I was recently asked if I wanted to come into the Eddie Bauer at Chesterfield Mall in the St. Louis, Missouri area to try on some clothes, snap some photos and review what I tried on! This is something I’ve never done for this blog, so I was really excited about the opportunity and it also sounded super fun!
When I waited to touch base with the manager Robbie for more details, I realized that … um… this is embarrassing, but I don’t really know much about Eddie Bauer. I got caught up in all the excitement and accepted this opportunity blindly because trying on clothes and learning about their versatility sounded like a blast.
I knew the name Eddie Bauer alone. But as far as the brand image? I was coming up empty! I just kept thinking of men’s business wear and also… fleeces and boots? A little confusing.
When I connected with Robbie, he helped clear my confusion by explaining that for awhile Eddie Bauer was catering to a wider demographic of shoppers by incorporating more clothing styles into the mix, but recently, they made the decision to return to their roots with the outdoor and adventure ready clothing they were known for as their staple in the past. They’ve recently added a new focus on fitness and training apparel so that Eddie Bauer can better serve the needs of any type of adventurer by making the apparel top-notch with cutting-edge technical materials, so whether you’re the type who is extremely adventurous, a city trekker, or if you just slip out for a brisk jog in the mornings, they want to make sure they’ve got you covered and your needs are met.
My own Eddie Bauer “Adventure” began a few days later. When I arrived at the store, Robbie and staff pulled a bunch of clothes and put them together in a dressing room for me and wrote my name on the door. All of this made me feel like super special– like a famous person, haha!
The game plan for that day was to try on pieces from their new activewear “Motion” line, as well as a few other Eddie Bauer outfits.
Ehm, someone had the bright idea to wear hot pink DISTRACTING socks for the clothes fitting. Oops. Ignore me!
- I love this Movement Jacket! But I’m not wearing it to it’s full-potential in this pic so I’m not going to talk about it right now. I’ll get to it in another photo.
- When I glanced at these Movement Leggings in the clothes heap to try on, I’ll be honest in that I didn’t care for the pattern because I thought it resembled animal print (snakeskin) which isn’t really my cup, so I made a snap judgement before trying them on that I wouldn’t like how they looked on me. But when I tried them on, I thought they actually looked pretty cool. The pattern isn’t actually snakeskin, it’s just something random and it makes them look kind of edgy. When I started pulling them on, I thought they would be too tight, and I’d have to keep adjusting them as I’d walk, but they really didn’t ride up at all or budge.
- The Resolution Tee was super soft and lightweight, but felt of good quality which I appreciated. I find if I buy a tee-shirt, sometimes if I want lightweight, I have to settle for something really thin and cheap feeling and it doesn’t end up lasting very long. OR if I want a tee that’s super-soft, it’s super heavy, so if I perspired in it if I’m working out, it weighs it down, so it’s nice to combine the best of both worlds with this tee.
Speaking of sweat (yay! never thought I’d use a segue as yummy as that!), let me talk about some of the perspiration technology that Eddie Bauer has worked into the majority of their clothing. Yes, “Perspiration Technology” is an actual thing. And I’m gonna be talkin’ about it! But first, let me interrupt this post with a super fun pic of me and Robbie the store manager, so this doesn’t come across as a huge wall of text!
Woo-hoo! Look at us having such a blast pointing at the Eddie Bauer Motion wear!!!
Okay, now back to sweat.
Sweat is a natural part of working out, but when it comes to your workout clothes being drenched in sweat– that is no fun.
Basically, the inside of Eddie Bauer‘s clothes are hydrophilic (they love water) so they soak up your sweat very quickly. The outside of the clothes are hydrophobic (they hate water) and quickly evaporate the moisture that the inside soaks up.
