1/ LAAIN stretch knit jacquard cycling shorts | $160 at Net-a-Porter
2/ Bodyism lily printed sports bra | $80 at Net-a-Porter
3/ Nike Air Pegasus shoe | $85 at Net-a-Porter
4/ Live the Process floral print leggings | $136 at Net-a-Porter
5/ Nike Run the Earth tank | $30 at Net-a-Porter
6/ Live the process satin paneled stretch jersey cape | $375 at Net-a-Porter
7/ Bodyism shiny leggings | $145 at Net-a-Porter
There’s been a lot written lately on Activewear as the new Denim & going from “Barre to Bar” without changing clothes. My thoughts on leggings as pants are pretty clear. No, they are not pants. But it seems I’m in the minority. And now, with the launch of Net-a-SPORTER (haha…clever…), stylish & chic activewear has gone luxury (and as usual, their styling is spot-on).
The last few years have certainly seen an increase in women wearing workout clothes outside of the gym, either after working out, or not working out at all. I haven’t always been a fan, but I’m coming around – I’ve never been one to judge women on their sartorial choices (except for wearing leggings as pants). And workout clothes definitely are comfortable; I dream of owning a yoga studio or something similar so I can legitimately wear those types of clothes all the time. But as it is, I enjoy wearing them for Pure Barre and that’s it. (my real clothes are pretty comfortable too…)
We’ve also seen the exponential rise of premium (expensive) exercise clothes & brands in the last couple of years, starting with Lululemon. I’ve sort of always been the type to spend money on exercise clothes though, because I want technical pieces that will last forever, and wick sweat away. I’ve never exercised in old t-shirts, or dingy sweatpants, I have dedicated pieces for exercise that don’t usually co-mingle with the rest of my closet. And I have never balked at paying big money for stylish, high-end pieces. Why should what I wear to exercise be any different than what I wear for the rest of my life??
And what makes them worth the higher price is that you CAN wear them outside the gym, and they look good, not grungy or so thin that everything shows.
The disconnect for me is actually going from class to running errands or whatever without changing clothes. I never did that, or thought I would do that until recently. Now that I have to drive quite a while to class and Trader Joe’s and Ulta is on my way home I have stopped in a few times wearing what I wore to Pure Barre, just making sure to have a long top over my leggings so my ASS is covered.
Here are some tips that I think make wearing exercise clothing as streetwear “work” better:
1. Choose opaque – seriously. This is what you generally get with higher-quality, made for exercise leggings. Not cotton leggings from Target.
2. Cover your ass – (with this longer-in-the-back top by Zella) your front is no joke either, especially if you sweat a lot, and DON’T buy technical leggings that wick it away from your crotch area. NO ONE wants to see that. Not even in class. (I actually have a grey heather pair of SoLow leggings that don’t do as good a job of that as I like, so I always wear a very long tank with them to class)
3. Wear a long top or wrap – love this long cardigan by Hard Tail
More resources for chic workout clothes:
Free People Movement – very Free People-ish if you know what I mean
Athleta – owned by Gap. Good, but not as “interesting” as other brands
Lululemon – quality seems to be all over the place. I have a few lululemon pieces that I like, but prefer other brands
SoLow – my go-to workout wear – love the styles & the quality. Made in the US, and usually on sale at Shopbop
Sweaty Betty – have several bottoms from here. LOVE everything.
Lucy – I have had several pairs of Lucy bottoms (they come in lengths). They are wonderful and lasted for 5+ years.
Shopbop – great selection of yoga/running clothes including Adidas by Stella McCartney and SoLow
Nordstrom – nice selections of Hard Tail, SoLow, Karma & Beyond Yoga
Net-a-Porter – great styling suggestions
James Perse – the Yosemite collection is amazing, and some on sale now, I don’t own any yet
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See my old post on Yoga/Barre clothing for my favorite Pure Barre Clothing
What do you think? are you doing sportswear as streetwear? How much do you spend on athletic clothing? Any other resources to share?
I do on occasion wear sports wear as every day apparel. Sometimes, I just get tired of jeans, ya know.
I love the city looking sports bra ~ cute!
Monica.
I’m on team leggings are not pants too!! 🙂
I was looking at some of the items on the new Net-a-Sporter section and kind of balked at the leggings going for $200+. I just can’t get with that.
It wasn’t until this year when I really started working out consistently and often that I gave a ton of thought to my exercise clothing. I’m a bargain shopper at heart so it’s hard for me to wrap my head around spending lots of money on them so I’ve been picking up a few things at Gap, Target and TJMax here and there. The only way I would consider spending real money on my workout wear is if the quality is excellent and the style is actually cute. I love the Stella McCartney x Adidas things for how they look so if I find something that makes me excited to wear in the gym, I might not mind spending the money for it.
Anyway, although there are occasions when one might run errands or whatever after the gym, that’s just not my lifestyle. Nine times out of ten I’ve been really sweating and I definitely wouldn’t think about going anywhere but home to shower.
i couldn’t do more than $200 for non-workout leggings, let alone workout leggings…so i’m with you there. i’ve spent a little over $100 on karma leggings – which i LOVE – and think were totally worth it. i’ve also bought old navy leggings for less than $20. i wear everything, but the karma and solow leggings are definitely better. the thing with my workout stuff is that i expect it to last forever. and it has.
even when i was doing yoga at home, i still bought chic clothes to wear; it motivates me to get up and start working. the adidas x stella mccartney stuff is super cute, just doesn’t come in enough black for me 😉
I generally don’t wear workout clothes as regular clothes, however, as was reading your post it occurred to me that I wear “gym” clothes hiking. (Usually Capri bottoms and a loose wicking t-shirt.) Most other hikers I know wear “hiking” clothes, but I find them restrictive and non-wicking and I just like my workout wear better. Is this a faux pas? Yikes, I just never thought about it. With that said, I believe leggings are not pants, and when I wear leggings I keep my rear end well coverd, but I apparently make an exception for hiking.
On another note, I placed my JP order early last week and it has not shipped yet, is that unusual? With everyone already receiving their orders, I am a little worried.
I got the “Prima” Capri from Athleta and I seem to be wearing them all the time. They are not tight or clingy, but they manage somehow to be sleek looking. I think they look good with non-workout tops and shoes.
not a faux pas! i wear regular exercise clothes hiking also – i just don’t have any “technical” hiking clothes, and i don’t do enough of it to buy any…
my order seemed to take longer than others’ also, i wouldn’t worry about it too much, but maybe do a live chat with CS or track your package to make sure it’s not lost? i ordered my stuff the day i posted about the sale and didn’t get it until saturday, which is late for JP generally.
I wear yoga pants, a tank and a zip up when I’m out & about. I’d never want to exercise & then stay in those sweaty clothes all day though!