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| Some Yumikos |
Yumiko leotards can be identified by their simple, clean lines.
They look a lot like
swimsuits—the practical kind used for actual swimming not lying around on the
beach. Other brands have leos that look a lot like Yumikos, but
you can always tell a Yumiko by the tag stitched into the side
seam.
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| Yumiko Tag |
Of the two major made-to-order leotard companies, I prefer
Elevé because they offer a wider range of looks and their leos look
better on my not-a-pro-dancer's body. Yumikos—or “Yumis” if you prefer (I don’t)—seem to be more popular than
Elevés, though this may be because Yumiko has been around longer.
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| Website Photos of the "Alicia" |
Styles
Yumiko currently offers 33 different leotard styles that you
can order on their
website. On the website, the models show each style
from the front and the back.
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| Website Fabric Descriptions |
Fabrics and Colors
Yumiko has four different fabrics for leotards: nylon,
microfiber, velvet, and techni. The website description of the difference
between the fabrics is pretty thin, so I emailed the help desk for a more detailed explanation. Here’s what they told me:
- The nylon is thin and shiny, and slick to touch.
- Techni feels like the nylon, but it is a flat fabric, and it
is a slightly tighter knit for a more "held in" sensation. Sweat
resistant!
- Our microfiber is soft, almost plush to touch. It is also
matte like the techni, without any sheen to it.
- The fabric breakdown
for all three is 87% polyester and 13% elastim.
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| Model in nylon "Sofiane" |
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| Model in techni "Anna" |
I currently have Yumikos in microfiber and nylon.
The nylon is shiny and thin and shows sweat
easily. The shiny fabric highlights bumps and curves, so it tends to be less
flattering to those of us who are shaped more like regular people and less like
ballerinas. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize this fact until I started
photographing myself in my leotards for this blog, so now I own several nylon
Yumikos that aren’t that flattering. Live and learn.
I also have one Yumiko in microfiber. It’s a strange fabric.
“Plush” is a good way to describe it, but it’s not thick. Like the nylon, it shows all bumps and curves. It doesn't show sweat that easily, though. Yumiko's website seems to use this fabric primarily for their "tops and bottoms" (workout gear), not for leotards.
Currently, Yumiko stocks nylon in 39
colors,
microfiber in 14
colors, velvet in 7
colors, and techni in 23
colors. The colors change, though—every now and
then colors disappear and new ones are added. In January 2015, the company introduced something like 18 new colors (and surreptitiously dropped a few). For $25 plus shipping, you can
order Yumiko’s color chart, which has small samples of each fabric and color
currently available.
Here are the
colors as updated in January 2015:
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| The new "Megan" Style with Mesh Back |
Most styles give you the option of choosing more than one fabric, so you can mix and match if you’d
like.
Not all combinations are
available, though.
There are tons of Pinterest sites collecting Yumikos in various colors and sizes if you ever need inspiration.
Yumiko doesn’t offer patterned fabrics or mesh online, although they recently introduced the "Megan" style with a mesh back, only available in the store or through a Yumigirl.
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| Sleeve Options for the "Marieke" |
Other Options
All styles allow you to add
a liner (bust or full front). All
styles give length options (leotard, high cut leg, semi-unitard, unitard),
though not all lengths are available for all styles. Many styles also offer
sleeve options, from cap to long, although, again, not all options are
available for all leotards.
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| How a "Jessica" with a $71 base price gets to $140 |
The leos range from $58 to $74 for nylon or techni.
Micro-fiber adds around $8; Velvet adds around
$14 to the base price. A bust or full front liner costs an additional
$10.
When sleeve options are available,
you’ll pay $7 for cap or short sleeves, $10 for 3/4 or half sleeves, and $12
for long sleeves.
A high-cut leg adds
another $22 (not sure why less fabric costs $22 more), and choosing the
semi-unitard option will cost you $15.
A
unitard will add $26 to the base price. I did the math and figured out that
it’s actually possible to more than double the price of the basic leo by
choosing options.
Timing
According to the website, orders take 6 to 8 weeks.
My orders have arrived on the later side of this range. (But see below for some pro tips on getting
Yumikos faster from other sources.)
Sizing
Yumiko makes XS through XL. I recommend ordering up a size. The size chart puts me on the cusp between two sizes, but when I emailed the New York store, I was told to
order an additional size up for a "Denise" because it “tends to run
small.” The leo I got fit perfectly. If you’re not sure, email or call a
store—they’re extremely helpful. I’ve ordered up almost every leo since, and
it’s worked out fine.
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| Yumiko Women's Size Chart |
Other Sources for Yumikos
Because Yumiko has been around for a while and is fairly
well known, there is a brisk business in Yumiko resale. I’ve found several
leotards on
Ebay that have never been worn. People generally explain that they
tried the leos on and they didn’t fit (another indication that Yumikos run
small). You can also buy Yumikos from the
retail stores, which carry a
small supply of premade leos. Many of these are simple black (presumably for
uniforms), but they also carry some nice color combos. Email or call to see
what they have in stock. Both eBay and the retail stores are satisfying because
you can get a new or nearly new Yumiko in about a week instead of the usual 6
to 8 weeks.
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| Yumiko "Becky" Resold on Ebay |
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| Some Yumiko Tops and Bottoms |
Yumiko also offers orders through “
Yumigirls,” a network of
people who order in bulk, which saves you 5% off the online price and you don’t
pay shipping. The website offers to help you find a Yumigirl near you, but I
haven’t had any luck with this. The website tells me that there are several
Yumigirls near me, but I can’t get contact information for them. Yumigirls are another source of resold Yumikos on Ebay—they sometimes sell
leos someone ordered but didn’t pay for. I did find a Yumigirl online (via Pinterest) who isn't local but will send my Yumikos to me when they arrive.
Other Products
My Yumikos
I have a
Denise and a
Becky from the Yumiko New York store;
a
Jaione, an
Alex, an
Alicia, and a
Daniela from Ebay; and a
Heather from the
Yumiko online store. I've recently ordered a few styles in techni--I'll post when I get them.
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"Alex" in N-Cove
with N-White Trim |
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"Alicia" in N-Royal
with N-Silver Top |
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| "Becky" in all Black Nylon |
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"Daniela" in N-Titanium
with N-Cerulean Trim |
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"Denise" with N-Arctic Base,
N-Silver Top, and V-White Trim |
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"Heather" in C-Hot Red
with N-Titanium Trim
("C" indicates microfiber) |
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| "Jaione" in N-Royal with N-White Trim |
