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If you told me I’d be hiking in a dress—under any circumstances—I would’ve laughed in your face.
I wear dresses from time to time, sure. Though significantly less so since I started working from home 2.5 years ago.
But a dress to work out? Never.
Well, not until I got The Exercise Dress from Outdoor Voices.
I was influenced by a handful of 20-somethings I work with who swore up and down it was the best article of clothing ever created. After seeing them show up Zoom after Zoom looking cute and bonding over this damn dress, I was feeling left out and bought one. And then I immediately bought two more.
I still didn’t think I would work out in it, but hot damn, the dress fit so well and was so flattering (if I do say so myself). I never wanted to take it off. I wore it to Trader Joe’s and to run errands. I wore it to the park to meet a friend. A nice, comfy, casual dress—that’s all.
Then one day I went to run (ahem, walk slowly) the stairs at Red Rocks. I was already wearing The Dress, so I figured I’d give it a chance to do what it’s named after.
Here’s a very quick performance review:
- Pro: The built-in shorts underneath the dress have a side pocket, which perfectly held my car key and phone (for music). More than I can say for most of my yoga pants.
- Con: It shows (boob) sweat (and probably other sweat). And nipples. I wasn’t wearing a sports bar since it’s tight and supportive up top. Soon enough, the boob sweat started collecting. And shortly after, the nips started showing. I was slightly mortified that I’d forgotten this crucial fact when I excitedly went to exercise outside in The Exercise Dress. But I forged on and avoided eye contact with anyone.
- Pro/Con: For single ladies, it certainly attracts attention. Could be the fact you’re wearing a dress to exercise. Could be the nipples.
Since then, I’ve also gone hiking in The Exercise Dress, as evidenced by all these photos. Seven chafe-free miles thanks to the built-in shorts that stay put and fully cover the high-impact thigh-rub zone. That day in Rocky Mountain National Park wasn’t too hot, so the boob sweat was at a minimum, and, well, nipples are natural after all.
I wear the dress(es) around the house and certainly around town. You can dress it up with cute sneaks, sweaters, a denim jacket, etc. It really is beyond comfortable and very flattering on many body types (as evidenced by the coworkers who are all different shapes and sizes and equally adore The Exercise Dress). It really makes me feel great when I’m wearing it. And when I’m feeling really great, I’ll exercise in it, too.
Sizing side note: I own three (white, black, and teal) in medium, and they all fit slightly different. White is definitely my favorite. Black is a bit bigger around the skirt area (top fits the same, perfectly snug but not too tight). Teal is even baggier around the bottom, and I feel like it flares out a bit too much. I’m 5’6″ and what we nowadays call an “athletic build.” Ladies: email me and I’ll tell you how much I weigh if you really want to compare body styles and sizes. I gotchu.
