When I said last week that I have three pairs of Athleta's Be Free Knickers, I was including a pair of black Dobby Be Free Knickers that I'd ordered but hadn't yet received. I got them yesterday. I had assumed they would be just like my other Be Free Knickers but was wrong, so I wanted to write a quick review in case anyone else is frantically trying to plan a race day outfit.
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| Athleta Dobby Be Free Knicker in Black |
These knickers are promoted as Athleta's lightest weight run capri. When they say lightweight, they really mean it with these knickers. The fabric is unlike any I've seen. It is so lightweight that it reminds me of pantyhose, but it is very strong and compressive. It is also completely opaque. It's not slick like Lululemon's Luxtreme but also not knit like the regular Be Free Knickers or Lulu's Luon. I really like the fabric and can see that it would be great for hot weather workouts.
In a previous post, someone asked whether the Be Free Knickers are compressive. They aren't. But these Dobby Be Free Knickers are highly compressive--so much so that the small was a bit too tight for me. Because of that, I found that they were not as comfortable as the Be Free Knickers, but maybe I just need a bigger size.
The rise is also slightly lower than the regular Be Free Knickers, at least in the front. I kept wanting to yank them up. Again, maybe I just need a bigger size?
The thing that killed it for me with these knickers is the logo placement. It's in a very prominent place, on the front of the upper right leg, where the side pocket is. You can see it clearly in the photo above. When I tried them on, it really bothered me, and it's all I could look at. I imagined photos of me wearing my race day medals and only seeing the logo and not the medal. Ugh.
Because of the logo placement, I'll be returning these instead of trying out a larger size. But, if you don't care about logo placement and want a very lightweight, compressive run capri for the summer, you should check these out. They have two easily accessed side pockets at the hip and a zippered pocket in the back. They are also reasonably priced at $64 (though I got mine for only $24 since I had a reward coupon to use from my Banana Republic credit card). They come in black or a light grey and are available in tall and plus sizes.
I'm started to stress because I haven't found my ideal race day outfit yet. I have one more package coming and am also going to check a few things out in store today. I'll be doing a separate post soon with my final contenders and would love everyone's feedback on what I should wear! Labels: athleta, Fit Review, race day outfit