Music: {allcanada} Lululemon craze hits Hollywood

Sunday, July 24, 2011

{allcanada} Lululemon craze hits Hollywood

This summer's blockbuster isn't about a comic book hero or a bad teacher. The summer of 2011, at least in this town, is about yoga clothes.

Like it or not, the uniform of black skin-tight athletic pants and colourful shirts, that emphasize all the right places and squeeze away the bad ones, is one of the main styles being worn by just about every woman walking Hollywood Boulevard.

Of course, I'm talking about the clothes made and exported by Vancouver-based Lululemon.

It's not that I'm promoting the pricy clothes with the cute logo -- personally, I'd rather wear Danskin or other brands that do not force its wearers to advertise the company with a prominent logo on the items -- but it's my job to report on Canadian trends. And, at least for the moment, this is a pretty big one.

The riot over Lululemon clothes in L.A. began this spring when the paparazzi switched from parking outside the designer stores on Rodeo Drive, in order to get shots of celebrity comings and goings, to parking outside Lululemon stores in Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Calabasas.

Britney Spears, Cindy Crawford, the Kardashian sisters, Jessica Biel, a pregnant Tori Spelling, Kristin Cavallari, Anna Paquin, Eva Longoria, Ashley Tisdale, etc., etc., etc. have all been photographed either coming out of one of the stores carrying a whole bunch of bags or wearing the items to some event.

And if Britney Spears and Kim Kardashian are seen wearing something - well, you'd have to be a complete moron not to copy them.

So, instead of the usual summer dress, or cutoffs and a T-shirt, all the fashionable L.A. ladies are looking like they're going to an exercise class -- even when they're not.

"I do exercise but I would never wear these clothes to the gym," said Lynn Kershwin, 47. "I just paid $125 for two tops and I'm not going to wreck them."

She said she's been wearing the tops on lunch dates she's been setting up with an online dating service.

"They suck in my stomach and somehow make me feel that my posture is better." Kershwin likes to pair the tops with white pants or jeans. "They make me feel a little younger and more in shape. Plus, who doesn't want to look trendy?"

EH FOR EFFORT: So what secret, tribal expression do Canadian studs Justin Bieber and Ryan Reynolds use when they bump into one another?

1) Beer?

2) Celine Dion?

3) Eh?

4) The Habs?

According to one of a dozen witnesses who saw the Canucks bump into each other backstage at the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles July 13, the answer was No. 3.

This, according to the witness, is an excerpt of their brief conversation:

Ryan Reynolds (sees Bieber walking quickly past him his way to meet handlers at the other end of the stage), "Oh, hey, eh."

Justin Bieber (stops, smiles, motions to handlers to wait a minute and reaches for Reynolds hand, "Great to see you, eh!"

The conversation goes on for about 20 seconds, until Bieber's handlers look ready to have a fit.

Justin Bieber (waving to Reynolds), "See you around, eh?"

Said the American witness who's never been to Canada, "I counted about a dozen ehs.When they talk to Americans they never use 'eh.' It's like they were bonding with this 'eh' thing. Weird!"