My first order from Fabletics. I’m not sure this really fits the “subscription box” model, since you choose what you want, but it is cool enough so I figured, why not review it!
Fabletics is a sister site to JustFab.com, and is partially run by Kate Hudson. At the beginning of the month, a handful of gym outfits are chosen for you. You can choose one of your recommended outfits, choose a different outfit from the overall collection, or skip the month. I’ve belonged to JustFab since the beginning, so I’ve kept an eye on this site since its launch last year. I hadn’t joined before, because I haven’t found all the gym wear to be universally flattering.
Here is my rant. Everyone has heard Chip Wilson’s fat shaming comments and he has paid a pretty high price. As he should. He’s a jerk. However, lost in all of the politically incorrect statements was this fact: He. Is. Right. Most clothing at Lululemon is not meant for me. And that has nothing to do with my weight. If I am a size 0 or a size 14, there isn’t one bottom piece in Luluemon’s current line that would look good on my figure, which is pearish/appleish. If you have hips, Lululemon makes them look even more prominent. So I can wear something that is trendy and comfortable, with the knowledge that it isn’t flattering, and in the long run, feel bad about myself. Or I skip the brand altogether. Lululemon isn’t the only high end fitness wear company for women that isn’t interested in creating cute workout wear for women of different sizes, but they sure did get all the heat. End of rant.
As a result, I skip most cute workout wear. But I do keep an eye on Fabletics every month to see if there is something that is a little looser around the hips. In May, I saw this outfit:
This outfit is called “Courageous”. I can’t find it on their site anymore, so maybe it sold out. But all of Fabletics “outfits” seem to be nothing more than different combinations of bottoms, tops, and bras. I did like that the pants had a more relaxed fit. Also, they have pockets. I must have pockets when I work out. I keep track of what I’m doing on various phone apps, so I am constantly pulling out my phone and putting it back in my pockets. I got to choose from several different colors, but since I lack creativity and vision, I chose the defaults seen in the picture. I was in between 2 sizes, and I went up to the larger size. I rather my workout clothing be too loose and not restrict my motions than too tight. And I’m no longer buying into the BS that maybe I’ll drop 8-10 pounds and go down to the smaller size. I have a closet full of clothes waiting for me to lose weight.
After paying $39.96 (a discount from $49.95 for my first month), this package arrived within a week. I will review each piece and how they performed while I wore them for a workout. My chosen workout for this outfit was some lower body weight training; about 35-40 minutes of moderate intensity weight lifting focusing on my quads, hams, calves, and a little bit of core work.
Contents: 3 individually wrapped clothing items and a John Frieda shampoo/conditioner sample. These little samples are great when I travel on business. Into my travel sample bin they go!
Let’s start with the pants, since it was the reason I bought the outfit.
Fit All the pictures showed the cuffs tight, but there is actually a drawstring to keep these loose. I absolutely love this. I don’t have any capris that are loose around my calves. It was appreciated while I was doing some calf raises. Elastic around my calves doesn’t restrict my movement, but I am aware that it is there. These were actually a little tighter in the crotch than I expected. Not uncomfortably so, but I was very glad I didn’t order the smaller size. The pocket was big enough to hold my phone, and the zipper was placed far enough to the front of my hip so not to add any additional wideness. The lack of lining put my panty-line on display for all. Thank goodness the shirt in this outfit was very long.
Performance These pants are very light. They have no lining. A very good spring/summer pant. The material is a little slick, however. I found it very slippery around the 20 minute mark of my workout, when I was sweating pretty freely. I don’t think I’d like to wear these while doing cardio. I also found that the pocket tightened up as the pants got a little wet, so pulling my phone in and out was a little more challenging. If I forgot to lock my screen, the pocket was tight enough to switch apps on the phone. All in all, I think these pants will be fine for a lower intensity workout. Anything more intense than what I did today, I’d like a more technical fabric.
The bra
Fit When I first opened this, I was extremely skeptical. The pictures on the website showed a cute crisscross of the straps, but I must have not looked at the back view of the model, as I didn’t realize one of the straps was a halter style around the back of your neck. I always find halter bikini tops uncomfortable, so I was nervous. It actually fit so well and was so comfortable that I wasn’t even aware of the strap until I wiped some sweat off the back of my neck and felt it.
Performance Support was better than I expected. I didn’t do much bouncing around, so support was not fully tested. Like the pants, I wouldn’t wear this bra for a heavy cardio session. It’s a blend of synthetic materials, but only a single layer wouldn’t wick away sweat and it would get uncomfortable quick.
The top
Fit This absolutely is a piece I should have gone down a size in. It’s enormous on me. The arm openings are so long on this that they dip way below the bottom of my bra (the pictures on the model made it look like perhaps an inch). The gym got a good view of 2-3″ below the bottom of my bra of my pasty white, untoned midsection. The length was great! I love longer tops, and I don’t feel like there are enough options for longer tops for the gym. And finally, the color was a little off. As you can see in the picture, it’s much more heather gray. I love the color, but it doesn’t work with the bra as well as the picture of the model. I would have gone with a different bra color.
Performance Super loose and did not restrict my movements at all. I think the shirt is the best piece of the outfit for the way I workout. It’s a shame that it didn’t fit me better. But I think this will be my go to shirt when I’m doing exercises such as shoulder presses. It’s hard for me to find a sleeveless shirt that doesn’t feel tight around my shoulders and doesn’t lift to show my awesomely non-six pack belly when I lift my arms over my head.
Overall verdict: I am pretty happy with my first outfit. It made me feel cute while working out, which is always a great inspiration. I’m very picky about the performance of my clothing while working out and find that I often just default to a technical running shirt and a really baggy pair of men’s basketball shorts. Super sexy. I’m glad I have options and hope that Fabletics offers additional designs for girls with curves.
Bored in Michigan 