Huge thanks to Nordstrom and ShopStyle for sponsoring this post
We’ve been talking about having a purposeful, well-built wardrobe, and today I want to help you create a strong foundation for your athleisure and activewear sections, and I’m partnering with Nordstrom and ShopStyle to do it! When I’m building a wardrobe, I almost always start by making sure I have the right bottoms in place, and Nordstrom has some of my very favorite bottoms for athleisure and activewear! Also, they are currently ON SALE, so I would encourage you to check them out now!
I’ve said it many times, Nordstrom carries some seriously comfortable clothes! The three bottoms I’m sharing about today have been some of my absolute favorites for a LONG time because they just feel so comfortable in terms of fit and material. Plus, I love Nordstrom’s customer service! You get free shipping and free return shipping on all orders so that you can order things and try them with peace of mind. You can also order online and utilize their in-store and curbside pickup. You can also earn points on your purchases towards Nordstrom Notes, get access to free alterations, and more if you’re part of the Nordy Club. It’s totally free to sign up! Learn all about it HERE.
Alright, let’s talk through some foundational bottoms for athleisure and activewear. Having these in your wardrobe will help you have what you need to make a lot of outfits this time of year!
SIZING : I’m 5’6″ and usually S/M or 6 in clothes and 8.5 to 9 in shoes.
1. Black Leggings
Obviously these are a huge staple for athleisure and activewear. You can work out in them with activewear tops and you can pair them with t-shirts and sweatshirts and denim jackets or utility jackets for athleisure. The keys to feeling comfortable and secure in leggings are finding a GOOD pair that are thick and not see-through and finding a pair that has a little compression to hold everything securely in place.
My favorite pair is the Live In Leggings by Zella, which I’ve talked about a million times before and are a PMT favorite. Until I owned this pair, I was incredibly leery of leggings. But this pair is thick, helps you feel secure thanks to the compression, and they’re also generally pretty flattering because of that compression. They also have a high, wide waistband that helps flatten out and hold in your midsection, and it also helps the legging stay up.
The standard pair is the full length pair, HERE, which comes in several colors and is currently ON SALE!!!! But I personally have been loving the 7/8 pair with pockets, HERE, simply because they have pockets to hold my phone! The pockets are pretty large and sit vertically under the hip as opposed to slanted and sticking out at the thighs, which I always find just adds unwanted bulk to my thighs. I much prefer the upright pockets! That keeps my phone more secure. (Also, see petite options HERE, and plus options HERE and HERE.) Both of these pairs are ON SALE and SOOOOO worth it at the sale price!
I’ve paired these leggings with all sorts of things in all different seasons. For winter, they’re great with a long sleeve activewear top and a black puffer jacket, like in the first set of pics above. You can also pair them with tees for athleisure and workout tanks for activewear.
BTW, I love the workout tank I’m wearing above. It’s soft and breathes well. It’s slightly cropped which goes well with high waisted leggings. It comes in 4 colors, which you can see HERE. I wear size S.
For long sleeve tees, there are so many options when it comes to leggings. This Cozy Turtleneck Training Top looks great, and the seams down the side help give it a little structure.
Also, these white sneakers freshen up your outfits with a streamline silhouette and two-toned soles. The material around the foot is a stretchy knit, so it’s really comfy and conforms to your foot! These are also ON SALE for under $47.40 and are available in 4 colors! Check them out HERE. I wear size 9.
Shop the Outfit:
Blue Sweatshirt: Nordstrom (exact—wearing size S)
Black Tank: Nordstrom (exact—wearing size S; similar, similar)
Red Sweatshirt: Nordstrom (exact—I wear size S; similar, similar)
Leggings: Nordstrom (exact—wearing size M)
Jacket: Nordstrom (similar, similar, similar)
White Sneakers: Nordstrom (exact—wearing size 9)
Black Sneakers: Nordstrom (similar)
Bag: Nordstrom (similar, similar)
Necklace: Nordstrom (exact)
2. Soft Leggings
Next up is this pair of suuuper SOFT leggings! While these don’t offer that different of a look than the standard black leggings above, I primarily switch to wearing these during this time of year because they are BUTTERY soft and cozier than a standard pair of leggings.
