfortable with a little covering over the hind quarters.

There is more function, however, than just keeping me covered during my spills and tumbles. After practice, if I want to, I can change my top and go out get a cocktail with the girls or meet my husband for an after practice food frenzy in the skort – throw on a pair of chucks, and you are cute as a (in my case, sweaty) button. How is that for practicality? I actually feel pretty damn proud of myself for being so after-practice ready in record time. Look at me, aren’t I just a smarty pants?

Yes, I have come around to and totally embrace the skort. I am no longer thinking “The seventies called, they want their horrible fashion back” when I hear the word skort. We have taken to calling them Skirts With Benefits, but no matter what you call them, I’m sold.

TOP 5 REASONS TO WEAR A SKORT

o Looks innocent, plays dirty
o Transitions from function to fashion in the blink of an eye
o Can’t be beat for ease of movement – movement in any direction
o Not everyone wants to display their “assets”
o Skorts today are not your mother’s skort!

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Emily and Alice’s Favorite Winter Finds

Here are our in-house style experts’ must have winter picks.

Emily
1. Slipstream Jacket – Warmer than most jackets but without the weight of a heavy jacket on your shoulders. Plus, it looks super cool!

2. Singular Thermal LS Crew – A great baselayer for winter but, come summer I’ll be wearing this with a cami under it. Year round comfort!

3. & 4. One-Too-Many Hat and Scarf – Soft as a pony’s nose and puppy’s ears. My favorite cozy accessory for any outfit!

5. BK Pant – Casual pants with a feminine twist. I love the ties on the bottom so I can adjust the length to fit just right.

6. Outwit Boot – The perfect boot: Comfortable, rugged and cute. Wear them with pants or with a skirt and tights.




Alice
7. Diva Down Vest – The name says it all, warm and stylish w/ the shawl collar.

8. Either-Or Thermal Longsleeve – Love the thermal fabric for next to skin warmth, and it has a print so it’s sorta dressy.

9. Condi Watch – I’m a sucker for a watch with a red face.

10. Coldfront Legging – Great fabric that won’t bag out at the knees.

11. Twirling Girl Skirt – Swingy and cute with boots





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Fall Favorites

Field trip! Go on a virtual visit to our Berkeley store with merch mavens Theresa and Christina to check out a few of their fave new products for fall…

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Emily and Alice’s Favorite Finds


Emily

1. Cabbie Hat: My fix for bad hair days (and sometimes even good hair days!).

2. Dress-For-Success Dress: My favorite dress this season. Super cute with tights and boots. I love that it’s double layered for added warmth.

3. Svelte Cardigan: A dressy cardigan in a washable fabric. That means no more trips to the dry cleaners!

4. Made for Walkin’ Boots: My go-to boots for the season. Comfortable and cute! I could walk all day in them and never get sore feet.

5. Imagination Scarf: Soft and stripey. The perfect scarf for Fall and a great alternative to the scratchy wool scarf.


Alice

6. Feature Capri: Fits great and has a zip pocket and mesh behind the knee for venting.

7. Paradigm Zip Neck – The perfect weight (and really soft) run top for fall through spring.

8. PhD Lite-Runner Socks – If you haven’t yet discovered wool socks, you’re missing out. Trust me on this one.

9. XT Wings Runner – My go to shoe for every single trail run and hike. Stable but cushioned. Flexible and fast.

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