let’s talk about clothes, baby (women’s version)

Herewith, a passionate proclamation concerning the apparel that powers my runs. You will see immediately that the Oiselle brand dominates my selections. I’ve supported and worn Oiselle since nearly the company’s beginning, and I’ve found their garments to be well-made and very long lasting; they’ve held up to years of washing and multiple trail tumbles and repeated cat landing-pad and taking-off encounters. I narrowed down my favorites to a mere three (Dan would find this feat particularly impressive since I’m often garbed in head-to-toe Oiselle): the Flyte tank, all versions of Roga shorts, and the Flyout bra.

If you care about how a garment looks, that’s cool but optional. What you very much should care about is how a garment FEELS on your body; it should be comfortable, because you want to feel empowered in your workouts and not distracted by an ill fit or chafing. If you also want to feel like a conquering warrior who achieves their goals and laughs in the face of uncertainty, you may find that a certain color or fit or brand strengthens your badassery – if that works for you, go with it.

Note: I group the apparel here into the “women’s” category, and will do the same in a future post detailing Dan’s favorite running apparel as “men’s”, but fit and function are about more than gendered distinctions. Find what feels good on your body and buy that. What matters is what gets and keeps you running!

“Oiselle is a Seattle-based by women, for women athletic apparel company that has always loved to go fast, take chances. We make running apparel for female athletes of all ages, paces, and places and bring together a community of women who love to move, run, and fly. Our mission is threefold: make great product, improve the sport, and build the sisterhood. We believe in the transformative power of sport”. https://www.oiselle.com/pages/about

The Flyte tank is made of a buttery soft fabric that strikes the perfect balance of being lightweight but not too lightweight, long enough for good movement coverage but not too long. It’s the perfect porridge of a tank top, and currently comes in 8 colors. Personally, I find $48 for a tank top to be a bit dear, and I bought my first Flyte tank during a sale. But I love it so much, I would be willing to pay full retail (a condition I normally avoid) to buy more. They are worth it.

If you started running anytime after 1980 or so, you may not have given much thought to buying a running bra. You run. You have breasts. You buy a running bra. Duh. But the embarrassment of retail riches that is the current running bra selection would have been a distant dream for female runners before that time period – it took years and some serious moxie to get a sports bra on the market:

https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a20860634/a-brief-history-of-the-sports-bra/

So I say, god bless you brassiere pioneers. And to Oiselle’s designers, I say god bless you as well. I have struggled for years to find a supportive running bra (often buying a bra that’s really too small so it will be tight enough to mash my boobs down and provide adequate support) that is also comfortable. The Flyout bra is unique in Oiselle’s line in having a pocket between the shoulder blades for your cell phone; I initially resisted trying this bra because I thought that might be a gimmick or just uncomfortable. I’m happy to report that it’s an awesome feature – I can’t even tell my phone is there, it doesn’t bounce at all, and now I don’t have to wear a waist belt to carry my phone – freedom, oh freedom! And dare I say – the bra is supportive AND comfortable. No binding, no need to apply anti-chafe balm, and I can actually inflate my lungs completely.

And for the final installment in my Oiselle fan-girl manifesto, I offer the Roga short. Comes in deliriously cool patterns, vibrant colors, and sedate neutrals, and three inseam options (2″, 4″, 6″) – so basically if you want short and sassy, long and subtle, or any length/color combo in between, you got it. Also pretty cool is the “Toolbelt Roga”, which features 5 POCKETS – there’s room for your gels, your keys, lip balm, you name it, all without making you feel like you have an actual toolbelt around your waist. The fabric used in these shorts wicks like a dream and is crazy durable; my oldest pair are from 2013, and I have yet to tear a pair of these during a trail fall or have a seam fail from use. I currently have 5 pairs, and I may very soon have 6 because I don’t know how much longer I can resist buying the absolutely lovely floral print that is currently available… https://www.oiselle.com/collections/shorts/products/toolbelt-roga-shorts

And finally, to prove I occasionally buy another athletic brand, my favorite lightweight windbreaker is the Adidas Terrex Agravic Wind Running Jacket. I feel like a sexy zebra in this jacket, and more importantly, I feel like a sexy fast zebra. It shields the wind and light precipitation, and conveniently stuffs into the chest pocket, creating a small bundle that fits in the palm of your hand or a hydration vest pocket. Sadly, Adidas no longer makes this jacket (maybe because it had such a long and awkward name??). A quick Google search shows that it is still available through some other retailers (the-house.com, ebay) at way less than its original retail in spring of 2018 when I purchased it.