Just like with running shoes, yoga togs get worn out, but it's hard to remember to replace them. Take a look at your current yoga wardrobe and see if some of those elastic bands have a little less snap than you remembered, and maybe are just a bit less "fresh" than you would like.

Yes, it's time to jazz up your downward dog by investing in a new pair of yoga pants.

I'm a big fan of all of the amazing independent designers out there. In an effort to get inside the mind of the indie designer and find out just what makes all of these creative types tick, I present to you an ongoing segment I call Indie Designer Interviews.

Today's interview is with Merle OBrien, the Aspen, Colorado-based designer behind a line of eco handbags called OlovesM, which were recently handed out to celebs attending the Sundance Film Festival. These fashionable and environmentally friendly bags feature predominantly recycled materials, including a snazzy sport/diaper bag made from repurposed yoga mats.

How did you get started as a designer? I was in yoga class and the idea for my bags just popped into my head, so I ran off my mat and started doing a ton of research, and cut and sewed a lot of prototypes until I figured it out. I am one of those people who is always thinking about ideas, and some seem to work, while others just help me learn more do's and dont's about business!!

I am sort of a bag lady. Not like a homeless bag lady and not a girl who can't stop buying purses (I am a shoe gal myself) but I actually just carry a lot of bags. Every morning I wake up and head out the door with my gym bag (a huge duffel bag), my laptop/ workbag, and my purse (which is also huge). I teeter around in my 5-inch heels from the car, to the gym, to the office, back to my car and home. Everyday this happens and everyday someone comments on how much stuff I carry around.

The other day a co-worker who also goes from the gym to work asked me "why are you carrying so much?" She then proceeded to show me her awesome Lululemon gym bag that was a triples threat, as it not only had gym space but a laptop compartment and plenty of room for personal stuff too.

The bag was awesome so I had to tell her that I was going to run out and get the same bag but in a different color. The next day I trucked it on over to Lululemon and to my delight they had plenty of bags in different colors and different fabrics. I ended up going with a white bag that was covered in a black graffiti print with bright orange zippers. Talk about $78 well spent! I was able to consolidate my three bag habit into one bag while looking insanely stylish.

"Athletically Hip" was almost the name of my favorite socially conscious yoga/sportswear company Lululemon, according to their website.

Their clothing is designed with yoga in mind, but is chic, comfortable, and appropriate for any number of activities, including watching In Treatment on the couch while eating Cheetos. I also have it on good authority that Lululemon New York pays for their staff's yoga studio memberships so that they know what they're talking about.

The thing about Lululemon's designs is the lines. This is a company that understands how bodies are shaped and makes their clothes accordingly. Lots of yoga studios have entire walls of mirrors, and no one wants to have to look at their ba-donk-a-donk made three times larger by sweatpants.

Look at the above tank top, for instance.

They call it "Strap Tank". I call it "I am a Yoga Princess in a Pretty Top Cut to Not Make Me Look Fat" or "Look How this Color Brings Out the Serene Flush in my Cheeks".


Check out the great cut of the Hidden Tiger Pant for men:

. . .and then check it out from the back (!) here on the website.

Pre-shrinking, flat seams, and credit card pockets are featured on most of their items.

In conclusion: Lululemon is made of awesome and you should shop there.

Fashion label Alice + Olivia (whom I love for their cute sequin pieces) is going all sporty on us. No, they aren't taking the Stella McCartney route with a line for a major sporting brand like Adidas or Nike. They are incorporating yoga pieces into their newest collection.

As a big fan of Ashtanga (a type of yoga) I was curious, so I checked out their website for more details, but it is under construction. I checked the next best place, ShopBop.com. ShopBop did have pieces from their "yoga" collection. Why the quotations? Maybe because these so called "yoga" pieces just look like regular clothes to me that were just re-branded to target a new audience.

Some pieces from the collection include bodysuits, leggings, and tanks with prices starting in the $68 zone. I have a few problems with this. First of all, bodysuits? The last time I wore a bodysuit was in the third grade ... during ballet class. I cringe at the notion of wearing a bodysuit to yoga! Can you imagine the pain of the bodysuit, um, riding up? Ouch. The second problem I have is paying over $20 for leggings I plan on sweating in. Leggings for fashion is another story, but being drenched in sweat doing downward dog in $68 cropped "yoga leggings" doesn't do it for me. I will just stick to my cheap target leggings and sports bras.

*Oh and don't you just love how ShopBop has the model in heels while modeling yoga pants?

The thing about Kate Moss is that she's a cross-over beauty. Sure, she's on the cover of everything these days, but also become one of the art world's most popular muses.

For instance, Lucien Freud's painting of Moss pulled in $7.5 million when it was put up for auction at Christie's in 2005. And later this month a collection of nude photos of Moss set for auction are expected to bring in around $80,000.

But how much do you think seven sculptures of Kate Moss doing yoga poses would go for?

