Magic Shorts...Part 2

Awhile back, I posted about the magical shorts of INKnBURN. I have been running in skirts for a long time and was really  hesitant to try shorts. They seem so, well, short and I'm self-conscious about my legs. And I fear the dreaded chub-rub. Then I discovered INKnBURN shorts and couldn't get enough. I still run in skirts, but I also really love the shorts. Why am I writing about them again? Well, there are some changes that are awesome that I want to share. The newest shorts are the Liberty Design. Stars and Stripes ... living in Texas, of course I had to have them. C'mon ... it would be wrong not to have them. And the changes start with the new design.

Before I get started, I wanted to demonstrate the differences in INKnBURN Denim shorts. I really love the classic denims because they are so versatile. I've shown you before, so no reason to re-post the pics of front/back/waistband, but just for a comparison of colors.

Classic Blue Denim

Classic Dark Denim

Wildflower--more distressed denim look

Liberty ... I love how the denim continues to have the distressed look. The blue is really much more blue than the other denim looks. I love this look and it's perfect for Texas. But, I find it a little harder to match the colors/patterns to other items I own. It doesn't stop me from loving them, though.

 Now, lets talk about some of the differences in the new designed shorts. If you read my earlier post, you may recall that in the newer designs, there seemed to be some size discrepancies. Some people felt the shorts fit exactly the same. Others felt that they ran a little smaller. Well, the folks at INKnBURN took those concerns very seriously and did some investigating. It turns out that the dry I.C.E. fabric they were using had changed in the most recent purchase run and some of the fabric shrunk a bit in the processing. They wanted to make sure this never happened again because they want the sizes to be consistent so their customers can be happy. After much research, they found a new fabric that doesn't have the shrinkage issue ... because, seriously, who likes shrinkage?

So, the first difference is the new material. The original dry I.C.E. fabric has a light-weight rip-stop look and feel to it. A teeny bit "nubby." The Dry I.C.E. 2.0 fabric is very smooth feeling. I personally think it feels a little heavier than the original, but heavy isn't the right word. It's still light and breezy, but to me, it feels tougher. It doesn't have the look of the fine lines you see in rip-stop either. It still dries super fast and didn't get sticky-sweaty when I took it for a run in 100% humidity that turned to rain. So ... how do I feel about the new fabric? I like it a lot. I liked the old fabric, too, though.

Next, let's talk about the fit. Each piece is hand-cut, and then the design sublimated to embed deeply into the threads, and then hand-sewn. With that, there is always bound to be some size variation, but that's the beauty of it. One thing I noticed on my pair was that in the back, the waistband seam and the center seam didn't line up perfectly. I don't really care because if you are spending that much time staring at my butt, shame on you (unless you are The Musician, then stare away). I feel like the fit is the same as the older designs, but does seem to hug my butt a little more. I've heard a few other people of different shapes and sizes say that they feel like the shorts were cut exactly to their measurements. I feel the same way.

I wear my shorts a little looser than some and a little tighter than others, so ... everyone has to make their best call on the best size to choose. One of the things I really love about the fit of the shorts is that the back is longer than the front. It provides good coverage, especially for someone who is plagued by gravity.

I noticed a few small differences in the cut of these shorts compared to some of my others. The inseam seems a tiny bit smaller. That means a slightly shorter short. Remember, I said I'm super self-conscious about chub-rub? It's not pretty, but even worse, it can be painful. Well, with shorter inseam, I was worried. I kept looking down to make sure the shorts were riding up. They weren't. So ... shorter inseam not a problem for me.

The other thing I noticed on fit was that the back seems actually a little longer than the older styles. For me, that's a good thing. Gives me a little more time before gravity says "no more."

Something that isn't particularly new about the fit is the waistband. It has a really cute design on the inside and can be worn up or down. It's already a bit low-rise and fits exactly where I want at the top of my iliac crest. For me, it's not pretty to roll it down. No one wants a muffin top and it just makes the shorts feel too small for someone my size. I think if I were 20 years younger and everything was tighter and maybe smaller, then I would be rocking the roll-down look.

I think the waistband fits great. I have no reason to make any adjustments. But, if you happen to have better curves than me, the waistband has a draw-cord for cinching down the waist. I have never used it and didn't even realize it was there until someone else pointed it out to me. But, if you have a teeny waist, you can make adjustments.

One more difference in the new shorts ... the pocket. The shorts have two front pockets. The pockets are really subtle so if you aren't stuffing them, you might not even notice you had them. The difference in the pockets is the size, which apparently, does matter. The new design has larger pockets that are large enough to fit an iPhone5. I took a picture of the Samsung Galaxy S5 in the front pocket. It's wide enough even with a protective case. And it is a deeper pocket. I personally, wouldn't carry my phone in my pocket for running, but I would carry some nutrition. I'm not a gel person, so these pockets provide enough room for a bar of sorts. This is a bonus for me.

INKnBURN is a small company of 14. Everything is hand-made right here in the good ole USA. The designs are produced in limited quantity and once they are sold ... they are gone, as the artists/designers are moving on to their next great masterpiece of artwork on clothing So...go shopping NOW!!! and tell me what you think of the new shorts. Be sure to check out their fun patriotic themed shirts for women and men.

OK ... so you think I'm a crazed fan-girl/groupie. Well, in addition to the beauty, quality, and uniqueness of the apparel ... it's really about the people of INKnBURN. Yes, I spend a lot of pennies buying their clothes. But, they pay attention to their customers. They paid attention when people said the shorts were having sizing issues. They paid attention when people asked for bigger pockets. And, they noticed that I am addicted to Oreos. One day, out of the blue ... I got an unexpected package in the mail. It had been a rough-ish week and this made everything better. How many people who buy a lot from big-brand names know the names of the owners and employees, have seen really cute pics of their awesome kids .... and how many customer service representatives care enough to get to know their most loyal of customers?

And yes, I like green tea Oreos ...
Maybe if I didn't have an Oreo addiction, I could roll down that waistband