Are Exercise Dresses The Ultimate Everyday Outfit? How To Style Our New Fave

Everyone knows that athleisure is a staple in American fashion. Whether it's workout sneakers, leggings, or sweatshirts, various aspects of activewear have transcended into our trends to become part of everyday life. Whether it's the designs or comfort, many love to sport athleisure to go about their days. 

While garments like leggings and sweatshirts are fine, sometimes you need something that's both comfortable and appropriate for warmer weather. Workout shorts can do the trick, but they aren't always the most fashionable choice to do your errands in. Thankfully, the newest athleisure trend is all about giving you a more feminine and chic choice with the same activewear vibe. Exercise dresses are part of the newer trends that add femininity to your closet but remain in the activewear realm.

Any sports lover will recognize these exercise dresses from watching sports like tennis, where the athletes are constantly wearing these staple pieces. The popularity of wearing exercise dresses day-to-day goes hand-in-hand with popular preppy trends. Combine your favorite tennis or exercise dress with a dazzling tennis bracelet, and you'll have a dream sporty chic look that is perfect for your daily activities. The key to wearing this and any athletic piece is styling in a way that doesn't make it too casual or too sporty.

An exercise dress on its own will look like you just came out of the gym most of the time. However, once you add a few layers to the outfit, you can drastically change the vibe of it. Add pieces like hair accessories to help elevate your outfit and transform your exercise dress into any other mini dress in your wardrobe. Throw on a sweater over your shoulders for the ultimate coastal grandmother vibe, and you are ready for your day or Wimbledon.

One of the easiest ways you can transform any dress is by making it into a skirt. While there are many hacks and tricks on how you can physically turn it into a skirt, you don't need to necessarily do anything different. Simply add a longer top or sweater on top of your dress to give the appearance of two pieces versus one. Not only will this give you plenty of options for how to wear your exercise dress, but it will also help to keep you warm by giving you another layer on top.

When looking for exercise dresses, you'll mostly find them in solid colors like white, black, or navy blue. These are common athleisure colors, and they'll help you mix and match to create various workout outfits. However, if you want to style your exercise dress to fit in with the rest of your wardrobe, opt for pieces with prints and designs on them. Not only will this help your dress appear like your typical mini dress, but it will make your workouts even more fun.

We already know that layering on top of your dress is one way to style your item, but you can also layer underneath it. Adding a layer underneath will give you this shirt-dress combination that's reminiscent of the '90s trend. This simple switch will give you a more street-style look without having to do much. Simply throw on a solid-colored tee or long sleeve under your dress for a retro look.

It's typical with athleisure to style your clothing with sneakers or running shoes. This footwear helps keep your outfit casual and true to its sporty nature. However, if you want to transform your exercise dress, add a twist to your footwear. Elevate your look with boots or heels to create a more formal and polished appearance versus one that's casual. If you'll be walking all day, opt for platform boots that will still give you support but will look more dressed up than sneakers.

The reason many avoid athleisure is the fact that the items can look like workout clothes. The only way to prevent it from looking like an exercise dress is by styling it with some of your favorite items. Whether you have a more preppy or minimalist look, you want to add key pieces to your outfit to camouflage the exercise dress. If you have a minimalist style, try adding a blazer to the look. On the other hand, more eclectic styles could add hats and pieces that are as fun and unique as everything else in their wardrobe.

Although there are plenty of ways you can mix and match items to transform your exercise dress into another regular piece, there's no better way of wearing it than in its true form. Embrace the athleisure aesthetic by pairing your exercise dress with a pair of retro sneakers or workout shoes for an outfit that looks like you just walked out of the gym. With more people embracing the trend, it's much easier to feel comfortable sporting an exercise dress even if you aren't working out in it.