I have a love/hate relationship with “athleisure” wear. Mainly because I feel like some of it is cute, but some of it is absolutely ridiculous. Plus it’s fostered this weird culture where people wear athletic clothing to places where it’s just not appropriate. Anyway, the area is a weird indulgence of mine and the longer I telecommute for work, the more I start to feel inclined to wearing these things. But there are still plenty of things to laugh at. Each day of the holiday season I will reveal something I’ve found that either tempts me or confuses me!

1. Z by Zella Precision Long Sleeve Pullover
Today I am cold, so I found something snuggly and warm looking. And it has pockets, since most of us carry a device around all the time these days. It comes in 5 colors and it is on sale at Nordstrom Rack for $29.97.

2. Old Navy Go-Dry Reflective Running Shorts for Women
It’s not shorts weather, but these shorts have cool reflective properties all over! Plus they’re pretty cheap – $9.97 – so you could buy them and hang on to them until weather permits. I did.

Just a note: in my mind, these fall right smack in the “athletic wear” category and are not skirting the “leisure” line at all. You can wear them inside Starbucks if you go there right after a run. But it seems a bit weird to wear them to go to the dentist or take your car to the shop. #justsayin

3. Athleta Flurry Base Layer Turtleneck
So I saw this turtleneck online and the lines were doing crazy things to my eyes. So I clicked on it and the lines did new crazy things, some not really appropriate on a female anatomy. I’m sure it’s fine in person, but on computer screens (and probably on camera) it might be a little wacky.

4. Asics Printed Capri & Tank
Separately, maybe I’d be able to accept these pieces. But all together? It’s a wee bit matchy-matchy…

5. Kuhl Mova pants
These are pants I could totally see myself wearing for work (I telecommute) each day. Plus they would work for sitting around watching Netflix. And I could see myself wearing them for a calm yoga practice or for some strength training. So I’m going to give these an A+ for athleisure. They’re going on my list!

6. Athleta Criss Cross Dress
This is called a dress, but it’s really meant to be a long shirt with leggings. I assume… But something about this looks so cozy and comfy to me, it totally fits the leisure requirement. With the right leggings, it could look totally appropriate to go out running errands. I’m not sure what athletic endeavor you’d do in this, other than wearing it to/fro a studio class.

7. Prana Annexi Pant
These pants have the potential to be really comfy but also looked somewhat pulled together. They also don’t seem to have the potential to be used in much sport activity, but they do have stretch so you can supposedly do yoga in them!

8. Zobha Jagger Hoodie with Mesh Panels
This hoodie probably doesn’t make sense for a lot of areas where it’s pretty cold, but I think it’s pretty awesome for most winter running days here in Vegas. Sometimes it’s just a bit warm with a long sleeve top on, but it’s also a wee bit cold when starting. This might be the right mix for those weather days. I’m probably never going to wear this around casually though… The mesh panel trend seems really strange when going about daily life to me. And if you don’t have the hood on, it’s probably covering up a bunch of that mesh ventilation… maybe it doesn’t make sense!

9. Athleta Metro Slouch pant
I love these pants, I have two pairs! The bottoms can be cinched in or left straight leg. I have worn these on airplanes, to a conference, for lounging around at home and to do yoga/barre. Just change up the top/accessories and the look changes. They’re really versatile pants.

10. Ivy Park Stripe Mesh Crop Top
For the athlete who says, “Ugh, my middrift gets SO HOT but my arms are cold. But not cold enough for complete coverage, just kind of meshy coverage. Now I’m just right.” Or the person who isn’t really working out but wants to wear some kind of top to stand around and be looked upon. Otherwise, I’m not sure who this is for. It’s from Beyonce’s line, so that’s a whole different realm than most of us mortals.

11. Z by Zella Frost Tech Pullover
I like a good pullover for winter running. (Or fall, if you live somewhere with a cool fall and a truly cold winter!) You can zip it up far and then pull the zipper down for some ventilation as you warm up. This one as thumbholes and a slightly longer back to cover the rear. And yeah, I’d probably wear this for a run or for weekend errands with a pair of jeans.

