The Yumiko Yasu

My friend, Matisse, a professional ballet dancer introduced me to Yumiko, a line of high-quality, great fitting and beautifully designed dance and fitness wear. For women, the very reasonably priced clothing is divided into three categories:

• Dancewear:  Within dancewear, there are nearly 30 different types of leotards but within each type, there are hundreds of combinations in terms of fabric, lining, sleeve length, color, and other variations because each leotard is customized and made to order for $55 – $68.
• Skirts:  One classic skirt is offered in either a short or long length in more than 40 colors to easily match the leotards from $55-$58..
• Tops and Bottoms:  Tops and Bottoms are my favorite category with six tops and 4 bottoms offered in the same wide range of fabrics, colors, and styles.  Prices range from $49-$56 for the tops and $42 – $66 for the bottoms.

Within the Tops and Bottoms category is a legging called the Yasu: a low-rise straight leg legging that is outstanding in quality, fit, color choice, and price.

The Yasu legging is the holy grail of leggings. Hand made in Spain, the Yasu conforms to the body and fits beautifully with a softness to ensure comfort. Best of all, the Yasu is forgiving and clings to the body in all the right places. The Yasu comes in three fabrics: nylon, techni, and microfiber (my personal favorite), five sizes (XS,S,M,L, and XL), and a multitude of colors (41 in nylon, 23 in techni, and 14 in microfiber) for $60-$66 a pair.

If you’re a fan of Lulu Lemon, Hanro or Wolford products, you will love the Yasu legging. To purchase, there are two options: order on-line using the very accurate size and color charts; or go to one of the two boutiques located in New York City or Tokyo. The company also recently started distributing a limited amount of ready-to-wear pieces in their most popular styles, colors, and sizes in boutiques in the United States (New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Greensboro, NC, Lewisville, KY, and Oakland, California), Japan, and in Seoul,Korea. Refer to the company website to obtain a complete listing of stores that carry the Yumiko products.

The first time I ordered a pair of Yasu leggings, I relied on the size chart and they fit beautifully. Some size charts provide a general guideline but not Yumiko’s – the company’s size chart is very accurate. Because the Yasu’s are made to order, there is a 6-8 week wait – worth the wait because once you wear a pair of velvety Yumiko Yasu leggings, you will never want to take them off. They are that comfortable and that stylish – the lone ranger in a world swathed in leggings.

Yumiko was started ten years ago by Yumiko Takeshima,a professional ballet dancer who grew up in Japan and danced throughout the world with world-class ballet companies. Currently, Takeshima is the principle dancer with Dresden’s SemperOper Ballet in Germany but continues to devote time to her growing company and costume design.

Yumiko
451 W. 46th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenue)
New York City, New York 10036
212-969-9400
global.yumiko-online.com