I own a tank top that says, “I spend most of my money on expensive workout clothes,” and to be honest I’ve never owned anything that describes me quite to well. I probably own a little too much “athleisure,” but that doesn’t stop me from constantly building my collection. It’s just so darn comfy and cute, alright?
In today’s post, I am breaking down my activewear collection and telling y’all about my favorite places to buy each type of workout clothing. There are so many options out there, so if you’re new to the activewear trend (or just looking for some new items to try), keep reading!
Leggings
My Favorite: Lululemon
Lulu leggings just can’t be rivaled. The material is so comfortable, they’re incredibly high-quality, and they have a huge variety of styles. Personally, I love the Align leggings – the high rise is really flattering and I like the material of these leggings best. The one downside of these leggings? The price tag. Coming in at around $100 per pair, they’re not exactly easy on the wallet. I generally like to wait until they go on sale, and I feel a little more justified in my investment.
Runner-up: Fabletics
If you’d prefer not to spend $100 on a pair of leggings, Fabletics leggings are amazing (in fact, I’ve raved about them in a previous post as well). They still have the similar high-waisted cut that I love, and are 100% squat-proof. You do typically need a membership to get a good deal on these, but that’s really not a big deal – just remember to skip the month when you don’t want to buy anything to avoid getting charged!
Sports Bras
My Favorite: Victoria’s Secret
If you’re looking for a good sports bra that’ll stand up to high-impact activities and keep your girls under control, Victoria’s Secret is a great choice. They have a huge variety of colors and styles, all providing a good amount of support. Granted, I can’t speak for any busty gals (because I am definitely not one), but these work wonders for me. Plus, the sizing is in terms of bra sizes, which means you get a much more customized fit than S/M/L sizing. My favorites are the Knockout and Incredible bras.
Runner-up: Fabletics
If you’ve watched my December Favorites, you’ll know that I’ve gotten really into midi sports bras lately (aka sports bras that are kind of a bra/crop top hybrid). Fabletics has a great selection of these, so they’ve earned a spot as the runner-up for this category.
Tops
My Favorite: Fabletics
Fabletics has such a huge variety of tops to choose from – from coats to tank tops and everything in between. My favorite items of late are a grey cropped short-sleeve tee and a black fitted jacket with a peplum bottom. I made the mistake of browsing through their website earlier this week and now I’m having to practice immense self-control to stop myself from ordering a new top.
Runner-up: Lululemon
Like Fabletics, Lulu has a huge variety of tops. In particular, I love the ones with the built-in sports bras and wide-open backs. However, they are significantly more expensive than Fabletics, and for tops, I can’t justify the increased price as easily as I can for leggings, hence the runner-up status.
Shorts
My Favorite: Lululemon
To be entirely honest, I don’t really like wearing shorts when I work out; I’m more of a fan of the sleek lines you get when you wear leggings. However, if I had to pick a favorite pair to wear to the gym, it would be the Lulu Hotty Hot shorts. I just bought a pair in this gorgeous dusty rose color, and I’m so excited for the weather to warm up so that I can justify wearing them all the time.
Runner-up: Nike
Are you really a basic college gal if you don’t have a borderline-ridiculous collection of Nike shorts? I own entirely too many pairs of these shorts, but I can’t help myself when I see all of the fun color combinations they come up with. They’re not quite as flattering as the Lulu shorts, but they’re a heck of a lot cheaper.
Shoes
My Favorite: Nike
I’ve owned at least one pair of black Nike Frees at any given time since my senior year of high school. They’re just such reliable and comfortable shoes, and I find that they work well for both weightlifting and cardio, which is why they’re my go-to gym shoes. (I’d prefer not to have to change shoes mid-workout, if I can avoid it.)
Runner-up: Converse
These aren’t even technically a runner-up – they’re just a totally different type of shoe. Converse are flat, as compared to most athletic shoes that have a bit of a heel. This means that they work wonders for leg day, because the flat bottoms mean that more of your weight is transferred to your heel and you get a bit more of a booty pump on your leg days. If you haven’t made the switch to Converse (or Vans or any similar shoe) on your leg day, do it right now and I promise it will change your life.
I also just ordered two new sports bras from Gymshark yesterday morning (and have a few more items on my wishlist once the Nikki B Season 2 collection drops), so who knows – these favorites may have some new competition.
xo, Taylor
Lululemon makes amazing athletic wear. I wish they had a student discount. I’d definitely spend even more money than I already do there.
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I’m very hit or miss with Fabletics!! I have five pairs of leggings from them and about half of them are see through if I bend over. So that’s annoying, but I love the material of them so much!
Oh that’s such a bummer!! Good news is I think they’re streamlining their leggings so that they’re all the same material/opaqueness so hopefully that won’t happen in the future.