Athleta 2012 Holiday Preview!

Last Thursday the lovely ladies of Athleta kindly invited me to the Aspen Social Club in Midtown to take a sneak peak at what they have coming up in their stores for the fall and winter.  It's always exciting to get invited to these things, especially because all I really do is write a blog on whatever I feel like week to week.

Athleta is a clothing company designed for active women involved in any sport or activity, from yoga to running to surfing to skiing.  They're owned by the Gap and are committed to not only high performance technical fabric but to exploring the latest in eco-friendly fabric.  (My favorite example of the latter:  Java Capri) The clothing is designed and "road-tested" by female athletes and they have an unbeatable return policy - return it any time for any reason.

I really love Athleta's clothes, and especially given my half marathon coming up, I was so excited to see some of their new products and returning (and improved!) items as well.  A lot of it won't be hitting the shelves until October, which is good news because it gives me time to save up - and coincidentally, that half marathon is going to be in late October, right when the weather starts really shifting and I need to change my usual running wardrobe.

Another thing I like about Athleta, aside from their clothing's comfort, cuteness, and oft eco-friendliness is how often the clothing translates from the activity it's designed for (i.e. yoga) to every day life.  As a New Yorker, the clothing I leave the house in is usually the clothing I'll be in until I get in at night, which means I often need to balance the functionality of my clothing with looking like a "normal person" at night.  Athleta has clothes I can run around and get sweaty and silly with kids in, and then turn up to a friend's birthday party or a date with Marc and not look like just a yoga teacher.   In addition, they also do sell clothing specifically for looking like a "normal person."  Their dresses are great and so comfortable, which is a huge plus for me.

Best of all - they offer a HUGE discount to yoga teachers - 30%!!  Insane.  It makes the clothing actually affordable on a yoga teacher's budget.                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

For my "trouble" of coming to see their new winter looks they even gave me a free hoodie and healthy breakfast munchies!  How cool is that?

Finally, I wanted to share an article about Athleta and Lululemon that will be in BusinessWeek, hitting stands Friday.  The lovely author of it interviewed me for a yoga teacher's perspective on the similarities and differences between the two businesses, and she found me via - wouldn't you know it - this little blog.  I feel like I should buy my blog a drink or something for all it's been doing for me lately.


Hope everyone has a beautiful week!