What's good/bad to order from Athleta?

[Twins2000]

I'm itching to order some bottoms/camis, but would first like to hear from those of you that have already tried some of their clothing. For bottoms, I'd be ordering in petite (I'm 4'11''.) I'm not sure if the tops would work for me since none of them come in petite.

So, what have you all ordered that you liked/disliked? TIA!


Leslie

[JenaW]

I really like Athleta and have not been disappointed in anything I have ordered from them. But I have only bought stuff from the sale page, and only when I had additional discounts (the Gap Give and Get is my favorite). I usually stalk the web site until I find a code and then place a huge order (and use a lot of TUMS to calm my heart burn from the resulting Gap card bill). The nice thing is the order usually results in a few Gap rewards dollars to use on my next purchase!

This is probably my all time favorite top.
http://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=49982&vid=1&pid=710097
And during this post I just saw that the matching pants are back in stock. Hmmmm..... I used this on the plane to/from our cruise last week, have worn it outside running, wear it around town with one of the fleece lined camis (see below) and a vest and jeans. It is really cute and versatile and a nice alternative to a solid fleece or sweatshirt.

These pants are SO awesome for lounging around at home in the current cold weather. (I'm wearing them right now, in fact!) They are lightly fleece lined and so comfy. I bought them for snow shoeing, but we haven't made it out yet. Although I have used them to run in outside (from about 18-44 degrees) and they worked great for that. if they had more colors, I'd get a pair in every one.
http://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=50000&vid=1&pid=709855

Along the same lines, I also splurged and got several of these and I am living in them this winter.
http://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=49974&vid=1&pid=709969
They too are lightly fleece lined AND have a full underwire bra (the new ones are wireless....can NOT wait to get my hands on those). They are such an awesome base layer, both for outdoor winter activities, and simply for lounging around the house on cold days. I haven't worn a real bra (other then for work related activities, our caribbean vacation, and a few other dressier occasions) in over a month because I am putting one of these on every day. The white is thick enough that you can wear it alone and its not see through, but they also work great underneath tees and sweaters.

I bought one of these last summer, and although I have never been brave enough to actually use it outdoors, I do use it a lot when I work out at home. It is just a tad short (I even got the tall) for my modest tastes, but it is very cute and comfortable.
http://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=50008&vid=1&pid=689080

These bra cup tops are fun for working out if you need chest support. They are just like the winter ones above without the fleece. I wore this one for two of my triathlons this past summer. They worked really well to swim in, and then do the bike and run afterward. They dry fairly fast, and are comfy when wet. There is a bit more lining/padding than necessary in the bra cups (come on, do 36DDs really need MORE padding). But it actually worked well during my races to keep me cool, since that part stayed wet a tiny bit longer than the rest of the top. I also had to drop down a size. I think I wear the 38Cs in these tops (as well as the fleece ones). But they work really well.
http://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=49974&vid=1&pid=683790

I bought this for our cruise and was happy with it.
http://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=49939&vid=1&pid=706659
I felt covered enough, but was also able to easily nurse in it when necessary. I loved the support too, for my 36DD's!

I bought these for the cruise too.
http://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=50010&vid=1&pid=694964
They were "dressy" enough that they worked with some of my more casual sundresses for dinner, as well as with the whatever skorts and shorts. They also worked to go to the pool because they are a rubbery material so they can get wet. I did get a blister on one foot from them and the thong piece seemed a bit far back from the top of the shoe, but after I wore them a few times, they felt fine.

I have two pairs of these in the sale colors. They are a tiny bit higher waisted than I would have liked (only because I like my poochy, post-5-baby belly to hang OVER the waistband, not be scrunched in by it), but otherwise super comfy and very cozy and warm. They can be casual with my keen maryjanes and a tee, but I also got away with dressing them up with heeled boots, a turtleneck sweater, and some jewelry for SAturday evening mass at Church too.
http://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=50000&vid=1&pid=720941

I have the whenever cord skirt in the purple color and wear it with my grey suede Target boots and a black tneck sweater, with a purple/blue scarf. It's a fun alternative to pants and I have gotten several compliments when I wear it.
http://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=50006&vid=1&pid=708526

I also have the summer version of tit - the whatever skort
http://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=683764
I bought some of the clearance summer colors (a brick red and a blue) several months ago and lived in both on our recent cruise. I can't wait until the summer so I can wear them again, and now that they have a purple one, I just added that to my list of items to stalk until a sale/another coupon!

They have shorts made of the same fabric in several lengths-
http://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=50008&vid=1&pid=692617 I tried both the 9 and 12 inch ones and ended up keeping the 12 in. I am a 5ft7in so I felt more comfortable in the longer ones since more of my thighs are covered. I try to dress somewhat modestly, and my inner thighs have "bruise stains" from 5 pregnancies of heparin shots. I wore these on our cruise too. They packed great (no wrinkles), moved well when chasing after the kids, felt great on. I wore the black pair when we did a bath/cavern tour in the British Virgin Islands. They worked well for climbing over huge boulders and did awesome when they got wet too! Oe piece of caution with these, I had to go up a size to accommodate my hips. I wear a M or 10 in all their other bottoms, but needed a 12 in these. It did make then a teeny bit loose in the waist, and it may be just that my hips/thighs are wider in proportion to my waist, but they larger size felt more comfortable. BTW, returns/exchanges are so easy. Anytime. No shipping. I do it over the phone because they can send out your new order before you send the old one back. Things go in and out of stock randomly, so keep checking back if there is something you want (especially in the sale items) that is not available in your size.

ok. Sorry to be so long winded. But hey, you asked!

[Twoboos]

Jera, you're killing me. I want to spend about $500 at Athleta right now!! You're great marketing for them! :)

[army_mom]

Jera, you're killing me. I want to spend about $500 at Athleta right now!! You're great marketing for them!

:yeahthat:

I have about $500 in my cart for items that I like. They have such great looking clothes for active lifestyles! I am still waiting to get home and try their clothes on and see how the sizing runs (and I have had very good self control (with ebates being 20%!!) in not ordering until I can verify what size I would wear!) But now that you mentioned the easy, no cost return policy....:wink2:

Sorry, not much of a help for what works well but I am excited to try mine out! I'll let you know.

Do their sizes run true to size? I normally wear between a 10 or 12 depending on brand. Not sure if a M would work or if a L would be too big!
7 more days til I am home to try them on!

[Twins2000]

Thanks for your great list Jera! I can see how much you like Athleta's clothes! I'll be taking a closer look at their website and probably be placing my order tonight. I loved the Everywhere Skort, but I wish they offered it in petite sizes. At 4'11'', I'm sure it would be too long for me.

I'll let you know what I order!

Leslie