My Athleta order from Black Friday came in yesterday. That's the longest I've ever had to wait to get my package. Again I don't have my camera to take good photos of the fit, so I'll do my best to describe it.
I got the Polartec Power Stretch 2 Tight. Wow! I love these! These are the coziest, warmest tights I've ever tried on. The interior is a thick, plush fleecy lining that almost feels like a soft plush blanket. The outer is a sleek, abrasion-resistant fabric. The result is that they look like regular tights but feel like warm, plush, cozy sweatpants.
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| Interior fleece |
I ordered both a small (my typical tights size at Athleta) and medium. These run big, and the small fit perfectly. While it's fitted like a tight, it doesn't feel tight at all, which also means it isn't extremely compressive. They are very comfortable. In fact, the waistband feels a bit loose, but there is a drawstring to make it tighter. I didn't even try on the medium.
I like my tights really long to ensure they stay down over my socks in winter, so I ordered the tall length. I probably didn't need the tall length because there is a ton of extra fabric at the ankle. I can pull it down to cover most of my foot, like I can with Lulu's Wunder Under Pants. I don't mind the extra fabric, so I'm keeping them with this length.
There is one zippered pocket in the back waistband. There is no reflectivity.
The description says they are thermal-weight and for your coldest training, but that the fabric is highly breathable and keeps your skin dry when you sweat. These are much thicker and warmer than Lululemon's tech fabric of Luon, which is brushed with a thin lining of fleecy material. The least warm fleece tight I've tried is Oiselle's Lesley Tight, which has a very, very thin lining of fleecy material and isn't very warm; in fact, I probably won't wear them again in winter but only in spring and fall. Athleta's Polartec Power Stretch 2 Tights are significantly more warm, plush, soft, and cozy than any other tights I've tried.
I haven't worn them for running yet but did wear them to take my dog for a walk this morning when it was 26 degrees, felt like 19, and pretty breezy. My legs stayed warm and cozy.
I ordered the flint (grey) color, shown above. It also comes in black, navy blue, and a bright teal blue. I paid $63 with the Black Friday 20% discount, which I think is a huge steal. The original price is $79, but even that is much less than the $108 or $118 price of some of Lulu's winter tights. I would actually pay the full $79 price for these because I they're so fantastic. In fact, if these go on sale, I'll probably order another pair. I'll wear these for very cold weather runs and also walking the dog and casual walks during the winter.
I also ordered the Power-Down Primaloft Pullover Top. It's a seamless top made of the synthetic Primaloft insulation. The description says, "Silky soft yarns wick and dry quickly" and that it's an "amazingly soft, sumptuous feel." It really is! It is incredibly soft and silky and felt so good against my skin. It's sleek but is a heavier weight and very warm. I really loved how the fabric felt.
I didn't read the part of the description that said it was an oversized fit, so I ordered a medium. I didn't find it oversized at all! They arms were very long and came completely past my hands, but it was fitted at my chest and hips and looser in the waist. I dislike tops that aren't consistently fitted, so I didn't love the fit.
The most unfortunate thing about this top is the smell. It had an extremely strong chemical smell that did not dissipate as I had it on. It was very unpleasant. I'd imagine it would fade after washing. I'm not going to find out, though, because I'm sending it back. While I love how soft and warm it is, it's too heavy and warm for me to wear as a base layer for winter running, but I don't think it would be warm enough to wear alone. I think, instead, it would be great for when you're going to be outside for a long time but not doing an intense workout. It would also be great for those who like a heavier weight, warmer base layer for running, or who just want a really soft, cozy, warm, but sleek top for winter.
I also paid $63 for it on sale. The original price is $79.
Athleta is currently offering 20% off sale items until December 16 with code SALE20. There's a lot of new things on sale, including lots of jackets and dresses. Labels: athleta, Fit Review