According to the British Telegraph, the sculptures of Kate Moss in yoga poses could bring in up to $2 million when they are sold in New York. The seven piece series was created by Marc Quinn, who says the figures represent "an image, and the way it is twisted and sculpted by our collective desire".

Twisted and sculpted by desire?

Come on Quinn, spare us the pose, would you? We all know you just wanted to sculpt Kate Moss' crotch.

Go to your local yoga studio, and you'll see that it's easy to separate the short-termers from the long-termers. Aside from physical differences, flexibility and stamina, you'll also notice that long-term yogis have the exact same mat.

Fitness companies may have recently stepped it up in terms of mat colors and design, but the best mat out there is still the original Fusion Harmony Mat, which only comes in one color and one size.

The Fusion Harmony Mat is made of open cell, natural rubber, which offers solid traction, even when your mat is drenched in sweat. Thicker, stronger and tougher than your average mat, the Harmony is perfect for sweaty, active yoga styles like Ashtanga, Bikram, or Vinyasa.

The Fusion Harmony may not be the most stylish thing out there, but it is the best.

Alright Styledashers, it's halfway through the first month of the new year. How are you doing with those New Year's Resolutions?!?!

Now if, like me, you told yourself you'd do a little something to relax every day, then a real step to that resolution might be getting yourself a gorgeous bag to carry your yoga mat. The large yoga mat bag from Attapinya measures a generous 28x8¼ inches, making it large enough for more than just your mat -- throw in clothes, towel and other personal items. The bag is made of a coppery silk, and features gold fern and leaf shapes along with traditional Royal Thai artwork. Drawstring closure and an adjustable padded shoulder strap make it convenient. Who wouldn't want to do more yoga just to carry around this gorgeous bag?

The bag is $89 at Attapinya.

There's nothing glamorous about sweating it out in the yoga studio, unless of course you have stylish exercise garb.

For the rakish yoginis out there, Paiva's Side Tie Pant successfully bridges the tricky gap between functional and fabulous. The side ties and low rise waistline on these cotton/spandex pants will see you through through all of your asanas without giving you the dreaded belly roll or the wretched camel toe. For tall girls, these pants are particularly appealing since they also come in long.

There isn't a day that goes by that I see someone running around with a yoga mat in these parts. Most of the time, the person has simpy rolled up the mat, tied it together with whatever loose piece of fabric or string can be found laying around, and is awkwardly shifting it from under one arm to the other. The person's problem is that s/he needs a bag for his/her yoga mat, and TKUU has a stylish solution.

TKUU is a new line of Pilates and yoga mat bags "that combine an edgy street style with flawless tailoring and beautiful detailing." The company's design philosophy is to balance "clean Japanese minimalism and whimsical metropolitan chic" for health-conscious people on the go. My favorite bag is the Obi, which features bright, beautiful prints, but the beauty of the bag is that when it's not in use, it can double as scarf or sash -- an obi.

The Obi ($65) and other yoga mat bags are available from the TKUU website.

If you're one of the millions of women out there who don't exactly love to exercise, you'll probably agree that one of the more unpleasant parts of the activity is the inevitable boob-bounce. (The uniboob is pretty heinous as well, but we can only solve these problems one a time, ladies).

I say this from experience -- a jiggle-free sports bra is worth its weight in gold. But how many of us want to spend our gold on a piece of clothing which just gets really sweaty. (I don't know about you, but I'd much rather spend my money on clothing for non-existent cocktail parties and the size 2 figure I no longer have.)

Lucky for me, the online outlet of the outdoor outfitter (how's that for alliteration?) has put the SportHill Diva bra on sale. For a mere $17.95, you can take comfort that you will be sweating in style. And that, fashionfans, is priceless.

I'm a little too neurotic and hyper to ever do yoga - or maybe that's exactly why I should do it - so I'm not sure how this new line of skincare products from Chan Chi Living would work for me. Founder Clara Chan gave me a sample to try. (As a side note, I really appreciate the very generous sample size that allowed me to actually try it for more than one day, since we know you can't tell anything from one time.)

The Lakshmi Lavender Facial Cleaning Milk has lavender milk for dry and sensitive skins. It smells great, but I am never fond of face washes that don't foam - must be a carryover from my days of using Ivory soap when I was little. However, Chan Chi does have Ganesha Grapefruit Foaming Face Wash.

After cleansing, I used the Bharani Botanical Toner, which is an aromatherapeutic toner to restore pH, nourish, and prep skin for moisturizer. Now this I definitely liked. Yes, of course it smelled even better than the cleanser, but it also really did feel refreshing without any sort of alcohol sting.

The sample set I got had two moisturizers - Vishnu Vitazyme C Creme for day, and Ambika Aloe and Chamomile Light Night Creme for night. Both have an incredibly light feel on my fingertips, but felt greasy on my face. I don't mind that for night, but was a little hard to deal with for under makeup.

Overall assessment for the Chan Chi Skincare is that it smells great, which I suppose would relax me the way yoga would, but is not any better functionally (for me) than products that I already use.