Parents Leotard Companies

[OptionalMom12]

Started this thread to discuss the good and bad regarding leo companies. What are your favorite brands and why? Complaints and why? New companies? Trusted companies? Best quality? Share your thoughts for new parents and help them decide what to buy.

 

[3rd_time_around]

I really like Melody Leotards. She has soft fabric, shiny fabric, etc. Her brand is nice because you pick the style, then you pick your own colors, and you pick the back style. Turnaround time is quick, and customer service is great! Her prices are good, too. You will find leos from $20 and up, and she runs a lot of specials. I think we have 5-6 of her leos, and my daughter loves them. We also loved Lizatards, but they just retired and went out of business. I have a couple from Go for the Gold leotards I got my dd at regional congress, and they are like a spandex t-shirt material. Very comfy according to my daughter, and unique designs.

 

[OptionalMom12]

I will have to check those out! I have never heard of those brands and my daughter has been in gymnastics for 7 years I am always looking for good quality and reasonably priced leos.

 

[Soaring]

Here are the brands I have experience with.

GK: In the US, they are truly the standard in the industry. They have such a wide range of materials and styles that it is hard to generalize the feel of the leos. The main problem with GK is the price tag, but it usually isn't too difficult to find gently used ones of ebay or to check the website during a sale during a holiday. For the best GK deals, wait until right after Christmas. That is usually the time when their old styles will go on a half off clearance. The scrunchies are also very high quality.

Plum: These would tend to reach a younger audience, but now they are becoming more popular with older gymnasts. They are a very good deal. They are generally popular and they don't have as great of a variety as GK, so any given day there will probably be someone in the gym wearing the same leo. This may be a plus for some and a complaint for others. In addition, I have found that most of the gymnasts I have talked to love the feel of plum leos, but I just prefer a stretchier leo. The scrunchies could be stretchier too. Also, it's not something generally talked about, but I have found that the crotch area of plum leos is generally narrower than most other brands, but the gusset is a plus. Plum sizes are smaller than other brands too, so make sure to check the measurements when choosing a size.

Alpha Factor: I have only had experience with one alpha factor leo. It is generally comparable to GK, but this particular leo is larger than a GK but has less stretch, so it ends up fitting the same.

Rebecca's Mom: This is a lesser known brand, but I love it. The leos are very stretchy with beautiful designs, and the trim of the leo is velvet. Many of the leos only come in the thin strapped version, but I prefer the thicker strap. The thicker strapped ones are harder to come across in the size you want, so you've gotta visit the website as soon as a new style is released. Great deal. They would be my favorite if they kept their wide strap adult large leos in stock more often. The scrunchies are larger than you would expect.

Salute Leos: An up and coming brand. The leos feel like a stretchy cotton t-shirt. Not too many designs at the moment, but they are making more and more day by day. It's a plus that EVERY leo design comes in various types, including racerback, thin straps, wide back, open back, etc. When I first found out about them I was disappointed that they didn't offer adult large sized leotards, so I emailed the company to request that they make them in the future. They replied within hours and told me that the fit of their leos is different. An adult medium salute leo fits a gymnast that wears a GK adult large, with room to spare. Be sure to check the size chart and round down. Great deal.

Foxy: The leos are stretchy but generally less comfortable than a Rebecca's Mom leo. They pretty much all come with open backs.The designs are bizarre, for lack of a better term, but bizarre in a good way. Their traditional leos are a reasonable price, but the college ones are a bit too much in my eyes.

Some other brands popular in the US include Snowflake and Destira, but it has been years since I have dealt with those brands, so I don't remember enough to make statements about them.

 

[MILgymFAM]

We like Alpha Factor for one of my daughters as they’re longer in the torso and that suites her body type- they’re not the most comfortable though. We always have loved Rebecca’s Mom (and they’ve been our longest lasting leos) because they’re super comfy. My daughters have Plums and GK and are fairly neutral on both. We have used Shining Star sportswear for all of our custom wants and needs and they have always turned out absolutely beautiful (and they do custom sizing!)- but the turn around time is slow. Never cared for Foxy’s nor Ozone. Destira used to be our go-to for our younger who is super duper sensitive to fabrics- they’re SO soft and stretchy. We have two very well made and well loved leotards from D&M leotards. The inside lining on those is dreamy.

