12 Item Athleisure Capsule Wardrobe

I’m not going to lie. Athleisure is not really my thing. I like the leisure part, thankyouverymuch. It’s just the “ath” part that throws me off. I am not a worker-outer right now, and when I wear workout clothes I feel like a little bit of a fraud.

That said, give me yummy, stretchy fabrics in fun colors and patterns all day long and I’m happy, so you can see my dilemma.

I know that many of you spend the majority of your time in some version of a workout outfit, and that’s great for days when you’re going to the gym or a yoga class and then straight home, but what about the other days? The days when the workout is followed by running around, meeting a friend for coffee, or going to an appointment.

That’s where a stylish and elevated athleisure capsule wardrobe comes in. It needs to be practical enough for working out and chic enough for out-and-about. And that’s a pretty tall order. I show you how it’s done in today’s video.

Create a cluster.

3 tops, 2 bottoms and 1 jacket can help you update your athleisure wardrobe in a way that gives you maximum versatility. This is even easier if you buy all of the pieces from the same store, whether that’s Old Navy or Lululemon. They will naturally coordinate.

For this video, I created 2 clusters with items from my own wardrobe, which is what I encourage you to do. Start with what you have and fill in any gaps.

The clusters include:

2 Tees (1 white, 1 black sleeveless)

2 Long Sleeve Tops (1 white, 1 gray)

2 Button-Downs (chambray and white)

3 leggings (black, black/white pattern, and wine with stripes)

1 pair of pants (red wide leg)

2 jackets (gray hoodie, black lace workout bomber)

2 sneakers (solid white and fun striped)

Choose Elevated Pieces

Basics like tees and solid leggings get new life and easily transform into outfits when paired with chic and elevated pieces, like a stylish jacket or fab pair of pants. All of these pieces can be found here.

Keep It Polished

A cute ponytail, a little bit of lipgloss or lipstick, and accessories (a small pair of earrings, a cute cap, etc.) can take a simple athleisure look to the next level.

Now that you’ve created clusters and added accessories, you can create outfits. Here, just a few of the many outfit combinations possible with these 2 clusters.

What do you think of using the cluster concept for your athleisure wardrobe? And which of these pieces did you like best? Let me know in the comments!