The Babe's Here, Who Coming in Second?
By: Elle Brec on 05/28/09 04:44 AM
Babe Didrikson Zaharias, one of the greatest athletes of all time, use to jest to her opponents before play saying, "The Babe's here, who's coming in second? Babe certainly paved the way for women's golf today, boldly playing in a men's PGA tournament, the Los Angeles Open in 1945, and making the cut. She was indicted into the Golf Hall of Fame in 1951 and played numerous other sports as well.
Women often say pain is beauty. The beauty of golf apparel is that it doesn’t have to be painful. We have come a long way since
the apparel of Babe's day. It has a rare ability to make you look stunning and feel comfortable at the same time. There has been some talk that in general, people dress down more these days. Maybe because it is more comfortable, maybe because people are too busy, or maybe because dress codes/norms aren’t as strict as they once were. Perhaps you can't be bothered, if are endowed with an unbelieveably high I.Q. like Albert Einstein you have an excuse, he tended to wear the same clothing every day because he couldn’t be bothered. If you are one of these people, at least be smart enough to outsource your wardrobe selections to someone else (he chose his wife.) There are some that are passionate about fashion, and others that can’t understand why. The artwork and vision that goes into the design of the clothing, the fabrics, textures, and patterns, along with the work and technology that goes into manufacturing said piece is very extensive and worth appreciation.
When it comes to fashion, women are harder to please than men. We want an outfit that is comfortable, moves with our body, keeps us dry, easy to care for, blocks the sun, trendy, timeless, makes us look physically fit, keeps us cool when we are hot, keeps us warm when we are cool, and while we’re at it, eco-friendly and the proceeds benefit a good cause. Iconic golf apparel is the brand that actually does all that. Natural and Synthetic are the two different type of fibers that can be oven into fabric; there are advantages and disadvantages for both. Natural fibers include cotton, silk, linen, wool, hemp, and bamboo.
Lela Designs golf apparel composed of only eco-friendly materials. Bamboo is nature’s most sustainable resource. Bamboo breathes and wicks moisture away due to its porous nature. Bamboo also has an excellent drape and a silky-cashmere feel. It is grown without pesticides or chemicals; it is a fast growing plant, shoots grow about an inch an hour. Bamboo fabric is naturally anti-microbial, hypoallergenic and thermal regulating. It is also resistant to mold, if you leave your clothes in the washer for too long. Although cotton is soft and breathable, allowing it to release perspiration, it is also very absorbant, retaining moisture. With cotton being the most popular fabric, light weight, Lela’s organic cotton may be the way to go. Organic means to be grown without the use of pesticides or other harmful chemicals. The argument posed by eco-concious companies is if a shirt is made out of cotton that was treated with pesticides when it was grown, could those pesticides seep through pores in skin the same way smokers that are trying to quit can absorb nicotine using the patch? Maybe we should all have more interest in what we put on our bodies. I wonder if Einstein thought of that.
Synthetic or manufactured fibers include polyester, nylon, spandex, rayon, and microfibers. Polyester is quick drying, resilient resistant to biological damage, easy to wash and holds form well. Not very often but sometimes it can cause skin irritation since it has the same origin as plastic bottles, petroleum. Rayon was first referred to as "artificial silk" which had a bad connotation. When brainstorming new names someone said “Let’s shed a ray of light on this problem” and thus it was called Rayon. Even though rayon is a synthetic material, it is actually made from tree cellulose. It is absorbant, comfortable, drapes well, and easy to dye so the colors do not run. Nylon is also a synthetic silk, it makes sense when you think of ladies nylons. It is versatile enough to make water resistant jackets as well. Spandex, otherwise known as Elastane or Lycra, comes from expand, obviously meaning the fabric is flexible. A great deal of women’s clothing has a hint of spandex in order to provide a form fit. 
Brands like EP Pro, Cutter and Buck, Lija, and Tracey Lynn produce high quality apparel made from synthetic materials. These materials have superior wicking ability and a flexible, athletic feel. Trends include traditional polo shirts with a hint of flare, matching shirts and skorts, bermuda shorts which come in two styles sporty and flared, and of course, matching accessories. There are a wide array of prints that are popular such as paisley, argygle, plaid, gingham, florals, squirl designs, and animal prints. For the more athletic look, stick to solid colors such as blues, navys, black, red, lime green, orange. For a flirty look, there are hot pinks, light pinks, browns, and pastels. If you are going to wear pastel, stick to one color, you do not want to look like you belong on the shelves of CVS during Easter. Ame and Lulu is also a very popular line of accessories for golf providing tee holders on their belts, keychains, and a convenient pouch for balls and tees.
Glove it by Nicole Miller offers one of the best performing and most fashionable gloves on the market. Made out of Calbretta
leather on the palm and polyester/spandex back, it comes with a matching pouch to store jewelry while on the links. They also make matching caps, shoe bags, accessory bags, totes, waterbottle covers, club covers, towels, and interchangeable belts. Their hottest new 
patterns include Silver Scroll, Peapod, and Zebra. They also recieved an award for their Breast Cancer Awareness line a few years ago and donated $25,000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. They now participate in Rally for the Cure which makes it possible to hold your own golf outing event for a good cause. Lela also manufactures pink ribbon clothing where proceeds are donated to the Cure.
Women players competing in the CVS Caremark Charity Tournament include
Helen Alfredsson, Julie Inkster, Natalie Gulbis, and Morgan Pressels.
Comments or suggestions can be emailed to ellebrecgolf@yahoo.com.
