I am a long time huge fan of the women’s sports clothing at Athleta, so I was beyond pumped when I received an invitation to the grand opening of their Houston store. Not only was I excited to see/touch/try their clothes before buying, but they were hosting a fancy party with drinks & snacks!
Although I arrived about an hour after the start of the event, there was still quite a long line out the front door because they had so many ladies inside all eager to check out the goods.
I LOVED the store- the wooden floors, the windows on 3 sides, the beautiful clothes everywhere. One of the reasons I adore Athleta is their catalogs feature real athletes and real women modeling their clothes in action- not some boring studio shoot on a supermodel. They are also very customer-focused, from their in-store yoga classes to their charity work to their presence and responsiveness on social media.
I own waaay too many of their swimsuits & have recently purchased several dresses that I’m loving this summer. They have such a fantastic selection of colors, patterns, and styles that they are always my first suggestion when anybody is looking for a new swimsuit- especially something sporty. The open house was packed- long lines to get into the dressing room & a long line for checkout, but all the ladies were so excited to be there & happy to be getting some fabulous new clothes.
I had the opportunity to speak with several of the managers and representatives from corporate about featuring their clothing on Grow Soul Beautiful for our professional yoga photo sessions this fall. They were all so friendly & you could tell they really loved their jobs, so I hope we can work something out- I’d love to partner with them. I think they are planning on opening quite a few new stores this year, so check to see if an Athleta is opening near you.
GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Only a few more days without my husband- can’t wait for him to return from India.
I just got this magazine in the mail Tuesday. I’d never heard of this store before. They must be coming to metro-Detroit. There were a few things in there I’d like to have.
Love all the bright colors!
Beautiful photos–such a visually appealing store. I can feel the energy of the place in the photos! There will be an Athleta in Seattle apparently–they were taking bids on construction. I guess we just have to be patient in the Pacific NW.
Lovely site.
Wendy recently posted..Eating Vegan
Very cool- their swimsuits are my favorite! Hopefully you can use 1 a few months a year up there.
Their clothes, especially swimsuits, have the best color combos & patterns.
Such a great, and beautifully shot, review! You’ve inspired me to get on over to our new Minneapolis store a.s.a.p. (previously I’ve only shopped online).
This looks like so much fun! I didn’t realize Athleta had such cute clothes! There’s an Athleta store very close to me. I will have to check it out. I practically LIVE in workout clothes!
I love the photos you took of the event. This looks like such a beautiful store! I love that they do charity work and take photos with real women doing real exercise not just studio sessions with models. That is fabulous. I’m a new fan.
Catherine Just recently posted..Soul*Full Tribe ~ Edita Atteck
They are so adorable- I wear the dressed around the house & out all the time as my casual clothes =)
I agree that they are big supporters of women & sports in general- I love their Power to the She shirts, but they also back it up with actions. The Athleta blog is fabulous & features so many great women athletes and stories.
I wasn’t familiar with Athleta until I read this article. What a great introduction. Thanks for letting me know about this
I LOVE these pictures!! What an awesome store, I wish there were some closer to good old South Dakota, ha! I am always blown away by their magazine ads, the women are so fierce and the clothes are amazing, I had no idea they were real women. I love that they have fitness classes and sponsor Girls On the Run too (I was a coach)
I adore their catalogs- I often save them for vision boarding or inspiration.
I LOVE Athleta. I am a mail order client and have been for YEARS–because they have wonderful warm winter pants in XL lengths. No store in my neck of the woods, though. Not in Durham/Chapel Hill yet, to my knowledge. This looks fabulous!
There IS one coming to NC soon! http://athleta.gap.com/customerService/info.do?cid=55997&mlink=5058,4767808,13&clink=4767808