How Tutus Took Over Runners’ Wardrobes

By mile nine, Kelly Lewis and her friends knew they were on to something. She and her pals Elise Wallace and Carrie Lundell had donned sparkly skirts that Lundell, a seamstress, had whipped up as a way to stand out while they ran the 2010 Surf City USA Marathon. At the time, wearing something so outlandish on a non-costume run was such an anomaly that Wallace was reluctant to join in. “She said, ‘No way, I’m not going to do it,’” says Lewis, although they ultimately convinced her.

As they ran, runners and spectators kept complimenting their skirts and asking where they got them, Lewis says. “We were like, ‘We should try to sell these. Maybe somebody else would want to wear them.” Later that week Lewis created a website. A few months later, there was such a demand for glittery running skirts that the team hired a manufacturer, and later expanded into accessories like rainbow socks, sequined visors, and tank tops emblazoned with phrases like “I don’t sweat, I sparkle.”