No. 44

Athletic wear that isn't so....tight

I’ve been very conscious lately that wearing a true matching workout set - tight leggings and a matching cropped top - is both a bit too revealing for my taste, and not terribly interesting to style. Though necessary while attending a workout class (still not sure there’s a good way around this) I’ve been less eager to hoist myself into leggings while embarking on a long city walk, going to the grocery store, or hiking Mt. Tam on a cloudier day. Maybe this is just what happens when you’re firmly in your 30s, but I can’t abide by leggings and a crop for anything other than the absolutely necessary.

So what’s a girl to do?

There’s something that happened between 2010 and 2020 when we somehow tricked women into believing that leggings are the most comfortable thing you can wear, and the general public into believing the comfort is the epitome of life. Both issues for different reasons: the former because leggings are not, in fact, very comfortable (if pure comfort and mobility are your main goals), the latter because we briefly entered a period of time in which wearing skin tight leggings and sweatpants was perfectly acceptable just about anywhere. To be clear, I am a just king: I believe comfort is important, and there are many reasons why one may eschew a more polished look in favor of a matching sweat set. But this is a fashion blog. The key isn’t “how do I find the most comfortable thing possible”, but “how do I use creative problem solving to be comfortable while still participating in society”.

Like many routines, once set, it’s relatively hard to shift dressing for comfort every day if that’s your goal. One of my goals (that I mentioned here a few months back) is to optimize for both comfort and polish, since it takes just as much effort to put on a pair of silky pants and a fitted tee shirt as it does leggings and a crop. But sometimes we’re not going to the grocery store, or grabbing coffee with friends, and those silky pants don’t quite cut it, and we need to lean further into the tactical. Let’s walk through some options that are both practical and chic.

Hiking in the Dolomites

About as close to a cotton tank as you can get with this Alo top, Reformation pants so good on my friend I forced her to pull up the link while we were at dinner, and high-performance and captivating Sorel sneakers

Urban Hike

Bring some brightness to your city walk with this Free People top, my absolute favorite Sullivan pants, and a pair of bright sneakers via Adidas.

Sexy Errands

The item I probably wear more than anything: my Sullivan windbreaker, a new favorite (thank you for sending these to try out, Ruti!) Ruti pants that I haven’t been able to take off, and a fun pop of color via these Flower Mountain sneakers

In other news

Andrea Iyamah, a favorite of mine (as many of you know) is having a sale, I mean come on!