I don’t wear medical scrubs on a daily basis (very rarely, actually) which might make some of you wonder what makes me qualified to write about apparel, scrubs and medical clothing uniforms on a daily basis. Even though I don’t wear them, take my word; I do know a little bit about scrubs.

Lydia’s Uniforms knows it’s important that all of its employees are educated about the products that we sell. Last week I attended a product training session to learn about the new designer medical scrubs that are in for the summer season. Some of our lovely ladies and gentleman from the customer service department put on a fashion show and I learned tons of information about the new medical scrubs. I learned about the sizing, materials, colors, patterns and styles. There was so much information that I had to take notes!

Check out these pictures of our employees modeling some of the brand new designer medical scrubs.

See what our models are wearing.
Group Picture: In front Lori is wearing the Drawstring Top from L.A. Rose in the LeDot pattern and from left to right Melinda is wearing the Kimono Print Top from L.A. Rose in the Floral Kitchy pattern, Mandy is wearing the Mock Wrap Ruffle Print Top from White Cross in Citron/Lime, Jose is wearing the Men’s Warm-Up Jacket and Unisex Three Pocket Scrub Top from Lydia’s Pro Series, Erika is wearing the Emily Top from Koi in the Stardust pattern and Oyuki is wearing the Sash Mock Wrap Top from L.A. Rose in the Chelsea pattern.

Another one of our great customers, Karissa, offered to take a pair of scrubs for a road test (what would I do without so many helpful customers always willing to give their feedback?) She chose to tell us about her Sand Washed Mock Wrap Scrub Top and Flare Scrub Pants from Dickies.  As a busy RN/BSN, Karissa wears these scrubs about one out of the three nights a week that she works. After all that wear time I bet Karissa is almost an expert on what these nursing scrubs have to offer!

Karissa answered some questions about the scrubs for us. She had some particularly helpful advice about their sizing. Let’s hear what she had to say.
 

What are your thoughts on the fit of the scrubs?
The fit of the top is great.  You can adjust the fit of the sides of the top with the back tie, and it actually lets you have a shape rather than looking like a box.  The pants are really nice, too.  The drawstring ensures that they won't fall down, and the elastic back gives you the extra flexibility.  Also, the pant legs are not super tight; however I would suggest buying the next bigger size for both pants and tops if you are on the cusp of sizes.  For example, I usually wear a medium in most scrubs (Cherokee, Landau), but with the way Dickies does their sizing, most of the time I need a large after they have been washed due to shrinking.   

What is your favorite thing about these scrubs?

They are super soft and they are comfortable to work in; they don't bunch or ride up while you're walking or doing procedures at the bedside.  Also, they don't show your midriff if you reach up.    
 

What is your least favorite thing about these scrubs?

They collect lint like it's their job.
 

Are there any unique features to these scrubs that your other scrubs don’t have?

The pocket in the top, some other brands have started to do that now, but this one is just the right size for 3cc saline flushes. 
  

Have you received any compliments on them?

Yes, usually about how soft they are.   

So it’s nice to hear that these stylish medical scrubs are not only cute, but also comfy and soft. In any outfit it’s always reassuring to know that you can do what you normally do without being uncomfortable, your clothes bunching up or your midriff showing and it’s especially reassuring to know these things when you’re at work!

Thanks again Karissa for all your helpful comments!

I don’t think I’m alone when I say that I’m impatiently waiting for April 24^th to come; the day that Grey’s Anatomy finally returns to the air after what seemed like decades of no new episodes! Hopefully I’m not the only Grey’s geek who has been counting down the days since the last new episode aired in January. I can’t help it; there’s something irresistible about watching McDreamy saunter around in his lab coat and scrubs.

In the last episode that aired Meredith and Derek’s on again off again relationship was once again off and the episode has left us wondering (for the last 3 months!) whether or not the two will stay apart. Plus there’s the turmoil between Miranda and her husband, the possibility that Lexie and George might move in together and the fact that Erica admitted that she might actually be interested in Mark if they weren’t colleagues.

So what do you think is going to happen when April 24^th finally comes around? Is there a possibility that Derek and Meredith will get back together, or that Miranda and her husband will separate?

And who do you think wears their hospital scrubs the best? I think Izzie is required to look amazing in them since she does have her own line (see our Katherine Heigl scrubs here), but I’m personally a fan of McDreamy myself.

(Also, have you seen our full line of Grey's Anatomy scrubs by Barco? If not, check them out.)

I had the opportunity to have a great conversation with Kathy Peterson, the designer of Koi Scrubs the other day.  She and I really see eye-to-eye, probably because we both love to show off the fashion side of medical scrubs.  Here’s what she had to say…

Can you talk a little bit about your background?  Why scrubs?

