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- The line between barre clothes and bar clothes is becoming all the more blurry, and that's good news for ladies who want to be both comfortable and chic.
- The best athleisure brands for women make clothes that you'll actually want to wear all the livelong day.
- Our favorite is Sweaty Betty, though we're also fans of Girlfriend Collective, Vuori, ADAY, and Reebok.
It's not just you - the contents of your gym bag and your work bag are indeed becoming increasingly similar. You're not being lazy or resigning yourself to living in your workout tights. Rather, you've evolved to find a way to combine your morning exercise routine with your afternoon meeting schedule - at least, when it comes to your clothes. And it's all because of everyone's favorite portmanteau: athleisure.
No longer just a euphemism for "lazy dressing," athleisure may just be the best thing that's ever happened to women's fashion. Not only does it make it infinitely easier to get dressed in the morning when you're able to pull on an office-appropriate pair of tights and a sweatshirt-material-yet-impossibly-chic sweater, but it also makes it easier to go straight to the gym after work or vice versa. Really, athleisure is here to help us live our best lives, and we ought to be saying a major thank you.
When it comes to picking the best athleisure brands for your particular lifestyle, you'll want to keep a few things in mind. First and foremost, determine where your priorities lie. While most athleisure works in both a barre class and at the bar, you'll want to figure out where you're more likely to be spending more of your time. If it's the former, get athleisure that tends toward the "athlete" side of the spectrum. If it's the latter, rev up the leisure.
You'll also want to consider the range of styles available at various athleisure brands. While some folks specialize in tights, others offer a wider variety of both tops and bottoms. Depending on your needs, you may want to shop at different places.
You may also want to keep in mind the formality of your office. While some bosses will look upon your trendy cropped hoodie with great admiration, others may not be so understanding - and if you can't wear athleisure to the office, what's the point?
Finally, you'll want to consider the make and material of each piece you buy. After all, the differentiating factor between athleisure and everything else you own is its degree of comfort, so be sure that those slimming tights aren't so slimming that they're also constricting.
No matter which of our favorite athleisure brands you decide to shop at, we're confident that you'll be pleased.
Here are the best athleisure brands for women:
- Best athleisure brand overall: Sweaty Betty
- Best eco-friendly athleisure brand: Girlfriend Collective
- Best beachy athleisure brand: Vuori
- Best athleisure startup: ADAY
- Best traditional athleisure brand: Reebok
Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.
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Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Picks team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.