Dressing Room Diaries: Athleta

One of my favorite things about going home to Pennsylvania is being able to enjoy stores we don’t have here in Hawaii. One of those stores is Athleta. My mom turned me on to this athletic and athleisure-wear brand a few years back and it was love at first sight. I think Athleta is the brand that made me fall head-over-heels for the athleisure look, but I could be wrong. Anyway, Athleta is always one of the first stops I make when making my shopping rounds! It helps that my mom knows all the ladies in there, so they give me the inside scoop on pieces that are favorites, popular picks and pieces that might not look the best, even though I have visions in my head after seeing them online. I stocked up in a major way while I was visiting and figured I would share what I loved and what missed the mark a little bit for me. Of course, I was in such a rush while I was browsing that I didn’t snap photos in the store, but I did once I got home. I know – #FAIL! I’m totally out of the loop on these Dressing Room Diaries posts (as you can tell by no photos!), but I hope you love this and find it helpful 🙂 So many of you have been requesting a Dressing Room Diaries reboot, so hopefully this ignites me to get my act together 😉

Dressing Room Diaries: Athleta

Black Tights | Size S | I’ve lost a little bit of weight, so I was feeling a little bit like the leggings I normally wear were sagging in the butt region. Never fear – Athleta has the answer to all your tight needs! I also knew I wanted a seamless pair that went all the way to my ankles. These are a dream pair and are so, so buttery soft. They come in a few colors, but you can’t go wrong with black, right? They fit true to size, are high-rise and even though my legs are short, won’t require hemming. Winning all around!

Oversized Cream Sweater | size XS | Have you seen anything more cozy? My friend Casey wore this sweater on our trip to Iceland and I knew right away I wanted to try it on for myself. It runs big, so size down if you are considering ordering it. I love, love, love how loose it fits and I know I’ll be wearing this once cooler temps hit Hawaii (I’m ruining forever because I think 65 is cold) and for various cold-weather trips we have coming up. It’s also really, really soft and not itchy. WIN!

Breathable Long Sleeve Shirt | Size S | To be honest, I thought this top was going to stick to me in all the wrong places, but the ladies at Athleta encouraged me to try it on and boy, I’m so glad I did. It is snug, but it’s comfortable, not constricting. I got it to wear in Kenya, since it’s breathable, but long sleeved. I also really love that even thought it’s definitely a more workout type top, it could easily be paired with a vest and jeans for a dressier style! I also kind of wish I had gotten it in more colors after seeing these photos.

V-Back Long Sleeve | Size XS | I have a tank top in this style that I wear all the time and really love. You can tie the “V”, but I never do, because I don’t think it’s that flattering on me. I sized down in this top, because the small looked really baggy and I wanted a more snug fit. The material on this is SO SOFT – I wish I could let you all feel it through the computer. This is another top I plan on taking to Africa and think will be perfect for early morning game drives. I also think it would be really cute with a puff vest this winter!

T-Shirt | Size S | My mom had on a shirt the first day I was home that was so soft and I kept feeling it on her like — I need this shirt! It just looked like the perfect tee – do you know what I mean? It fit well, was a good length, the sleeves were the right size, etc. Well, she told me she got it at Athleta, of course! And I am SO SAD to tell you that I swore I bought one of these in white and I just dug through my suitcase and shopping bag, only to find that I think it got left in the dressing room (I had about 900 things in there). I am so dang upset. But! The good news is that the Athleta is right near the studio where my mom teaches yoga so I’ll just have to have her pop in to grab me one. Anyway – this tee fits my body exactly as described above – falls perfectly at my waist (not short at all!) and is a non-wrinkle material, but not too sports like where I couldn’t make it a bit more dressy, if that makes sense.

High-Neck Tank | Size S | My mom picked this up for herself and I was honestly convinced I didn’t need another tank top. That said – I don’t need another tank top. But I really only binge at Athleta once per year, so I thought it wouldn’t hurt to try it on. I tried it on in the store with the bulky oversized sweater above and it fit so well that I didn’t even question it further. The fit is a high neck that is snug through the bust, but opens up as it goes down. I love the slits on the side and it’s long enough to cover your butt a little bit if that is a concern! I wore my normal size and I’m kicking myself for not getting another color.

Striped Tank | Size S | These tanks are the shirts that got me hooked on Athleta years ago. They are great for working out, always come in great colors, and are completely stink-proof. I still have all my originals that I wear frequently for workouts, get them all nasty, wash and they smell just as good as new. I try to stock up when I can and I couldn’t resist this color!

Now, let’s talk about some things I liked, but put back for one reason or another…

Elation Shimmer Tight – I am all about a good sparkle, but these had camel toe written all over them for me. Major fail! They are really tight, so just know that ahead of time. I sized up and you could still see it ALL. Also, the shimmer is definitely cute, but also makes things a bit see through. Proceed with caution if you are going this route.

Barre Kickflare – These are so freaking cute and my mom had them on one day and I just kept saying…I want those! Well, I’m so sad to report that my legs just are not long enough, even for the cropped variety. If I lived locally, I would see if I could have them hemmed and if that might work, but they fell at a weird angle on my leg and just looked really…sloppy. That said, they are the same material as the tights I linked above and are so, so buttery soft. If you have long legs, scoop these up!

Do you shop at Athleta? What are you loving this season?