aside from being elated to join the studio barre family on principle (#dreamscomingtrue), one of the first things i thought about when i was officially accepted as a “barre tender” (how cute is that play on words?) was, “omg, this means i can get a whole new workout wardrobe!” because it’s always, always about the clothes, people.
but i knew i didn’t want to just be another walking advertisement for lululemon. i love many of their products and really appreciate their incorporation of nearly every shade on the pantone color wheel, but living in north county, lulu tanks are a dime a dozen. and much like in my non-workout wardrobe life, i appreciate a little originality. so at the risk of not showing up to class and being twinnies with one of my clients, i commissioned one of my friends who owns a studio in montana to recommend her favorite brands so i could begin to build a working (out) wardrobe and develop a “barre style” all my own.
so with her fabulous suggestions, here are my favorite new additions to my barre wardrobe (and a few i hope to incorporate soon). something tells me my workout wardrobe is going to rival my work one, but now that i think of it, they are both work wardrobes now…
turbans:
so apparently i’m a headband/turban girl now. i’ve always thought they looked so cute on other people, but never quite had the confidence to don them myself. mostly because i have a generous forehead and headbands tend to accentuate that. but then i stumbled upon the collection above and in seeing how stylish they were, i asked myself to reconsider my whole “no turban” policy. maybe i finally grew into my forehead, or these headbands are just so cute i don’t notice it anymore. either way, i’m totally a turban convert. and these are the three favorites from my collection currently on rotation:
one || bella super-wide head wrap (urban outfitters). this one is so light-weight, you kind of forget you’re wearing it. because urban outfitters doesn’t necessarily scream “fitness wear”, it’s probably not as equipped to handle the forehead sweat as, say, the lululemon version, but toss it in a delicates bag in your next load of laundry, and she’ll come out as good as new. plus, it would double as a great hair-saver on your next visit to the beach or pool.
two || bang buster reversible headband (lululemon). the most traditional work-out headband of the bunch. whatever the means. the best thing about this baby is that it is reversible. so more bang for your buck! mine is navy & white stripes on one side and solid black on the other, making it crazy versatile for any workout outfit.
three || chellah turban (anthropologie). this is what i would refer to as my “fancy” turban. the one i would probably wear with a gauzy dress and ankle booties on my way to some open air festival. if i was cool enough to go to said event. so instead, i’m choosing to pair this with some flashy yoga leggings and one of my tried and true cool razor bank tanks (more on those in a minute). because accessorizing shouldn’t be limited to just outside of the lycra realm.
tanks:
i have two requirements for my workout tanks -one) that they are long enough to cover my bootay and two) that they are in a good lycra/sweat-friendly material. i can’t even with cotton, you guys. you might as well wrap me in a wash cloth for how much those retain water.
one || cool razorback (lululemon). you can’t really go wrong with a staple. coming in a zillion and half colors, lululemon’s signature CRB is a must-have for any barrista’s wardrobe. i think my favorite aspect is its extra long length, perfect for long torsos and for covering your milkshake to keep those boys coming to the yard.
two || 105 f singlet (lululemon). some days you decide to have a chipotle burrito for lunch and the last thing you want is a body-hugging tank emphasizing what others might deem is a tiny weedle baby bump. enter the 105f singlet tank, also from our favorite canadian-based chain. its drapey silhouette makes it perfect for concealing any burrito babies, while still giving you a cute shape. i personally love the scallop detailing along the hem line and the fact that it comes in a variety of pastel hues (i have the lavender & grey striped one).
three || sprint v-neck tank (splits59). i can’t speak from experience on this last pick. but i am in love with its asymmetrical back detailing. i’m usually not one to show too much skin, but this tank doesn’t expose too much to make me uncomfortable. i love the idea of pairing it with a patterned sports bra for a little pizzazz.
