Embracing My Mom Style [and Bod] with Athleisure

I’ll be honest. I don’t like shopping. My Mom has always purchased most of my clothes [that I’ve paid her back for]. And I’m pretty sure I was sporting the yoga pants Mom-look since before I became a Mom. I’ve always been sporty, and since having kids the thought of styling the extra pounds from childbirth hasn’t exactly been top of mind. But then I heard about this term “athleisure” and I realized I too have a certain style or look I feel my best in. And that’s when Ted reminded me of all our recent credit card charges to Nordstrom’s [I blame it on their Zella active wear line]. If you don’t already know there’s someone in our family that’s my resident style guru; my sister-in-law Lorraine. I love seeing her outfit of the day posts on Instagram, which inspire me to step out of my box and perhaps wear a pair of wedges with my leggings. NOW then, I asked Lorraine to share a little more today about athleisure…. Because I know I’m not the only yoga-pant-loving-momma out there that wants to or likes to take it up a notch! Take it away Lorraine!

Hi, I’m Lorraine from Rain in Style, where I share my favorite style tips for busy, fashion-forward moms! I also I write a style column for Fredericksburg Parent. Katie is my friend, confidante and Athleisure enthusiast. So, naturally, when she asked me to write about Athleisure, I couldn’t say no. Despite not knowing what the heck Athlesiure was! I mean it’s like athlete and leisure put together, so it’s safe to say that it’s athletic attire worn when not being athletic. It’s funny, because as I type up this post, Athleisure isn’t even a recognized word. I’m not misspelling it, Microsoft Word, it’s legit, I promise.

Now, I’ll be honest, I don’t wear Athleisure. I have nothing against the style. It’s just always felt a little too sporty to me, and I am NOT sporty.  Like at all.   After doing some research I realized I was totally missing out. Except, I guess I wear tennis shoes when I’m doing my other job outside of being a full-time mom, a photographer. I can’t wear heels when I am knee deep in streams or hiding in bushes making families laugh and focus on the camera!

Guess what guys? I didn’t have to go far into my photo archives to realize that I HAVE done Athleisure.  I wore a pair of camo joggers to a beer and music festival recently.

And I do wear leggings, so that counts.  I know some people don’t dig leggings [Katie is a BIG fan as we all know], but, if done correctly, they can be amazingly comfortable AND stylish.

Speaking of leggings…. Katie recently sent me a pair of Zella leggings from Nordstrom and they are fantastic! I used them to create a few looks.

The jacket in the first image is by Blank NYC, it’s my absolute favorite. My white cold shoulder top is by Victoria Secret but I got it from ThredUP— my favorite online second-hand shop! My booties are Jessica Simpson and also came from ThredUP.  The olive vest came from TJMaxx last year.  Don’t worry about my lack of proper athleisure shoes. Keep reading to find out how I remedied that. It may or may not involve more shopping!

Making athleisure work when you’re not working out is pretty simple.  Here are some fashion-forward tips to keep in mind.

• Use pieces independently of each other. Meaning, if you have a workout set, break the pieces up to wear out and about.  Wear your top, but throw on joggers or skinny jeans instead of the matching workout pants.
• A lot of the sports bras these day, resemble crop tops, and if you want to rock that look, thinking about layering it under a motto style jacket, hoodie or long cardigan.
• Try mixing textures or textiles. Are your leggings a spandex material? Throw on a white t-shirt and denim jacket with chucks or sneakers and you are all set.
• Speaking of shoes….Don’t wear your beat up old sneakers out on the town. Save those for the gym.  Sneakers are great, but go for a fresh looking, clean pair, like Converse. I also snagged a pair of these fashion Adidas shoes that I just found on DSW.com. The perfect athleisure shoe.

• Say YES to jewelry or accessories. Try large earrings, a bracelet, long necklace or even sunglasses. The addition of jewelry brings your athleisure style to street attire and away from gym clothes.
• Avoid bright colors with crazy patterns. Those are fine for the gym, but reign it in a little if you are trying to be street appropriate.

Since I don’t own a ton of athleisure stuff (that’s a situation I need to remedy), I worked up this flat lay to show you how I would put together an athleisure inspired outfit.  Using many of the ideas above. An  you know what? I realized that I had a lot of these pieces already in my closet. Surprise! You know what else? I love this look so much, that I went out this morning and bought these exact Adidas shoes…if my husband asks, tell him I’ve always had them, lol… and now I can show you real life outfits based on the flat lay.

Do you love this look as much as I do?! Then here’s where you can find the pieces:

Jacket

Shirt

Leggings

Clutch

Shoes

Earrings

Bracelet

Thanks to Katie and many other athletic-style loving women I’ve found a new style that I get to play with and NOW people can’t tease me for not owning any sneakers.  Ha! Are you inspired to try this look? Do you already fancy athleisure but want to try stepping it up a little bit?  Let me know what you come up with, I’d love to see where your inspiration takes you. And don’t forget to head over to my blog and weekly column at Fredericksburg Parent to join me in my style adventures!