Mile Long Legs

Product: Pearl Izumi Women’s Ultra Skirt in Orchid

Cost: $70.00

I had the chance to try out Pearl Izumi’s Ultra running skirt recently. Most of you who have been following my running journey likely know that I NEVER wear running skirts, if I’m wearing a skirt, it’s usually paired with a hot pair of booties or heels and a glass of wine, not a hydration pack and GU.  But hey, I’m open to try anything at least once.

So here we go, let’s break down the specs.  This skirt was definitely designed with the number one driving force being functionality.  The skirt and integrated liner are made from Transfer Dry fabric, which helps keep you dry by wicking the moisture away from your body.  The liner is great, instead of built-in shorts, like you’ll see with most running skirts, it’s more like having built-in bikini briefs, which for me is a win. I’d rather not have all of the extra fabric or bunching of shorts under the skirt, I like the freedom of the briefs. The skirt has two large pockets, one on each side of your body and a zipper-secured pocket in the back. The side pockets are fantastic, and probably my favorite feature about this skirt.  They are anatomically positioned so you can carry a fair amount of nutrition in them with no bounce, no shift, no jiggle, I love them!  The zipper pocket is very much like any other zippered pocket you’d find on most other running apparel, it is plenty large enough to accommodate an iPhone with room to spare.  Another stand-out feature is the streamline welded hem, not only does it look great, it’s super comfortable, meaning no chafing, threads or bulky hems.  And if you need to cinch up the waist, no problem, they feature an elasticized waistband with a flat stretch draw cord.

So let’s get down to what I liked about this skirt.  I’ll be honest, running in a skirt is a bit out of my comfort zone.  It’s not that I’m shy or reserved or modest, trust me…I wear the shortest running shorts possible. 🙂  But running in a skirt is just not really my thing.  Having said that, this running skirt is pretty great!  The material is so light-weight and airy that you hardly notice the material at all, a nice breezy, cool alternative to shorts.  The pockets are what scored major points for me.  One of the first things I look for when purchasing running bottoms is the storage, and the storage in this skirt is really hard to beat.  Pearl Izumi has a good thing going with their storage solutions.  The two side pockets on this skirt are my favorite storage pockets out of all of my running bottoms, by far.  I was able to stash a lot of gels, salt pills and keys into these and still no jiggle.  I LOVE that!  And lastly, the look of it! I thought it was really cute badass for a running skirt!

And while I like the skirt for the most part I do have a few minor gripes.  The length of the skirt, while I’m sure this length (front center 12″, back center 15″) is perfect for some, it was WAY too long for my taste.  I know all of you gals aren’t short-shorts wearers like myself, but I just felt like there was way too much length to this skirt, I’d like to see it taken up a couple of inches.  Another issue I had was with the seaming of the leg openings of the liner.  I didn’t ever chafe while wearing this skirt, but I also didn’t run any further than 10 miles at a time in it. The seaming/hem around the leg hole openings felt a little rough against my skin and irritated my skin slightly.  I’d love to see them do a similar seam to the streamlined welded hem that they do along the bottom hem of the skirt.

So there you have it, the Pearl Izumi Ultra Skirt!  Overall I think badass, skirt loving runner girls will really like this option, the storage alone makes this skirt a HUGE win in my books!  Have you ladies tried out running skirts?  Are they a passing trend or here to stay?

LIKE:

• STORAGE!!! The best!
• light-weight material

DISLIKED:

• rough seam/hem on leg hole opening
• too long! Way too modest for me! 🙂
• Price, a little steep at $70.00

QUALITY: 4/5

COMFORT: 3.5/5

PRICE: 3/5

LOOKS: 3.5/5

TOTAL: 14/20

xoxo, MLL

This running skirt was provided by Pearl Izumi for review.