When your clothes are dry you are more comfortable, it drastically reduces chaffing, and you look better too. [Pit stains are not fashionable!] The other advantage of being dry is that you stay cooler when it’s hot out and you stay warmer when it’s cool out. Sweat is your body trying to get rid of excess heat and cool you down– eventually your clothing acts like a couch over the vent of your home’s air conditioning when it gets too saturated. When it comes to keeping warm– well I think we all know what happens when you are wet and cold: you just get colder.
Lastly, the clothing doesn’t stretch out as you work out or go about your day the same as clothing made out of fabric that holds moisture (ie cotton). So not only do the clothes look better over the course of the day and over long periods of time, but a size small doesn’t become a size XL at the end of a 101 degree July afternoon.
The Sandstone Softshell Jacket (above) I’ve been told is one of Eddie Bauer‘s most breathable pieces of outerwear. It’s wind-proof and water resistant, but lets the body get rid of excess heat during high activity. Or if you chose to wear it casually, it allows you to not get over-heated.
Movement Jacket- Solid | Movement Racer Back Tank Print | Movement Capris Solid | Highline Trail Shoe
- NOW I can talk about the awesome Movement Jacket because I’m wearing it the full way in this shot. The extra-long sleeves with the thumb holes cut out are perfect for runners, so the sleeves don’t inch up. It’s pretty sleek-looking, feels super soft and I LOVED it. I’d wear it even if I wasn’t working out… just as a part of an outfit.
- The Movement Racer Back Tank was cute and had a similar pattern to it like the leggings in the top pic. The fabric was very nice, but it was just a little long on me and a size smaller was a little small for me, so I guess I was in-between sizes, however, from a fashion stand-point, I thought the peek-a-boo from under the jacket looked cute.
- The Movement Capris in the Jade (minty) color were another legging where I was feeling how tight and snug as a glove they were fitting, but curious if they’d stay put. They stayed put and didn’t ride up! Robbie and the Chesterfield Mall Eddie Bauer store were gracious enough to let me keep to try them out at home. These are another garment that wicks moisture, so I don’t feel like I’m peeling my clothes off when I’m done with them. One other feature that I like is the wasteband is wide and created in such a way to prevent ultra-sexy muffin-top action from occurring.
- Highline Trail Shoe– I loved these! I didn’t test them out, so I’m speaking strictly from a fashion viewpoint and a stationary comfort viewpoint. But they felt great, they were lightweight and the mint and coral colors were right up my alley. I’ve been contemplating going back there to buy these, actually.
Oh, by the way… did you see how I’m wearing Eddie Bauer socks now? Robbie felt sorry for my hot pink mess!
The above outfit that was pulled for me wasn’t quite my style, but I did love how soft the sweater felt. Looking on the website, I think it’d be more my style in the Beach Glass color. The pants were really soft, as well.
Eddie Bauer Versa Knit Short Jacket | Boyfriend Legend Wash Stretch | Layering Cami Stripe | Multiclava
- The Versa Knit Short Jacket was the first thing Robbie excitedly showed me when I went into my fitting room. He said he had stalked my Facebook profile and knew this would be just my style. I thought the jacket was cute, but I preferred it unzipped with the Cami and scarf showing.
- This may surprise Robbie, but the Multiclava was my favorite part of the outfit! I’m a big fan of clothing pieces that are multi-functional. You can wear this piece as a scarf, or pull it up to protect the lower half of your face, or wear it as a head wrap. I’m sure there are other uses as well. It’s meant to wrap around your neck for protection against the elements, but I’d wear it just for the fashion aspect alone. Sometimes when you wear a scarf, you don’t necessarily want the leftover length after tieing it.
Voyager II Travel Jacket | Slightly Curvy Elysian Jeans | Gradient Raglan Sweetheart T-Shirt | Stripe Woven Scarf
What’s funny about the above outfit is it’s something I wouldn’t have thought to grab off the racks for myself, but Robbie and team had an idea of what would look good on me, put it together for me and when it all came together I LOVED it!
- The Voyager II Jacket and Stripe Woven Scarf combo I could see making the way into my wardrobe, especially. I have a thing for jackets and feel like you can never own too many of them.
