Review: Athleta "Whatever" skort

[KnottedYet]

My new favorite skirt: http://athleta.gap.com/browse/produc...scid=683764002

I have a bazillion skirts/skorts. I wear them everywhere, including on the bike and while running. And at work. And lounging around the house. My bias is heavily (Heavily HEAVILY) toward skirts over shorts or trousers. YMMV.

Fit: Blessed be the folks at Athleta. They offer Talls and Petites. This skort comes in Tall, which is a precious thing in my slightly-too-tall universe. If you are tall, be assured that you can get this skort long enough that it fits you like it does the model. Right smack at the knee... ain't life grand? The sizing is a bit on the generous side. I'm an 18-20T at the moment, and the 16T fits me perfectly.

Fabric: Soft, smooth, stretchy, not sticky. I've worn this at work with tights, and not had to fret over (or even wear) a slip. You can sit at a desk for hours and barely crinkle the fabric. It falls smoothly over your butt as soon as you stand up, and the wrinkles fall out after about 10 minutes on your feet. Wash with everything else, no tender care needed. Dry on the line or draped over the top tube of your bike. (you keep your bike indoors, right? well... put it to work!)

Shorts: No padding, standard "4-seams meeting", but the seams are fairly flat. The inseam is long enough that the legs don't creep up. The shorts are the same fabric and same color as the skirt. Very nice.

Pockets: Sadly lacking in the pockets department. There are two patch pockets on the buns (tacked down, cut 'em loose if you want 'em). No way to hold them closed. No front pockets, no side pockets, no on-the-thigh short pockets. (For that you need to get the Mountain Hardwear La Strada skirt or one of the Terry skorts with the short-thigh wallet pocket. I have a few of each. It's an addiction.)

At work: Perfectly acceptable at work. Very cute at work, actually.

On the bike: Heck if I know. Just got the Whatever a month ago and haven't tried it on the bike yet. Bought it because someone else here on TE recommended it (Zen?). If she likes it on the bike, I'm sure it will be fine on the bike. The skirt is generous enough and stretchy enough that I really can't see that it will be any problem on the bike.

Don't want to support The Gap and its corporate fascism?: So get it from Title Nine. They've got the same skort (not offered in Petites nor in Talls). I don't know who the actual manufacturer is of this skort, but you can get it from at least two outlets: Gap and Title Nine. Here's Title Nine's offering: http://www.titlenine.com/product/150943.do Title Nine's costs more.

[zoom-zoom]

I've been really happy with Athleta stuff. I recently bought the best-fitting bathing suit, ever. The bottoms are shorts with shirred sides and a sort of hipster-fit liner and the top actually supports my 34D bust. I got it right before we spent a weekend at a waterpark with the kiddo. I never felt like my boobs were going to fall out and I was all over the water slides.

I also have a cute black dress that I bought for my hubby's 20 year reunion. One of those perfect pieces for packing and machine washing and drying.

[KnottedYet]

I've been really happy with Athleta stuff.

Me, too. I love that they have talls. Even the running skirts (which are short anyway) come in talls. It's delicious.

[Crankin]

I love Athleta. Almost everything fits me. They keep making more and more stuff in petite.

[KnottedYet]

Hey Knot, what is your inseam? A lot of skirts are a little too short on me. But I'm only 5'7''. Maybe I should try a tall.

I'm 5'8 with about a 33-34 inch inseam, and I get talls every chance I can. The difference in skirts is only an inch or two, but the fit is so much better! (even in Athleta's short little CYA running skirt, the tall size really makes the fit)

Somewhere I read that the average women's size is based on a 5'4" model, so if you are 5'5" or more it could be worth taking a peek at talls.

[Tokie]

I have this skort in black (petite) and love it! It is relatively long, which I like alot. I even wore it hiking - the fabric is so light and stretchy, I barely noticed it! I get compliments on it too, which is nice. tokie oh, it works great on the bike! And nobody ever would guess that it's a skort.

[KnottedYet]

I just ordered another one: Boysenberry. (the dark plum)

Cannot get over how much I love this skort, even though it doesn't have pockets worthy of the name. (C'mon, Athleta, how hard would it be to put a little zipped wallet pocket on one thigh of the liner short?)

Looks good with bare legs, looks good with tights, looks good with lace-edged leggings. Boots, flip-flop, Chacos, clogs, penny loafers, maryjanes.

You can run, walk, ride, sit, squat, exercise, and lounge without the skirt catching you up. Kinda like a woman's UtiliKilt. ...but without decent pockets.

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I really want this in asphalt. I may have to reward myself once I get into the 130s.

[Tokie]

We got a flyer from Discover card today - if you enter the Athleta site via Discover Card, you are entitled to a ten percent discount! Tempting to pick up another skort! tokie

[KnottedYet]

I really want this in asphalt. I may have to reward myself once I get into the 130s.

The asphalt in person is a bit darker than in the catalog. IMHO. The waistband is lined with the lavender fabric, which seems a bit lighter than in the catalog to me.

My boysenberry is s'posed to be here next week. Yay!

And when those puppies go on clearance this fall, I'll be all over EVERY color!

[GLC1968]

Kirsten - you may want to rethink this skort. I tried it - the shorts are way too small for my thighs when the waist of the skort was still too big for my waist. It hung horribly on me (bunched up above my rear, below my waist). I really, really wanted to love it, but I just couldn't. Returned it.

[zoom-zoom]

Kirsten - you may want to rethink this skort. I tried it - the shorts are way too small for my thighs when the waist of the skort was still too big for my waist. It hung horribly on me (bunched up above my rear, below my waist). I really, really wanted to love it, but I just couldn't. Returned it.

Awww...poo. If it didn't fit you, then it almost certainly won't fit me.

[Pedal Wench]

I bought this - based on the glowing recommendations. They're adorable - can't wait to start wearing them.

I'm 5'4" and I couldn't decide between the petite and regular. So, I've got the Khaki in regular and asphalt in petite. I also bought the "dolphin", but the color is too similar to the khaki, so it's going back. As mentioned, the difference in the hems is about 1.5". The regular hits just above my knee - I'm kinda short-legged for a woman. The asphalt is a really dark gray. I wish there were pockets too - I don't carry a purse - just need a pocket for my Jimi wallet, phone and keys. Might have to sew a little purse onto it!

Oh - the shorts underneath are snug - not tight. I have a typical cyclist body with thighs probably a size larger than my waist. I wouldn't want to show off the shorts, but for an occasional wind gust, they're fine. They don't bunch up in the back, but I could see how that's possible with the fitted waist line.

[Trek420]

I bought this - based on the glowing recommendations. They're adorable - can't wait to start wearing them.

That's my gal. Doing it for the economy

[Pedal Wench]

That's my gal. Doing it for the economy

Yeah, that's why I bought TWO of them. Shoot - even debating keeping the Dolphin (very light beige) one --- do I need three????