Athleta - My Initiation
Giving up corporate suits was a such a blessing. My feet, unfortunately will have the repercussions of the expected heels for years to come with bunions as my parting gift. Embracing my new life as an entrepeneur/marketer/ health coach has however meant figuring out how to dress appropriately. That seems like a no brainer to many, but I basically spent my last few years in pharmaceutical sales either in dresses or completely relaxed (looking like I was ready for yardwork). That whole in between phase completely escaped me and I certainly didn't want to have to go shopping for new clothes. Really, I am one of those rare women who actually doesn't embrace shopping as I used to. Apparently at some point after becoming a mom, I forgot how to coordinate clothes, hence the adopting of dresses as my go to.
How does one balance being fit, comfortable, and looking put together? Enter the wonderful world of athleisurewear. Yeah, that thought intimidated me still. (Disclaimer, I do receive a discount from different companies because of my job.) I had heard of Athleta, but didn't know why some friends were so loyal to the brand. After I looked through one of the many catalogs they had been sending, I realized I could see these clothes easily transitioning to meet many needs. I took a ridiculous amount of clothes into the dressing room and realized that for once in a very long time, my problem wasn't going to be what can I try to like, but rather what can I put back. Athleta actually made me enjoy my shopping experience by finding clothes made to fit real bodies, instead of figuring out what clothing flaws to look past. And the practicality of their clothing is fantastic!
I didn't go in actually expecting to like any dresses, despite having a few marked in the catalog. I actually found a few that I really liked and convinced myself to settle on just one. I chose the Santorini High Neck Printed Dress. This dress flatters, is ridiculously soft, and is cute enough to wear to a party while not sacrificing comfort. The only disadvantage to this dress that I could find was the need for a bra adjustment. You cannot wear a regular bra with this dress. It's either racerback, sports bra, stick on, or safety pin the regular bra and continuously adjust it.
I was determined to make some outfits coming out of the store and one of my favorite things about their clothing is that the clothes can easily be coordinated with multiple options in the store and with items from other stores. The Essence Open Back Tank is something that I thought looked cool, but would normally say no way to it because it was outside my comfort zone. That's exactly why I decided to give it a go, with the Transcendence Bra underneath because the design is so cute while being on point outside the gym too. As a 42 year old mom, I think through the appropriateness of my clothes and how I present myself. This combo has quickly become one of my favorite go tos. And my boyfriend and my daughter happen to love this combo. The Soho Skort was so practical, I had to buy two, beige (lias) and black. I absolutely love these! The ability to look dressed up, but still be able to squat down, without worrying about a wardrobe malfunction. And let's talk pockets. This is one of those things that many clothing manufacturers seem to think women don't need. There are plenty of times I will carry a purse, but there are also many times, I just need a few pockets. I also have a habit of sitting criss cross applesauce as they now call it when I am sitting at my desk, so these don't get in the way.
I have to be honest that buying a plain tank top certainly isn't something I went into Athleta with any intentions of buying. Then I tried on the Revive Tank. Yeah, this might be the most comfortable tank top ever! Try one on and you'll understand. I would go down a size for best fit.
So there might have been a second visit to Athleta...Does this say something about how I feel about the clothes? As in, I could seriously live in these. I found a few items this time on the regular sale rack and some in the regular priced area. I am so loving the skorts that I decided to try another style, the Laser Run Skort. The shorts underneath are definitely intended for running as they have elastic at the bottom to keep them in place. I go back and forth on if it's reassuring or uncomfortable, but they're water repellent, so I can see lots of versatility with these. Apparently I also love the Transcendence Bra so much that I also bought the Jacquard version of it. Underneath the Pacific Wrap Tank, it could pass for a cami. A few words about this wrap tank, I seriously love this shirt! The wrap waist is wonderful for accentuating a small waist. (Fellow hourglass ladies, this is one of those wardrobe tips that I love!) The zipper back pocket is one of those little touches that screams please play with the zipper when bored. I'm sure it has nothing to do with practicality or the fact that an iPhone in a non wallet style case fits perfectly, right? I might have to see what other colors this is available in.
Here's the mistake that I might have made. I took my 10 year old daughter in with me. For context, she wears uniforms to school, has been blessed with hand me downs from several of my friends, and quite often, we stretch the budget by utilizing consignment sales or stores. Unfortunately, my favorite consignment sale of the year's primo shop day now happens to be at the same time as the annual meeting with the health & wellness company with whom I am partnered, so I have missed the last few years. My point is we have been incredibly blessed with her having great clothes at really great prices. She's still growing and she would likely only be able to wear it a summer or two. She absolutely fell in love with half the store. Getting her to narrow it down was difficult. She got it down to three items, but I don't get a discount on any of her clothes and I hadn't actually planned on buying her anything; however, I rarely splurge and figured she could at least decide if this is something she wants to save up for or request for gifts, so I bought her the one shirt she just couldn't live without and I admit, it looks absolutely adorable on her! She really wanted the shorts, but I just couldn't see myself paying that much for an outfit for a child still growing. (Call me whatever you would like on this one. I will survive.)
Overall, I have actually found a store that makes me enjoy shopping with clothes that are made to fit different body types, flatter for curves, don't ride up, and are easy to match. (I never pretended to be a fashionista.) A few other reasons why I love their clothes: the "unstinkable natural silver salt to stop odor causing bacteria," the softness trademark fabric, recycled material, sweat wicking, breathable fabric, UPF built in, wrinkle-resistant, and they're super easy to pack.
Courtesy heads up: I got an email this weekend that their semi-annual sale is underway now. Lord help me if my daughter gets wind of this...