Athleisure has significantly grown in popularity over the last couple of years and has become a major trend. What exactly is athleisure anyway? Athleisure is a hybrid style of clothing designed to be worn while exercising, but is also suitable for casual, everyday wear. It is meant to be comfortable and versatile so that it can be worn during most of life’s activities.
For petite women, finding clothes that fit well can be a challenge, especially newer styles, like athleisure. But, you shouldn’t have to miss out on this trend just because you have a petite figure- and thankfully you don’t have to! Fortunately, several brands were quick to adopt this style, including a handful of petite-friendly brands.
Whether you’re looking for something to wear to the gym or just want to be comfortable during your everyday activities, athleisure is a great option. Below, we share several brands and stores that offer athleisure for petites.
Albion
Albion is a unique brand that prides itself on controlling every aspect of their products. They design all their prints and silhouettes in house, sew all their garments in their family-owned company, ship items from their own warehouse, and they only sell their apparel in their retail stores and on their website. Albion offers a great collection of petite-sized athleisure.
Lou & Grey
Lou & Grey, a part of LOFT, is a women’s apparel brand that offers stylish and versatile clothing for everyday wear, including athleisure. You might shop at LOFT for clothes to wear to work, while you might shop at Lou & Grey for athleisure or more casual styles to wear around the house. The two brands compliment one another in this way.
Lou & Grey’s pieces are designed to be mix-and-matchable, making it easy to create a variety of looks. They even offer matching sets. They put an emphasis on the quality and comfort of the fabrics they use, so you may find that their pieces have a high-quality feel and many have a buttery soft feel, like the pieces in their Signaturesoft Collection. The brand also offers a wide range of sizes from XXS to 3X, including petite sizes. Shop Lou & Grey online or at one of their many retail locations (inside LOFT) across the US.
Athleta
Athleta specializes in activewear and athleisure for girls and women, and, best of all, they offer special sizes. The company was founded in 1998 with the goal of providing high-quality, stylish athletic apparel that would hold up during workouts and also be comfortable enough to wear all day. They offer extended sizes, both petite and tall, and their sizes range from XXS to 3X. Today, Athleta has over 150 stores across the US and continues to be a leader in the athleisure and activewear industry.
Shoes: Adidas Edge Lux 4 Running Shoe
Banana Republic
Banana Republic is one of my go-to brands as they offer a large collection of petite-sized apparel and add new styles frequently. Unfortunately, their petite collection is only available online and not in store, at lease as of right now. Their BR Sport collection includes activewear and athleisure and offers everything from joggers to shorts to casual bomber jackets. Their bottoms are available in three inseam options: short, regular, and tall. Their short inseams are ideal for petites. Banana Republic’s “Tee Shop” is also a great place to find petite t-shirts and tank tops to meet your athleisure and casual outfit needs.
Banana Republic Factory
If you like to shop at Banana Republic, then I highly recommend checking out their factory store as they offer different styles than what you’ll find at a regular Banana Republic store. Better yet, it’s much more affordable than their regular store and has sales often. You can shop Banana Republic Factory in store and online, however, they have fewer locations than their regular store. The “Tee Shop” and “BR Sport” are also available at their factory store, so it’s a great place to find petite-friendly athleisure at super reasonable prices.
The Sports Edit
The Sports Edit doesn’t currently offer petite sizes, but they do have several petite-friendly activewear and athleisure pieces to choose from. They offer a large collection of crop tops, which tend to work well for petites who have a short torso. They also offer 7/8 length leggings and capris to accommodate petite women who have shorter legs. The Sports Edit has an outlet store where you can shop similar items at discounted prices.
Alo Yoga
Alo Yoga doesn’t offer petite sizing specifically, but they have several petite-friendly pieces. They have a crop top section, and crop tops tend to work well for petites who have shorter torsos. I personally seek out crop tops, because I have a very short torso, and they tend to fit me like regular tops should. You can also browse their bottoms by length. They offer capri and 7/8 length bottoms that provide shorter inseams that most petites search for.
SPANX
When you think of spanx, slips and shapewear might come to mind, but the brand has grown and now offers much more than that. Spanx offers leggings, activewear, shapewear, bras, panties, maternity styles, pants, jackets, denim, shirts, skirts, bodysuits, and the list goes on. They even have a collection of men’s basics, like underwear, socks, and undershirts. Better yet, they offer petite inseams, as well as ankle, cropped, and 7/8 length styles, which are great for petites!
Commando
Commando offers petite sizes ranging from XS Petite to XL Petite. If you’re a petite who’s all about comfortable, quality, and long-lasting athleisure, then Commando is for you!
Aerie
Aerie doesn’t specifically carry petite sizes, but they do offer certain sizes that are petite-friendly, including short sizes, 3/4 length, and 7/8 length in bottoms.
Outdoor Voices
Outdoor Voices offers great athleisure styles with sizes ranging from XXS to XXXL. Their pieces come in a variety of sizes, colors, and fabrics. To find their petite-friendly options, filter their bottoms by 3/4 length or 7/8 length. I’ve also found that a lot of their tank tops and tops are shorter in length making them a great option for petites.
Amazon
It is probably no surprise that the e-commerce giant, Amazon, offers petite athleisure. Simply search “athleisure,” and check “petite” under special sizes.
Athleisure is largely about comfortable, everyday clothing. If you are petite, you know that proper-fitting clothing directly correlates with your level of comfort in those clothes. As a petite, maximizing your level of comfort in athleisure begins with finding styles that are created for petite body types. Thankfully, brands like Albion, Lou & Grey, Athleta, Banana Republic, The Sports Edit, Alo Yoga, SPANX, Commando, Aerie, and Outdoor Voices offer petite-friendly athleisure so you don’t have to sacrifice style for comfort.