 

[RTT2]

We're pretty much GK all the way because they fit DD really well, she loves their fabric, and they have a great variety of designs. She has one Plum she loves, but isn't a fan of many of their patterns. A couple cute Alpha Factor leos, but they don't fit her quite right. I've noticed that most kids seem to stick with one brand, and I do wonder if certain brands fit certain body types better. Or maybe it's just fabric and pattern preference.

 

[mom2newgymnast]

My daughter likes Plum and Gym Gear the most. She also has a few Destira and GK. That's about it. They are all good quality and fit her well. The Gym Gear are particularly soft and the patterns are cute. Plum is still probably the most popular at her gym and she likes the ones with the mesh panels. Personally, I don't think the patterns are always that cute and I think they have gotten a little expensive. I think I am more the fan of GK and Destira because I like their styles and I think they are always well made and fit her well. She likes what she has, but is never super excited about getting a new one.

She's had a couple of Foxy leos and didn't like how they fit around the neck. From meets she had gotten Motionwear and Ozone leos and she is kind of meh about both of them.

 

[JessSyd]

We do not love GK and find them overpriced for their quality. Also, as one of the bigger brands (in Australia) if you buy one you are likely to see it on other girls too. Some girls love that, my daughter does not.

Sylvia P leotards are our locally made standard. We tend to see more traditional practice leos here from them than the weird strappy stuff they were selling to MG Elite over there. At any given day in the gym probably about a third of the practice leos would be SP, and at a competition probably half the team leos. They are super well made, lined etc.

I cannot say enough nice things about Destira leotards. They are not lined or anything so their design is quite basic, but they are soft and comfortable and their product range goes from little girl to quite sophisticated. And best of all, their customer service is really great. Because postage is so expensive to Australia (the postage is often more expensive than the leotard), I do not want to have to return anything, so each purchase I have made has involved a bit of back and forward emailing and they have been very patient with me.

We have used leotards from The Zone in the UK for years now. They are lovely and soft too and customer service is excellent. The only thing I have noticed is that the embellishments start to fall off during the life of the leotard. Not until its second year of wear, but certainly while it still fits and otherwise looks good. The leos get used hard though (worn once or twice a week and machine washed) so that is not a complaint.

My daughter is currently eyeing off some Milano leotards. I think that is a UK brand? So if anyone has opinions on those I would like to hear them.

 

[RTT2]

So this thread led me to check out Rebecca's Mom's leos and she has some really cute stuff. A lot of then are tank tops- I love the idea of practicing in tanks and shorts, but no one does this at DD's gym. Is this common at other gyms? I only see girls practicing in regular leos.

 

[kendo348]

We have also found the crotch area on Plum to be too narrow. Switched to Destira for that reason and have been really happy with the sufficient coverage, softness and the design styles. I’ve avoided Foxy and Ozone both because I don’t love their designs and also because for some reason I can’t put my finger on, their ambassador posts generally bug me more than others.

 

[kendo348]

I love the idea of practicing in tanks and shorts, but no one does this at DD's gym. Is this common at other gyms? I only see girls practicing in regular leos.

I was just thinking about starting a thread on this! Our gym does not allow two-piece. Which, I have a love-hate relationship with (love from a tank-tops-would-evolve-into-just-sports-bras perspective, hate from a no-shorts-over-a-leo-that’s-a-tad-too-small perspective.) It seems like leos-only policies are becoming less common though... probably influenced in part by the college teams who prefer tank tops and shorts? Which I understand; one-piece swimsuits are such a hassle when you have to go to the bathroom! But I would think that from a coaching perspective, one-piece is safer.

 

[MILgymFAM]

Rebecca’s Mom spaghetti strap leos are a favorite cut here- my daughters both prefer them to the traditional or racer back styles. I didn’t know they sold tank tops though.. don’t think my kids would enjoy that, actually.

 

[JessSyd]

My daughter’s gym is mostly crop tops and shorts or leggings. I think most Australian gyms are. Particularly in the over ten age group. In summer it is just so hot some days that every square cm of extra fabric is torture. At a previous gym we were at the men often trained shirtless for the same reason.

 

[kendo348]

I just looked at the Rebecca’s Mom site. I’ve heard of them but haven’t ever checked it out before. Some of those fabrics are gorgeous! I’m wondering if they are actually tank tops though? It looks like maybe they just folded under the ones that aren’t being modeled by a real person. The ones that list “tank” as a purchasing option might mean regular tank style straps as opposed to spaghetti straps.

