OOTD: 80’s Inspired Athleisure

For years I avoided the whole leggings and athleisure trend. I just didn’t think of leggings as “bottoms.” However, I’m happy to say that even though I’m well into my thirties I continue to evolve. So much so that for me, leggings are now a weekend and travel staple. You’re probably wondering what it was that finally made me eat my words and jump on the bandwagon. In one word, airplanes.
Over the last few years I’ve spent a good chunk of time flying back and forth, and here and there. Airplanes are notorious for being cramped and uncomfortable, and as far as I’m concerned, they are cold too. I’ve always made efforts to dress comfortably for flights, but I found that no matter what I wore, I never truly was. One day while browsing around online I came across a sale on Old Navy. They had leggings for cheap, ten to fifteen dollars a pair. And they all had these great customer ratings. After going back and forth for a while, I decided to pick up a couple of pairs. At that price what did I have to lose?

The Leggings

The leggings arrived, I tried them on for fit and tucked them away in my drawer. When it was time for my next flight I decided to break them out and give them a try. I was a tad bit hesitant as I was flying into Baltimore in March and thought there was a strong possibility I’d freeze my tush off, but I went with them anyway.

The leggings were not only comfortable, but I also found them to be surprisingly warm. This was a major bonus as I ended up wearing that same pair of leggings for about 48 hours while I waited for my misplaced luggage to make its way to me. But not only were the leggings warm and comfortable, more importantly I looked cute wearing them! Since that time I’ve added a few more pairs of leggings from Express and Old Navy to my wardrobe. While black is my go to color I have a couple of different lengths and some varying weights in fabrics for the different seasons.

My leggings aren’t only reserved for travel. When I need to go out quickly to run errands on a Saturday morning and I’d really rather not change out of my PJs, I reach for a pair of leggings and toss on a tunic.

The Sweatshirt Tunic

Today’s look was created by coupling a pair of my favorite leggings from Express with this tunic length sweatshirt, also from Express. I know! You’re shocked right?!

I’m an 80s baby! That means fashions that are reminiscent of the 80s and 90s hold a special place in my heart and bring back some great memories. When I saw this sweatshirt it immediately took me back to the days of spandex leggings, oversized off the shoulder sweatshirts and leg warmers. I initially saw this sweatshirt in the bright peacock blue. While I thought it was adorable, I also thought, “It’d be great if this came in white.” A quick search of the website revealed that it in fact did.

This sweatshirt does not disappoint! The material is super soft and I find that it is heavy enough to keep me warm on cooler days without being too much. The oversized fit of the tunic worried me at first. On my small frame oversized items can sometimes look sloppy, but I found the fit to be spot on as well. When I asked bae his thoughts on my new sweatshirt he said it was very 80s/90s retro. I immediately thought, “Mission accomplished!” I just love this combo together!

• White Express One Eleven Logo Tunic Sweatshirt
• Red Express One Eleven Logo Sweatshirt Tunic
• Peacock Blue Express One Eleven Logo Sweatshirt Tunic
• Blue Express One Eleven Logo Sweatshirt Tunic

Years ago I never would have thought I’d be out and about in leggings and a sweatshirt. But that just goes to show you two things. Number one, never say never, even when it comes to fashion. Number two, when it comes to fashion and looking good it all boils down to feeling good and tapping into your personal style to find the pieces that are just right for you. Whenever you do that, you can never go wrong! Craving more athleisure looks? Check out this street chic look.