- The jeans trick you! They look like jeans, but feel more like a thick legging to me because they aren’t made of a typical “Blue Jeans” material. These Elysian Jeans are a cotton/poly blend and were soft, comfortable, and flattering. I’ve owned “jeggings” before, but these felt to be a much higher quality. I actually might go back and get these, as well! They looked good with my boots!
Ding- Ding- Ding! We have a winner! This was my favorite outfit and it was the outfit Robbie and the other Eddie Bauer staff who helped style me liked me in best, as well. I dig “Street-Style” and I thought this was a nice hybrid between that and the “Outdoor Adventure” Eddie Bauer image. Again, a multi-functional versatile outfit, which, as I stated earlier, I dig!
- The Atlas II Jacket is another one of Eddie Bauer‘s weather resistant pieces (with built in UPF 50 sunwear protection) . It would be good for travel. Many of Eddie Bauer‘s pieces are “easy-wear/easy-care” as in, you can actually just wash it out in your hotel sink if you were in a pinch and it would dry on the fly because the fabric’s technology is so water repellant. I loved the color of this jacket, the length and all the pockets (9 of them!)!
- The Passenger Ponte Skinny Pants were made in a way that felt and looked super-flattering. They were thicker than leggings, but still felt comfortable. Something that I loved from a MOM perspective? You know how when you have kids, not *everything* in the belly area snaps back into place as nicely as you would like? The waistband in these pants helps hold that in, so nothing overlaps or hangs over anything else. No further explanation needed. You fellow mommies understand :).
- The Stripe Woven Scarf tied the whole outfit together! Ba-dum-ching! See what I did there with “tied” and “scarf” and… oh nevermind. But I loved the scarf. It was the perfect accessory.
This outfit is definitely a win!
Conclusion (Plus… a great offer!)
Robbie (the store manager) doesn’t know this, but outside of my fitting room experience, I poked my head in the store (the one at the Chesterfield Mall location) for a little bit to see if I could witness a regular customer’s shopping experience with the staff. I just felt like doing a little detective work because I was curious if I got any preferential treatment and extra attention since I was to be blogging about, not just the clothes, but my whole overall shopping Eddie Bauer shopping experience, as well.
What I noticed was actually pretty close to the same treatment I received. The staff member named Grace in particular was writing the names of the customers on the fitting room door for the customers, being attentive to the customers’ needs by asking if everything looked and fitted okay in the changing rooms, and if not, pulling alternate clothing pieces for them to try on, so they wouldn’t have to do that work themselves. Making suggestions, but also asking questions and listening to what they wanted, as well.
This is the kind of shopping experience I want when I’m looking to invest in clothing. Oddly enough, the staff at Eddie Bauer reminds me a lot of a good hair dresser when you’re feeling indecisive. They know what will work best for you because they’re passionate and experienced at their jobs, but they also want to hear the customers wishes and come to an end result that’s flattering and functional to fit the customers’ needs and desires.
How the staff is unlike a hairdresser? If a customer leaves after trying on a fitting room full of clothes without buying a single thing, they, oddly enough, don’t seemed to be phased by it. They seem to just want their clients to have a fun shopping experience overall and I think that’s why they must have such a loyal following.
If you live in the St. Louis, Missouri area, head to the Eddie Bauer location in Chesterfield Mall to check out the current deal. Currently, Eddie Bauer is running their winter clearance event where everything is on sale (up to 70% off!)!
Mention my blog: “Leapfrog and Lipgloss” and receive an additional 10% off of that!
Throughout the WHOLE month of Feburary, mention “Leapfrog and Lipgloss” to receive 25% off ANY full-priced merchandise!
I’d like to thank Eddie Bauer, Robbie and store staff for being so accommodating to me.
Have you been in an Eddie Bauer lately?
Disclosure: Although I was provided with a product or service in exchange for a review, all words and opinions are my own.
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