I Rarely Wear Athleisure, So Here’s What Happened When I Did for a Straight Week
If you've come here, chances are you already know the definition of "athleisure." If not, let's break it down for you.
In the words of the wise Merriam Webster, athleisure is "casual clothing designed to be worn both for exercising and for general use."
So you know when you see girls going out or strolling around the mall wearing yoga pants, a cute blouse and sneakers or heels? That's athleisure.
Because this fashion trend seems to be here to stay, I decided to try it out for myself.
I thought it would be interesting to see what would happen when a dress-and-boots-wearing kind of girl like myself tried seven days of dressing down—wearing nothing but casual athleisure wear.
Scroll below to see what happened!
Day One
What I wore: A Nike tank top and jacket, black leggings and Converse
How I felt: Seeing as this was the first day of my challenge, I felt a little uncomfortable. It was really unnatural coming to work in an outfit I'd normally put on right before hitting the gym.
Every time I was greeted by someone new in the office, I felt the need to tell them that I hadn't actually worked out and that I was only wearing this outfit because I was trying out athleisure wear for a week.
Honestly, I was a little embarrassed and felt totally underdressed.
Day Two
What I wore: The North Face Jacket, Patagonia vest, black capri leggings and, of course, my favorite Converse
How I felt: The second day was much like the first. I still felt a little uncomfortable (even though I was wearing the coziest clothes I own).
Halfway through the day, one of my co-workers commented on my outfit saying that I looked extremely comfortable. I bit my tongue, and owned it instead of explaining the challenge.
I realized that, sure, I looked "comfortable," but that's not the same thing as sloppy.
Day Three
What I wore: A gray tank top, red hoodie, plaid flannel, grey yoga pants and Nike tennis shoes
How I felt: I was extremely happy that I was wearing athletic clothing because it was a cold, stormy day.
Because of the weather conditions, I wasn't the only one wearing casual clothing like this. I felt a lot more confident in my outfit.
Day Four
What I wore: A Forever 21 sweatshirt, tan vest, black yoga pants and Nike tennis shoes
How I felt: Day four was a Saturday, so, obviously, I did not feel bad at all about putting on a pair of leggings and some tennis shoes.
I could have just worn the sweatshirt alone, but I decided to throw on the vest to make the casual look appear a little less casual.
Because it was the weekend, no one questioned or commented on my outfit of choice. I'd wear this kind of thing on a Saturday or Sunday anyway!
Day Five
What I wore: The North Face jacket, black leggings and Nike tennis shoes
How I felt: Day five of this experience, I took a road trip. I was more than happy to dress myself up in full-on workout gear.
When I arrived at my destination, the friend who greeted me asked if I was planning on working out.
When I told her no, she laughed and admitted that she often wears athletic gear when she's not going to the gym, too. Ahhh, athleisure at its finest.
Day Six
What I wore: A grey Target Sweatshirt, black Nike jacket, Nike workout pants and Nike tennis shoes (a very Nike day!)
How I felt: On the sixth day of this challenge, I was back to work.
I was really nervous about wearing the below outfit because I had a big meeting this day.
Because I was self-conscious about my attire, I decided to change before the meeting began. I honestly think that there's a time and a place for athleisure, and a business meeting is not the place for yoga pants and sports bras.
Day Seven
What I wore: A pink Target workout jacket, puffy jacket, black leggings and boots
How I felt: Not going to lie, on my seventh and final day of this challenge, I was totally relieved.
Although it was kind of liberating dressing so casually for a week, I missed wearing dresses, jeans or even a nice shirt.
For my final day, I decided to dress my casual look up a bit by adding a pair of boots and covering my workout top with a puffy jacket.
This was the most comfortable I felt all week.
My Thoughts on Athleisure
If there are two things I've learned from this experience it's that A.) Athleisure is the comfiest fashion trend ever and B.) Athleisure is not for everyone.
Although I was able to successfully complete this challenge, it's not a style I would choose to wear every day.
As I mentioned above, there's a time and a place for wearing athletic gear. Weekends? Sure! Lounging around the house? Absolutely! To work or professional environments? Maybe not.
Even though I love dressing casually, this may be a trend that's on the verge of being too casual for me. But to each their own!
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