growing a minimalist wardrobe: activewear.

June 16, 2015

growing a minimalist wardrobe: activewear | reading my tea leavesWhen it comes to keeping a wardrobe filled with a modest collection of only the most loved, most useful, and most flattering articles of clothing, activewear is a category that often gets left out of the equation entirely. It’s rarely included into capsule wardrobe counts. (Mine isn’t a capsule wardrobe—just a small one— but I didn’t count my activewear into my grand total of 52 clothing items, either.) Activewear tends to be seen more as a necessary evil than anything to get excited about.

It’s a category of clothing that’s always been easy for me to keep pared down. My modest activewear collection currently includes two pairs of leggings, three pairs of shorts, and a too-small sports bra (see also). I wish I could say that it’s because of my preternatural ability to keep a streamlined wardrobe. Really it has more to do with my preternatural ability to avoid traditional exercise at all costs. I’ll huff it up and down these four flights five times a day and walk four miles in an afternoon with a baby strapped to me, but ask me to lace up my sneakers and go for a run, and, well, no.

The last time I actively shopped for activewear (heh) was right before our trip out west two summers ago. Despite the fact that I knew there would be plenty of hiking and rock scrambling, I put off the shopping until the last minute and rushed into Paragon Sports scooping up sneakers and shorts in a frenzy of Pacific Northwest-induced outdoorsy panic.

Here’s the thing with activewear: there’s a lot of it that I just don’t like very much. The appeal of the many-patterned, many-colored, high-performance gear is a little lost on me. Combine that with my general ambivalence about being sporty in general and, well, it’s hard for me to work up a lot of excitement over mesh shorts and breathable tank tops.
growing a minimalist wardrobe: activewear | reading my tea leaves But if having an intentional wardrobe is the end that we’re after, a little digging unearths the fact that there’s actually a lot that’s happening in the activewear world that’s pretty lovely. Lovely activewear: not an oxymoron.

With summertime upon us and ambitions for planning a little family adventure vacation at an all-time high, I’ve been looking into activewear that wouldn’t feel like a compromise of form for function.

In case you’re in the market, here’s a list for consulting the next time you’re thinking about making a new addition to your activewear collection that you actually want to be excited about. As ever, the theme here is activewear that’s doing things right design-wise, but also ethics- and sustainability wise. Some of it is made in the USA. Some of it is organic. Much of it also comes in colors and shapes that are slightly flashier, but it’s me you’re talking to, so I’ll be showing you pretty blues and greys.

growing a minimalist wardrobe: activewear | reading my tea leaves

It goes without saying that this is a list of things that I find especially nice or practical or otherwise worth sharing. If you know of anyone else doing the activewear game right—or, right for you—let me know in the comments. (You guys were swimsuit geniuses.)

Forest Bound: Long May They Run: If ever there was motivation for being a little bit more deliberately active, this is it. Here’s the full story. (100 percent of profits go to The New Hampshire ACLU.)

Hard Tail: I owned a pair of their sweats years ago and wore them until they literally started to fall off. I especially like the Cross-Back Bra from their organic line. (Made in the USA.)

Janji: An activewear company that gives back. A portion of each purchase helps fund organizations across the globe committed to alleviating water shortages. I especially like the Women’s Haiti Perfect Short, the purchase of which supplies clean drinking water to a person in Haiti for a year through a partnership with water.org.*

Lolë: This Canadian brand also uses organic cotton in some of its activewear. The Serene Capris and Kali Bra look perfect for just the sort of low-impact sportiness I lean toward.

Outdoor VoicesThey had me at tonal sets. (Oatmeals!) I love the Steeplechase Sports Bra in Oatmeal and the Athena Crop in Mint and the Warmup Leggings in Slate. And maybe everything else. (Including sneakers!) (Made in the USA.)

Patagonia: As usual, these guys knock it out of the park sustainability wise. You can actually sort their site by clothes with Bluesign certification.** The Cutaway Racerback and Fleur Tank are my favorites tops. Their Baggies shorts are on my shortlist for our next hiking expedition. Pun intended.

Pink Lotus: Their Super Sport Stealth Performance Leggings are a mouthful but they’re made of recycled polyester and spandex. (Made in the USA.)

Prana: Fair-trade, fair-labor, Bluesign-certfied, Prana is doing things right. Their white Soleil Bra and Gazelle Leggings are my favorites.

Solow Sport: Self-described as fashion meeting function, this design-y activewear is also Bluesign certified. Some of it’s a little more…sexy?…than I’d typically go for, but I like the more subtle High Impact Crop Leggings and Mesh Contrast Sports Bra. (Made in the USA.)

Tracksmith: A brand-new-to-me New England activewear company. They make classic running wear that’s “technical without screaming it.” The entire line looks terrific. I especially love their Silk Merino Tank and mesh Van Cortlandt Shorts. (Made in the USA.)*

* Thanks to thoughtful readers for writing in with these recommendations!
** Bluesign Technologies is an independent company that works to evaluate each step of the textile supply chain to evaluate practices and processes in the textile industry for the safety of the environment, workers, and customers. That’s something that’s especially important when it comes to all of those high-performance fabrics that do the heavy lifting in activewear.

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18 Comments

  • Reply Anonymous June 16, 2015 at 3:46 pm

    Great and helpful post! Do you mind sharing a link to the mesh shorts in the photo? They are cute!

    • Reply Erin June 16, 2015 at 3:52 pm

      Glad you think so! The shorts are several years old from Nike!

    • Reply admin June 16, 2015 at 3:52 pm

      Glad you think so! The shorts are several years old from Nike!

