I swear, it took me 18 years in the fitting room on Saturday morning. 30 minutes, minimum. Wonder if the eds thought I went down for a nap. Anyway, given the fact that my trusty Cool Racerback has been on the outs for a while and I am not a fan of the CRBII, I must branch out onto other avenues in TankTopLand.

Sculpt Tank II ($58) in blazer blue

The update on the original Sculpt Tank came out oddly during the winter, when the last thing on anyone’s mind is a tank. Known for being lightweight, loose and with a bit more conservative cut, I was late adopter of the original. However, I now own 3 of them and all get regular wear in the summer months.

The Sculpt II stays true to its conservative roots with a high neckline, but it’s a slimmer fit in comparison to the original. In my book, this change is an improvement.

On the flip side, lulu got rid of my favorite part of the original Sculpt Tank, the keyhole in back. It was perfect to show off the Energy Bra’s signature criss-cross back, but alas, said hole has died. Sad face.

THE VERDICT: Because of losing the keyhole, I couldn’t bring myself to like the new cut as much as I wanted to. It had a fighting chance, until I tried our next item on…

Smooth Stride Tank ($58) in viridian green

Well hello, viridian green. You’re bali breeze’s deeper cousin, and it seems like you’ve been well-received by many in the lululemonsphere so far this spring. I grabbed the Smooth Stride Tank off the rack with the sole intention of testing out how the color looked with my currently pale skin tone. Greens and I get along in the summer, but I’ve got no patience to wait until JUNE.

I was pleasantly surprised by the fit, along with the fact that there are no gimmicks here. No built-in bra, no silly cutouts or paneling, just a nice technical tank top with a little extra space in the arm openings to showcase whichever color bra you chose that day.

This tank is also at an advantage thanks to its fabric. Luon, cottony knits or swiftlies can sometimes get sticky, but the lightweight luxtreme can hold its own when the humidity levels rise.

THE VERDICT: Win! As mentioned above the Sculpt Tank II could have come home with me despite its lack of keyhole, but after having already purchased the blazer blue Speeds a short while ago, it was time to add viridian into the mix at home.

EDIT: For those of you distracted by the extremely neon shoes, say hi to the Brooks Mazama. Easily one of my favorite pairs of kicks in the arsenal right now. Plus, they’re waterproof. Who doesn’t love that? Stuff it, puddles. Mine came from REI, but you can also scope them on Amazon or Shoebuy. Given the questions that I’ve gotten, I plan to put together a post spotlighting those babies soon!