I wanted to treat myself for a great training segment after my last half marathon so bought running leggings from Sweaty Betty that unfortunately didn't work out. I returned them so of course needed a replacement. I've been lusting after the Alala Weekender Dress ever since Suzanne at Agent Athletica reviewed it. Alala offers AA readers a 15% discount (go to the Agent Athletica site to get it), so with the discount the dress was about the same price as the Sweaty Betty leggings I returned. Finally, the dress was going to be mine!
I can see why Suzanne and everyone else raves about this dress--it's awesome!
The fabric is amazing. It's very soft and velvety and just feels great on. It's thin enough that I can wear it on cooler days in the summer, but I can pair it with warm tights to wear it all winter too. I love that versatility. The color is heathered black, which is really a black/white/grey spacedye-ish print. It's a great neutral that will make colored tights pop.
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| Alala Weekender Dress, size medium |
The dress has really nice details too. There are mesh accents at the shoulder that give it a little edge. The gold hardware stands out and seems very sturdy. I also like that instead of a printed logo, there is a little gold plate with Alala's name on it. Fancy!
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| Gold zipper on the back |
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| Mesh accents at the shoulder and gold on the drawstring |
I ordered a size medium. There are thumbholes, but the sleeves are long and are scrunched up a little at the bottom, which completely hides the thumbholes when not being used. That's a big plus for me.
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| Close-up of the discreet thumbhole |
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| The length of the sleeves when pulled down |
The fit is straight, but the drawstring in the middle can be cinched to create a contoured silhouette. I have a smaller waist and bigger hips and found that cinching the drawstring creates the best look for me. Those with more of a straight figure could wear the dress uncinched, but leaving it straight and uncinched doesn't look good on me. The dress isn't long to begin with, and because I need to cinch it I'll need to wear it as a tunic instead of a dress. I'm 5'7", and uncinched the dress comes about mid-thigh.
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| The longest the dress can go--not the best on my figure |
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Cinched with the top overhanging the drawstring a bit--You can see how short this is on me,
but I like this look. |
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About medium length--the length I will probably wear it most.
Here you can also see the length of the Koral Leggings. |
When I tried it on for my husband, he asked if it was from a workout company because he didn't think it was (he knows I pretty much only buy workout clothes). He also commented that it's different from anything I currently have. Between the interesting details, hidden thumbholes, and lack of an obvious logo, this dress doesn't look like workout gear at all and is a unique addition to my wardrobe. I plan to wear it to holiday parties this year and on other nights out.
I also love the great customer service orientation Alala has. The company has given AA readers a 15% discount code to use on all purchases AND they are giving away a totally awesome jacket on the AA site. If you haven't entered, there's still time!
After I got the dress and knew I'd need to wear tights under it, I knew I had to order the Lustrous Leggings from Koral Activewear to go with the dress. I have been lusting after these leggings for about a year but felt like shiny, sexy tights were a little hard to justify since I wouldn't wear them running. Well, here was my excuse--the Lustrous Leggings paired with the Weekender Dress would create a badass, sexy outfit for sure!
Koral's leggings are available on a lot of sites, including Carbon 38, Bandier, Revolve, Nordstrom, and Amazon. The reviews on size were a bit confusing because some people reported that they ran big while others reported they ran small. Since size small in black was sold out on most sites and medium seemed much more available, so I thought I'd try the small first. I ordered it from Revolve, where I got a 10% discount for signing up for their email list. Revolve has free expedited shipping and free returns.
I got the leggings two days after I ordered them. When I took them out of the box, it was like, Where have you been all of my life? They are as gorgeous in person as they are online--just really shiny and sexy. Unfortunately, I immediately noticed that a small patch of the seams in the very front below the waistband was coming undone. Ugh! No! But I wanted to try them on, so I very gently put them on.
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| Koral Lustrous Legging in Black, size small |
They looked very small but are extremely stretchy and not hard to put on. The small fit perfectly, even though I'm above my goal weight right now. Definitely do not size up in these!
As for length, they hit right at my ankle bone without much extra fabric. If you are taller than 5'7" you might find these on the short side. For me, they were perfect.
The rise is low, much lower than I usually like, about 2 inches below my belly button. I kept wanting to pull them up but knew I'd be returning them and was afraid to really play with them much to make the seams worse.
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Excuse my not-in-shape belly, but I wanted to show the rise.
You can also see the outline of the front waistband pocket to the left of my belly button. |
The fabric is thin but completely opaque, at least in black. The fabric is so thin, though, that my panty lines showed a bit, as did the outline of the front waistband pocket. If you have lumps and bumps, these leggings won't smooth them over. The fabric is also only lightly compressive. I think they would be fine for yoga or light activities, but I wouldn't wear them running.
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| The logo is a small K on the back of the waistband. |
I contacted Revolve immediately and learned that they are sold out of small in black so they couldn't send me an undamaged pair. They do have small in the purple Iris color, which I was really tempted by, but I have enough purple tights (I need to keep repeating that to myself). Revolve has them on back-order until December, but I'm just going to return them instead of waiting. They did send me a 25% coupon code to apologize that I got a defective pair.
Well, I love how shiny and sexy these leggings are. They make me feel like dancing! Woo! I want to dance the night away! However, I don't love the low-rise fit and am not sure if I'd get more comfortable with the fit. Also, the way the seam is ripping makes me wonder if they were returned by someone who tried them on and busted the seam because they were too small. If that's the case, the seams may not be very durable. But, that's completely just my own wild guess. So....I will return these pair but am not sure I'll order a new one because of the low rise and the questionable seam durability. I really love them though. I wonder if they might eventually make a higher rise option?
I saw a tank at Target that I thought would go great with the leggings. The tank was $18, and I had a $5 coupon. If I do re-order these leggings, I'm going to wear this outfit for New Year's Eve (which basically entails dancing around my house to try to stay up to see the ball drop)!
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| The perfect New Year's Eve outfit, right? |
Labels: Alala, Alala Weekender Dress, Koral Activewear, Koral Lustrous Legging