leggings/pants:
i’ve always had a long-standing love/hate relationship with pants. yes, the entire pants population. except overalls, never seemed to have an issue with those (as evidenced by my 7th grade wardrobe). but anyway, something about the ratio of my waist to my hip bones always made shopping for pants a frustrating endeavor. so thankfully leggings fit a little differently than the traditional trouser. basically they are a thicker version of tights. and in some case, they are just as see-through (looking at you, lulu). being a long-time loyal wonder under wearer, i recently ventured outside of the lulu bubble and i’m liking life out from beneath the dome.
one || tendu grip performance stirrup pant (splits59). i wore many a stirrup-leggings in my day. and while i thought they died a slow death in the early 90’s, apparently they are still alive and well in the fitness world. i’m not complaining, i usually wear my pant legs over my heels anyway, so this is really just being more efficient. plus the part of these particular pants that slips over the arch and heel of the foot is actually covered in the little grippy bumps that barre socks come with, so again, efficiency. plus, who doesn’t need an obnoxiously loud red pair of pants in their wardrobe? precisely.
two || goddess ribbed legging (alo). so these come highly recommended by my friend in montana. she claims she’s “obsessed” with them and after reading the customer reviews on nordstrom’s site, i can see why. i’d probably opt for the black on black version, mostly because i’m a little nervous i couldn’t pull off the two-toned combo. bottom line is that they’re supposed to make your legs look super slender and about a mile long, so if they do that, i don’t care what color they are, sign me up.
three || paisley chaturanga tight (athleta). you’ve already heard me talk about my love for chaturanga tights, so i needn’t convince you further with reasons why these particular pair of leggings belong in your wardrobe. but how cute are these paisley printed ones? i love a pattern that reads almost like a solid. come to think of it, i love a pattern that reads like a pattern, too.
socks
you know that saying, “you’re never fully dressed without a smile?” well, in barre class, you’re never fully dressed without your… grippy socks. otherwise, it’s a whole lotta slippin’ and slidin’, y’all. i own about 12305823905682903 pairs of grippy socks. i keep them in the center consul of my car, so #klassy. these babies come pretty standard, usually with the logo of your individual studio’s name branded on the bottom. but i’ve managed to find a couple brands that bring a little sass to the grippy-sock game.
one || selah ebony socks (tavi noir). i mean, they have a ruffle. so of course i had to own them. i’ve always been a sucker for bobby-sox, too. maybe it’s my years as a softball savant (kidding, obviously), but i love me a high knee-sock. also cher horowitz wore them and i’ve always based my fashion choices off of her, too. as if. anyway, these specialty socks are made by one of my fellow studio barre instructors. warning- they are a little snug in the calf region (as if i didn’t already have a calf-complex), but if you wear them a little bunched, they’re perfect. they come in a few different styles in both black and grey.
two || exersocks (crescent moon). these were the standard grippy socks i spoke of above. they have a shelf-life of about three months (depending on how often you attend class), which is why i have an absurd number of pairs -those grippers don’t hold up too well in the wash (prolong their shelf-life by washing them inside out). but at about $10 per pair, it’s not too big of an investment.
three || half toe scrunch knee high grip socks (toesox). so personally, i’m not a fan of the toesox brand. mostly because it is WEIRD having fabric individually sausaging your little piggies (see what i did there?). and accordingly, it takes about and hour and a half to get into them (don’t even get me started on that pinkie toe). so for those reasons, i probably won’t ever add another pair to my collection, but many of my fellow tuckers swear by them so to each their own, right? plus, i do love the fact that they come in fun striped patterns like the ones above. it kind of reminds me of the legs of some sort of dr. seuss character. which is never a bad thing if you ask me.
so there you have it -my ideal workout wardrobe from h to t (head to toe, for those not well-versed in america’s next top model lingo). who knows, maybe once i finally get to teaching real live humans unsupervised, i’ll start to post the occasional #dailyoutfit barre edition. if that happens, one thing’s for sure: there will be a lot of turbans. consider yourself forewarned.
p.s. how cool are these collages i made all by myself in picmonkey? shout out to nat for the suggestion!
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