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| Bettona Classic Pant |
Since Athleta fever has hit a couple of my lulu Facebook groups and two
of my friends who can afford whatever workout wear they want swear by
Athleta pants (one is short so she likes their petites) I decided to take a good look around the store.
I've been trying to convert my one friend to a lululemon fan but she likes Athleta because her Bettona pants ($79) have pockets in them. These are pretty cute pants that have both front and back pockets with rivets so they look kind of like jeans but are really super soft yoga pants. They are made of Pilayo, an 88% supplex nylon and 12% spandex mix. They are very soft, like old lulu soft, but a little thinner and a bit stretchier. They had decent coverage but I thought less compression than luon. If you read the reviews on the Athleta website a lot of people like these pants for traveling and casual wear purposes. They also have a crops with the same pockets. I liked these pants quite a bit for their different look but since I have drawers full of nylon yoga pants I can pass on these at full price. If I come across a nice coupon code I might spring for them.
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| Revelation Capri |
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| Revelation Pant |
Athleta has a more compressive fabric, called Power Pilayo, and I liked that much better. It has the same 88%/12% blend as regular Pilayo but is a little thicker and definitely more compressive. If I were to get Athleta crops I'd get these. The crops are $79 and the pants are $98. I thought the lines on the crops were very flattering and I like the wide waistband a lot. I felt slightly warm in the dressing room so I have my suspicions about the breathability of the fabric but these seemed like very decent gym pants and crops if you were looking to stray. The crops are actually a little more than Wunder Unders at $79 and WU give you the option of reversibility which these don't have. I thought the fabric had decent opacity, I could see a little of my underwear only in a very deep bend.
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| Bare to Run Knicker |
Athleta also had a new run crop made out of recycled polyester called the Bare to Run Knicker, $59. It felt like stiff, unstretchy rulu to me and it wasn't even halfway up my legs before I pulled them off. I hated the feel of them. If you are used to running in buttery soft slippery luxtreme I can't see anyone going for these unless as a colder run item to cut the wind.
The other run bottom I tried on was the Presto Bermuda, $49, made of thick shiny polyester. These remind me of my compression shorts from Moving Comfort. They seem super durable but these ran a lot smaller than any other bottom I tried on. I did like the side pockets.
I know the Relay line is the Athelta run line but my store only had a couple colors and none in my size to try on. SoCal is a run region so I don't know why their stock was so low.
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| Tie Dye Seamless Tank |
I tried on a few of the tanks and casual tops but most did not fit that well or I didn't care for the materials or style. Because I am a sucker for tie dye, I went home with the Tie Dye Seamless tank, $49, shown above (well, mine is gray and black not white and black) even though it is super low support. It's made of a 100% nylon knit and it's the same material they make their seamless underwear from. From the description the tank is made for hot yoga but I just loved the super soft material it's made from. The above photo makes it look short but it's super long. I can pull it down to my crotch. When I wear it to the gym I'll layer a Flow Y underneath for more support. However, I suspect it will be more of a casual wear piece.
Update - I wore the tank for a few hours last night and the bra band rolls up and cuts into me so it's going back to the store.
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| Athleta Haven Wrap |
I also bought the Haven Wrap, $89. I've been looking for another wrap or and this one was quite nice. It's made of a thick polyester blend fabric and it has pockets in it so it's almost like an unstructured jacket. The material is a bit on the rough side so I'm hoping that changes with washing.
All in all, I don't see getting a ton of workout wear from Athleta but I think I will be looking there for the odd casual piece or two.
I only had a few minutes to hit the lululemon store in the same mall and I ended up buying the Pinkelicious Cardio Kick Tank for $19. They had all the CKs marked down to $19 so I wonder if the website will follow.