 

[raenndrops]

My girls both LOVE(d) Snowflake Designs leotards. We have had Snowflake leotards for 9 years or so - since YG wore a Child Medium ... and she is now wearing an Adult Large, pushing Extra Large. The sizing is comparable to GK. So is the quality. The feel varies, depending on the material. The ONLY issue we have ever had with a leotard was one that was velvet with sequins. The sequins, unfortunately, were also in the seams. They were irritating YG. It was easily remedied - I carefully removed the sequins that were in the seams. 10 minutes, and she had a leotard that she loved until she outgrew it. Most of our Snowflake leotards get handed down ... We have several that went through OG to YG to another girl on our team and now to LSS
YG also wears GK leotards and her competition leotard is an Alpha Factor and she has had a few other leotard brands over her time in gym. GK is her 2nd favorite brand ... when Adidas was affiliated with GK, she loved them almost as much as Snowflake. She still wears GK about 40% of the time. Destira never fit her well - it was too boxy for her. She also doesn't really like Motionwear or K-Bee.

Personally, I like GymDigs "design your own" leotards. They do custom sizing for only $6 more than the regular sizes (for the leotards - I just went to their site and they didn't charge any extra on the shorts I designed for myself) ... AND if there is a problem with a custom sized leotard, they are willing to fix it. Back when I was bigger, I had them create a custom biketard for me. It fit in the girth, but I should have given them more information about HOW I was shaped so they could account for it. They did offer to fix it for me for free or give me my money back. I chose money back because I really didn't need a leotard, lol.

 

[raenndrops]

I just looked at the Rebecca’s Mom site. I’ve heard of them but haven’t ever checked it out before. Some of those fabrics are gorgeous! I’m wondering if they are actually tank tops though? It looks like maybe they just folded under the ones that aren’t being modeled by a real person. The ones that list “tank” as a purchasing option might mean regular tank style straps as opposed to spaghetti straps.

You are right... tank means tank style leotard. I saw a few styles that have the option of spaghetti or tank (and has models in each strap style).

 

[Dahlia]

My daughter is super picky about feel and Destira is the only brand she consistently likes. I don't think she has ever complained about comfort with them. We love when they have their grab bag sales (something like $45 for 4 Leo's that they pick).

 

[Kelly99]

My daughter's favorites consistently are Snowflake and KBee. She is tall with a long torso and some brands just don't fit her right.

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

As a little one, my kid always liked GK because they were shiny and bejeweled and everywhere. They're fine. The sizing is insanely different between different styles and fabrics. We have one sublimated one that is actualy soft and nice quality, but it's the only one like that - you really never know what you're going to get. Like a lot of the team USA replicas are super cheap.

We have always hated Alpha Factor because we call them "wedgie leotards" I have never seen narrower cut butts. They look like NCAA. We have enough friends who say the same to know it's a common issue. I'm sure there is a body type these fit, but just be aware!

Eventually she would only wear Plum because they're soft. They run a little bit smaller than other brands.

But then she discovered GymGear and it is basically all she'll wear anymore. They are crazy soft and "don't even feel like you're wearing a leotard." And apparently they just fit her better than the plums - don't ride up when she does bridges or skills. They are extremely stretchy and fit for a long time.

We have two sublimated Ozones and they fit very, very small compared to everything else - need 1-2 sizes larger than normal, though they feel nice and are pretty.

Our comp leo is Sylvia P and they're the one company I've found where if you order based off measurements, the size will be correct. I swear all the other companies the size chart is just for show. It also seems to match street size for the vast majority of people. My daughter wears size 8 clothes - she wears a size 8 Sylvia P. They're cut a little strange though. Her comp leo is not high cut AT ALL, but it is very narrow in the crotch and lower butt. They are the first leo my daughter has ever had to tape to her butt to keep from feeling exposed during routines. She said the other girls in her level said the same, so I know it was not just her booty power.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Regarding GK.

It’s pretty much the standard here in the northeast US. And we have never had problems with the leos we have randomly purchased. Quality OK, sizing as expected... if you can deal with the price, no problem.

However, there has been many issues with our competition orders. Especially regarding sizing. They tend to cut them small. I actually refused my kids last leo. It took a lot of time to get that resolved. This last leo we ordered a size up, fits like a glove. And a size larger then every other GK she wears. Not cool.