They have a sporty feel with ribbed cuffs on the legs and a ribbed waistband. They have really large pockets down the front. They don’t have a lot of compression like the Live In leggings I shared about above, so I don’t wear them for intense workouts because I prefer more support. Instead, I wear these for athleisure, lounging around the house, or for a light family walk around the neighborhood or to hang out at a park. Like I said, they are craaaazy soft and comfy! They come in several colors, and they’re all ON SALE, HERE. Plus sizing can be found HERE. I wear size S.
You can pair these leggings with a lot of different tops, from activewear tops to sporty sweatshirts and more. The tunic sweatshirt I’m wearing above is THICK, fuzzy, and very SOFT inside. Super warm and cozy!! Plus it has pockets! One note is that it does add bulk around the arms, so pass if you don’t want that. Otherwise, it’s awesome to have such a warm sweatshirt like this during this time of year. The color I’m wearing is now sold out, but other colors are available, which you can see HERE. I’m wearing size S here, but I would recommend sizing up one if you want a looser, swingier look.
Shop the Outfit:
Purple Sweatshirt: Nordstrom (exact—wearing size S)
Purple Tank: Nordstrom (similar, similar)
Leggings: Nordstrom (exact—wearing size S)
Olive Jacket: Nordstrom (similar, similar)
Black Sneakers: Nordstrom (similar)
Bag: Nordstrom (similar, similar)
3. Joggers
Last is a great pair of joggers! For all the love that leggings get, I think I personally love wearing joggers even more!
For a long time, it was hard for me to wear joggers without feeling like I was wearing pajamas or loungewear out of the house. 😂 I realized it’s because I was wearing joggers that are more like sweatpants. Eventually I found these joggers by Zella which were one of the PMT Top 10 Best Sellers in 2021! These feel really, REALLYYYY good, as the material is super smooth, really stretchy, and just all-around COMFY! Because they’re stretchy, they retain shape really well so the knees don’t get saggy for a few wears. 👏🏽 The material gives them more of a sporty vibe rather than a loungewear one, and that helps keep me from feeling like I’m wearing pajamas while I’m in them. I love the sporty vibe for athleisure! These are great with t-shirts and sweatshirts! They are currently available in 3 colors, and they’re also ON SALEEEE, HERE. Also in plus sizing HERE. I wear size S. These are another item that are MORE THAN worth it at the sale price!
Also, this sweatshirt is one of my favorites! It’s the opposite of the thick tunic sweatshirt above. This is a sporty activewear sweatshirt that is on the thinner side, not fuzzy inside, and great for throwing on after a workout. But, it’s really versatile, so you can also wear it with leggings, joggers, and jeans. (See it styled with jeans and cool sneakers, HERE.) It has a really, really good drape, which is one reason I love it. It also has a hi-low hem which gives the sweatshirt some movement and style. It comes in 7 colors, HERE. This is also ON SALE! I wear size S.
Shop the Outfit:
Black Sweatshirt: Nordstrom (exact—wearing size S)
Yellow T-shirt: Nordstrom (similar, similar)
Joggers: Nordstrom (exact—wearing size S)
Denim Jacket: Nordstrom (exact—wearing size M in Sweet; similar)
Black Sneakers: Nordstrom (similar)
White Slip-On Sneakers: Nordstrom (similar)
Cognac Tote: Nordstrom (exact)
Cognac Reversible Tote: (exact in different color)
Those are three of my foundational bottoms for athleisure and activewear this time of year! All three of these bottoms are incredibly versatile and help you create a lot of outfits!
More Great Activewear & Athleisure On Sale
There are soooo many well-reviewed favorites that are currently on sale! I rounded up some below, so click through the widget below to check them out and shop!
Get a strategic plan to build a versatile winter starter kit wardrobe and learn to put it all together. You’ll be able to make 30+ outfits from just 15 pieces and do it while saving yourself time, money, and overwhelm! Check it out HERE.