  • Reply Kristyn | Laite Jewelry June 16, 2015 at 3:51 pm

    Yes, this is the area of my closet that is currently under renovation as well, haha! Definitely the last part I tackle when organizing my wardrobe. Since I'm not very sporty myself, I hadn't heard of any of these companies (besides Patagonia, of course), but now I'm eager to look into them more!

    Also, I haven't purchased anything from them yet, but I recently stumbled across Wear Pact: http://www.wearpact.com/. They're not necessarily an activewear brand, but they do offer really affordable camis and leggings (which is basically what I gravitate to when it comes to workout gear). Worth a look, perhaps!

    • Reply Erin June 16, 2015 at 5:18 pm

      Ah yes! I always think of their socks and undies, but yes to camis and leggings, too!

    • Reply admin June 16, 2015 at 5:18 pm

      Ah yes! I always think of their socks and undies, but yes to camis and leggings, too!

  • Reply Emma June 16, 2015 at 5:11 pm

    I'm so glad you're covering this topic! As a runner I'm always looking for simple (not flashy) ethically-made clothing I can run in. I recently came across Tracksmith (https://www.tracksmith.com/women), and haven't purchased anything yet but I'm very tempted; their clothes look beautiful and are made in New England!

    • Reply Erin June 16, 2015 at 5:18 pm

      SO GREAT! Thanks so much for mentioning them! Updating the post!

    • Reply admin June 16, 2015 at 5:18 pm

      SO GREAT! Thanks so much for mentioning them! Updating the post!

  • Reply Bailey June 17, 2015 at 2:28 am

    I'd also highly recommend merino wool activewear. Seriously. It's amazing. And definitely allows for a minimal wardrobe–I wear the same top and bottom to yoga and ballet 4 or 5 times before washing. Even after a hard sweat, it never smells and it's great at wicking away moisture. My go-to brand has been Ibex, from which I have two racerback tops and one pair of cropped leggings (both currently unavailable). Those three items are pretty much all I ever need. http://shop.ibex.com/Our-Company

  • Reply emily June 17, 2015 at 2:58 pm

    I have a related tiny apartment question, bc we have to move to Toronto or NYC and I thought I was up for the tiny space (w/ 2 kids!) adventure, but then I started thinking about where we'd put camping gear and car seats and all that getaway stuff (very necessary for me to survive urban life!). How do you manage it?

    • Reply Erin June 17, 2015 at 3:05 pm

      Hi Emily! We don't own a car, so we don't have a carseat! (My mom and dad keep a hand-me-down carseat from a cousin in their car—and we borrowed my sisters' to take Faye home from the hosptial!) Camping gear gets shoved a little willy nilly into the top of the closet! The camping gear has stressed me out during every move we've ever made, but we've managed each time to find a spot in the closet to cram it!

    • Reply admin June 17, 2015 at 3:05 pm

      Hi Emily! We don't own a car, so we don't have a carseat! (My mom and dad keep a hand-me-down carseat from a cousin in their car—and we borrowed my sisters' to take Faye home from the hosptial!) Camping gear gets shoved a little willy nilly into the top of the closet! The camping gear has stressed me out during every move we've ever made, but we've managed each time to find a spot in the closet to cram it!

  • Reply Julia June 17, 2015 at 7:48 pm

    I workout (crossfit) six days a week and am always trying to find lovely activewear and struggle to minimize without having to do laundry multiple times a week. I've settled on black capri leggings as my main staple and tops that I can also wear for day-to-day stuff like work (I am a graduate research assistant in a lab so dress is very casual). I wear one shirt a day for both work and exercise which helps to minimize. Thanks for sharing the links, they will be helpful!

  • Reply Lynn June 18, 2015 at 6:10 pm

    The Outdoor Voices stuff is gorgeous. Their sports bras don't look functional, unless you do yoga, but I'm eyeing the leggings for sure. Has anyone tried them? Are they comfortable for running? (I don't go any further than 5 miles, FWIW.)

  • Reply Anonymous September 9, 2015 at 9:06 am

    I second the wool, it's particularly good for outdoors excersize when it's nippy outside as it warms your trunk and wicks the sweat away. My particular favourite brand is icebreaker, which lets you trace the wool back to the farm!

    My strategy for buying sports clothes has always been to check what I have at home and try that out first before I decide I really need something new, rigth now I own 1 pair of long sports pants, 1 pair of cropped tights and one skort, 3 tank tops, 1 wool T-shirt, 1 long sleeve top and 1 fleece. I also own a pair of trainers and a variety of socks. This works well for running, power hoop, pilates, yoga and ballet fitness as well as a base for a variety of other water and winter sports. I also own a whopping 3 sports bras, but that's because I'm well endowed and good, affordable bras are hard to find, so if I see a good offer, I snatch it up!

    As an example, and an add to the swimwear post: I own two bikinis, I tried one for a couple of weeks one summer, but I really hate the feeling of a wet swim suit, so I bought a second. Would I like a third? It would be nice on occation, but most of the time two is enough, so I'll stick with that.

    Mo

  • Reply Frances September 16, 2016 at 6:33 am

    Great post!
    After all these years I’ve finally admitted to myself I need to structure my wardrobe. Way back when I used to wear a lot of vintage clothes and dress up but now I do parkour and acroyoga it’s nigh on impossible to find a wardrobe of activewear that looks as good as daywear and that I can dress in for training as well as normal life, plus keeping out the cold and rain of England. Chic, practical activewear is a holy grail for me as well as trying to figure out what I actually need in a wardrobe!!
    This French company has some pretty cute t-shirts and sweatshirts though! : http://www.clubpetanque.com

  • Reply Aisha January 7, 2017 at 4:47 pm

    You should check out Girlfriend collective leggings 🙂

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