My background is actually in fashion. I’ve been in the fashion industry for 15 years and started off working for Carole Little and have also worked for companies like Guess. I’ve done Disney product and really, I’ve just run the whole gamut of fashion design. I ended up at a uniform company called Barco and designed for companies like McDonald’s and KFC.  I had an opportunity to do some designs in the medical field and just loved it. It was the best happy medium between doing fashion and doing something that was functional. I really enjoyed the fashion element.  I love creating something that has a purpose… so that was the best opportunity to do something in fashion that was practical.

I started Koi because when you work for someone you don’t have control over the image of a product.  You have to turn it over to a marketing department and it wasn’t a complete vision for me. I wanted to control my product from beginning to end and have a unified vision. This was the next step because I was at the maximum I could grow.  This gave me an opportunity to share my vision and hope that people liked it.

What is Koi Happiness?

How we qualify a garment is that we look for something that is cheerful and happy, but functional.  We want to take the current trends and infuse the two. We interpret from fashion because we feel like a lot of the customers that are shopping for scrubs are the same ones shopping at Macy’s Bloomingdale’s or other stores. It’s important for me to have scrubs look like they’re viable in that same marketplace.  I think that the scrub market had existed for a long time on scrubs that did not have a fashion component.  Scrubs used to have fashion as a secondary component, and people focused on how practical it was, just the function.  We looked for things that married the two.  It’s great to create a product that people appreciate and helps them to feel good about themselves. 

What is the one thing you want customers to feel from your designs?

If we could in a small way help someone to feel better about themselves, that is the great reward for us. They work so hard and have such long shifts- anything we could do to make their lives easier or better is what we strive for.

As usual, my morning is frenzied, and I have to race to get myself ready and things loaded up in the car before my son wakes up.  Since I’m a working Mom, I like to spend time with him in the morning before we leave for the day.  This morning I did things a little differently- instead of checking my closet for what to wear, I grabbed my scrubs out of the dresser (Thanks Lydia’s- and sorry about that stain. I guess you didn’t want these back anyway).  I actually felt like I was hopping right back into my jammies, but was excited about the opportunity to get a glimpse into what goes on in the world of nursing scrubs.  I will say that the scrubs did simplify my morning- I wasn’t doing much coordinating, and if truth be told, I usually spend more time analyzing how colors look against my fair skin than doing my hair.

Anyway, we hopped in the car and were on our way. I have to add here that I was starving because I had to do a fasting lab test after I dropped off Matthew at daycare.  However, I quickly let this go once I reached the lab and had such a fun time showing off my scrubs with the ladies that worked there (Note to employers: you should try out your staff in fun and flattering colors like the turquoise blue I was wearing- everyone was so excited to see it.).  Getting my blood drawn was a breeze, and I enjoyed the camaraderie I shared with the ladies in the clinic, all wearing scrubs.  I even surprised them with some Lydia’s tote bags and a few catalogs, and we proceeded to talk about our favorite items.

When I got to work, I kept an eye out for Leesa, because I knew she was wearing her uniform as well.  Sure enough, she was cheerful as usual, and looked cute in her designer medical scrubs (ok, like a dental hygienist too J ).  Together, we went to the morning manager’s meeting, and everyone was excited to see us.  The entire team caught our enthusiasm, and I think our vibe made everyone loosen up a little going into the workday.  This was one of the things I definitely noticed. I was having a hard time not smiling, and felt more relaxed than usual.  I know that this projected in my attitude toward meetings that day, and other projects I was working on.  This makes me wonder: how do scrubs affect your customer service skills?

There are a few things that I really liked about Cherokee Authentic Workwear besides the great color palette.  For example, the pants have this cool “hip flip” that ensures that they don’t bunch up, and it really helps with fit.  Also, it means that the legs don’t drag on the floor, which is something I’m picky about.  I love wrap styling for casual wear, but often find it cumbersome to pull off.  However, the mock wrap detail on the top was just enough to add a little style, and I found myself sticking my hands in the pockets all day (conveniently located- that certainly provided an answer for me about the styling of nursing scrubs!).

There were a couple of elements of my road test that I struggled with.  The scrub top wasn’t as tailored as the clothes I normally wear, and made me feel a little unkempt overall.  I’m not used to wearing anything baggy, and I also am trying to work off the baby weight, so this was something I was a little self-conscious about.  I looked at Leesa, wearing tailored looking Urbane scrubs, and wondered if she was feeling more orderly.  Also, like Leesa, I was super relaxed and ready to GO, so it was hard for me to sit at my desk all day. 

I was really glad to have the opportunity to road test a pair of scrubs for the day.  I’ve tried on lots of scrubs before, so that I can describe to you how they fit.  However, I’d never spent an entire day in them.  My respect for what you do, and the daily challenges that you face, has only been reinforced.  You need the most comfortable uniforms available so that you can focus on what’s really important- your patient.  It’s my goal to help you find them.

- Rachel

Want to test drive Cherokee Authentic Workwear Medical Scrubs yourself?  Click here to check them out!

Update: The ugly stain was removed!  But I’m still keeping the scrubs J