12. Old Navy Go-Dry Cool Herringbone Compression Jacket
Does a jacket really need to be “compression”? If someone wanted to wear this over something other than a fitted tank, sounds like ordering up a size is in order. But Old Navy has been doing some fun things with their activewear the past couple of years. This looks like a nice jacket. Kind of wish I’d spotted it when I placed my order earlier…

13. Lorna Jane Sash Bra
Why are there so many straps? This is a trend I just don’t understand. Especially the higher up straps across the chest. I kind of get a strappy back with the keyhole/cutout tops. It’s decorative, fun, whatever. But I don’t understanding adding more criss-crossy straps across the chest. Also, a sports bra can be pretty difficult to get on/off, especially when it’s saturated with sweat. This could be annoying.

14. Adriana Degreas Running Shorts
Running shorts. HA HA HA HA HA!
*inhale*
HA HA HA HA HA!
The upside, they are on sale for $50 when they used to be $380. They are all out of size S. (aw man… and Huh? Somebody bought these? Surely not for running.) But these are just weird.

15. Skirt Sports Toasty Cheeks skirt
This is a skirt designed to ‘keep your buns toasty’. So I guess you’re supposed to wear it in the winter… probably over some tights or leggings. But it does seem like a style that you could wear for sport or for casual. They also have a knee length version available.

16. Janji Laguna Tee
I would totally wear this for workouts around home or in the summer months. But the best thing about Janji is their mission and how they give a portion of the sale to fund clean water initiatives. Purchasing this shirt gives one year of clean water to a person in Guatemala.

17. Bombas socks
I love my Bombas socks for running. They’re comfy, they last and they come in fun colors. But the real reason to love Bombas is far beyond that… for every pair of socks they sell, they give a pair of socks to someone in need. And they give good quality socks with features to make them last. I really respect that mission.

18. Danskin Now Women’s Active Varsity Leggings
These pants have old school knee socks built into them, except they’re not really socks. So you can wear your regular socks if you have a preference there. They’re silly, but they’re only $11 from Walmart and they make me smile. I highly doubt I would wear them anywhere other than a 5K, but they’re still fun.
<a href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/Danskin-Now-Women-s-Active-Legging-with-Atheletic-Sock/52230744&quot;

19. PattyBoutik Hoodie Maxi Dress
Guys… this is a maxi dress with sweatshirt styling. This may be one of the best athleisure combos I’ve seen… I mean, you’re never going to use this for sport (I think?) but it’s a fabulous combo of a sport-ish style and a casual dress. I’m oddly tempted by this. Does she have heels on?

20. Mission Statement Sassy Pants
These are from Hillary Swank’s new athleisure line, Mission Statement. They have a lot of things that are cute, some that are meh and everything to make you question “Who has $650 to throw around on a pair of fancy sweatpants?!” I realize celebrities have so much money they just have to buy ridiculously overpriced things just to spend it all (Sigh…) but wow. I’m truly astonished at the prices here. These are “masterfully created” in Italy with real “Nappa leather” – so they’re perfect to get your sweat on.

22. ASICS Sarouel Pants
These pants seem strange to me. The calves seem tighter than they should be based on all the pleating happening at the top. But according to reviewers they are great for “running/jogging” and for “farmers markets” so they evidently cover the range of activities? One person even said they are so comfy “I just can’t even function.” So if you need to be functional, these are not the pants for you.

23. Happy Puppies Iggy Skirt with Bermuda Shorts
I had to throw this brand in here. I’ve seen their ads in Runners World and they always make me smile. They feature a diverse looking group of women, they all look genuinely happy, they have clothing in all different lengths (some people don’t like shorty shorts) and they like to include pockets. Seems like an admirable company to me!

24. Stella McCartney Racing Stripe Track Pants
For the final day of this, I decided to go with something silly… because that’s really what brought me into this whole athleisure obsession. The silly way designers say they’ve made a crossover piece, but really are missing some aspect of reality. And this track suit fits the bill! One, it’s NOT something you would wear to do any kind of track work. Two, it’s dry clean only. And three, the pants alone were sold for over $1000. (On sale now for around $500 though. Pick up 2 or 3 pairs!)