Right now, two giant boxes full of running clothes are sitting in my living room, waiting to be donated. 30 sports bras, over 20 pairs of tights, about one million shirts and tanks, and a few pairs of shoes. Before joining the badass lady gang here at Oiselle, I would receive a ridiculous amount of clothing from different brands for me to try and hopefully hype on social media.
It sounds amazing but truthfully, most of it went unworn because as a US size 8/10, I’m really picky about what I wear when I run. I don’t just want to look good, I have to know that my sports bra isn’t going to rub me raw or leave me with a migraine and back pain. Or that my shorts won’t leave my inner thighs bloody or that a shirt won’t make me looking and feeling like the casing of a sausage.
Oddly enough, there’s a lot of not so great athletic clothing out there. But one of my favorite parts about wearing Oiselle is that THIS SH*T IS TOP NOTCH. Look, I’ve worn pretty much every brand out there and no one designs running clothing like Oiselle. From the high waisted leggings that hug you in all the right places instead of making you look like Steve Urkel, to the patterns and colors, I’ve never felt foxier or stronger wearing spandex in my life.
And can we just take a second to feel the pride you feel when you see another woman rocking a Volée singlet or some #flystyle? It doesn’t matter if I’m alone or with friends, I feel instantly connected and I always find myself screaming head up, wings out or bad ass lady gang at the member of the sisterhood who is running by.
But now that I’ve had a few months to kick ass and take names in my flystyle, I wanted to share my go to picks with all of you:
GIFTED VERRA AND VERRAZANO BRA
These sports bras are the only sports bras I wear and the fact that I didn’t make the switch sooner kind of gives me trust issues. (I’m a 36DD and I wear a size 8. As uncomfortable as I am broadcasting my bra size, I take sports bras very seriously and believe I am sharing for the greater good.)
They’re light, they look foxy on, and it makes me really proud that I actually get to wear two time Olympian and badass woman Sarah Attar’s art while I run down my goals.
The best long sleeve around. Form fitting but not too form fitting. Light but not too light. Foxy but not too foxy.
I don’t wear shirts often because I end up stripping it off within moments but the flyout tank is one of my favorite shirts to run.
The reason I fell in love with Oiselle is their devotion to women’s rights. When I wear this shirt, I feel stronger.
I love a good hoodie and the fact that it’s orange makes me love it even more. I’ve fallen asleep on more couches post long run rocking this hoodie than anything else in my life.
I have trust issues after years of chafed and bloody inner thighs from shorts that are just too damn short. These shorts are just long enough to prevent chafing and just short enough that they don’t look ridiculous. It’s a hard balance to pull off but these shorts are wonderful.
I race in them, I run in them, I go on dates in them. They are easily the best thing that has ever happen to me. I haven’t taken them off since I got them 4 months ago.
The fit is amazing and the pockets fill me with so much joy. I love pockets so much.
I call them my sassy pants because the pattern makes me feel sassy. Best worn on track days or days when you know you need to be extra badass.
So there you have it - my picks for feeling, looking, running strong. Welcome to the lady gang friends!
Head Up, Wings Out.