Clothes that transition from workout to workplace

CHICAGO — In Sara Walther's closet, only one pair of jeans comes anywhere close to getting as much wear as her yoga pants from Lululemon and Athleta.

"I have suits, and I look at them, and I wish I could get my money back for them," said Walther, 35, who converts much of her early morning yoga attire to daylong office wear. "My black Lulus, I wear them at least two times a week," sometimes with a yoga tank to class and then to work with a J. Crew cardigan and scarf, or a piece of jewelry and Brazilian leather riding boots.

Fitness brands are acknowledging the delicate workout/life balance. More than ever, yoga attire, in particular, is cross-training with fashion to gain flexibility. It's the next step in the evolution of workout-apparel-as-weekend-wear — it's also becoming weekday worthy and night-out ready.

It helps if you don't sweat profusely.

"There are some people who are dripping after class, and they have to — I hope to God they do — take a shower," said Walther, who has been practicing yoga for 15 years. "Unless it's Bikram yoga, where they have it up to 108 degrees, I'm OK with myself after my workout. There's no way I could go home from the studio, shower and change. I have a very demanding job."

Walther serves as financial controller for the Carbon War Room, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit working to raise awareness about industrial carbon and climate change. "I'm in a very entrepreneurial setting," an office culture where Walther feels comfortable dressing less formally most days. If she still worked for a private equity firm, her suits would be in business. "This is the setting" — and the clothing — "I prefer," she said.

A step beyond

This season Lululemon Athletica's popular Wunder Under workout leggings are available with limited-edition embellishments like ruching, ruffles or nonchafing zip-up sides, which pair equally well with ballet flats and yoga mats.

These aren't the flare-leg pants traditionally associated with yoga. The tighter legs make them easier to layer with street clothes. For yoga, the closer fit prevents toes from catching in hems, Walther notes.

Liz Miersch, Self magazine's fitness editor, calls these hybrid leggings "apres-gym leggings."

"Right now I'm wearing my Zobha yoga workout leggings with a dress I wore to work today," she said from New York during a recent weekday phone interview. "On Saturdays, I'll put on leggings, a sports bra and top, and I'll be doing errands, and when I can sneak out to the gym I'm ready. The boot/legging thing, thank God that's in style. That's an easy way to disguise your workout wear."

Zobha yoga and fitness apparel released a survey last year in which about two-thirds of the 1,000 women surveyed had scaled back financially in their workout routines (exercising at home or outside instead of at a gym, for example). But nearly all who currently exercised said they would continue. Seventy-five percent of women surveyed said they are more likely to work out if they are already wearing fitness clothes; 32 percent choose fitness apparel as their primary casual day outfit.

Conversion costs

Prices for premium yoga apparel might take your breath away at first glance.

"You walk into a Lululemon store, and you're like, 'Maybe not,"' Walther said. "But my Lulus, I bet they're at least 4 years old. And the nice thing is they have free hemming. One pair I had used to be long, and I took them in and had them made into capris and wore them for another year and a half. Once you get sick of them, you can change them."

One of her yoga tops from Athleta converts to a strapless tube top.

"I've gone to a wine bar after yoga, and I threw on this skirt and took the straps off the top, and you could not tell that it was yoga attire," Walther said. "And it's amazing for yoga. You can actually do a backbend — it stayed up without the straps."

The bottom line

• 75 percent of the 1,000 women surveyed by Zobha yoga and fitness apparel said they are more likely to work out if they are already wearing fitness clothes.

• Nike re-engineered its women's pant fits after a two-year study in which it scanned more than 80,000 bodies. Each pair now has a wider, 2.75-inch waistband to distribute pressure for a flatter look across the stomach. A V shape at the back improves the rear view. Side seams moved forward by 2.5 inches to slim the hips. nike.com

• The brand Lucy, known for offering several rises, cuts, lengths and fabrics, just introduced several of its most popular pant styles in its maximum-compression Powermax fabric. It will launch its Perfect Core Pants at the end of February, featuring mesh paneling through the midsection to support core muscles. lucy.com

• Though known for its flattering yoga wear in its Luon fabric, Lululemon Athletica is spreading the word about its running line, complete with the brand's usual functional details such as "zipper garages" that keep zippers from scratching the chin, "cuffins" with thumbholes to warm hands, mp3 pockets in tops and bottoms, and ponytail holes in hoods. lululemon.com

• Adidas by Stella McCartney is adding triathlon and cycling apparel to its lineup this spring, including a Tri Performance Swimsuit ($150) for women and a zebra-print graphic Cycling Performance Zip Tee ($95) at shopadidas.com.

• Fila has launched a looser-fitting capri yoga pant with subtle knee padding. $55 at fila.com.

New yoga looks

If you're on track with your 2010 fitness resolutions, consider rewarding yourself with fashion-conscious gear to go the distance.

• Lululemon Athletica's best-selling women's pants are the Groove (a reversible flare leg), Wunder Under (a tight leg) and Still pants (a wide leg popular for travel and pregnancy). For men, the wide-leg Kung Fu is the hottest seller. Wunder Under ruffled pants, $92 at Lululemon stores and at lululemon.com.

• In February, Zobha is introducing a trendy harem pant style and is launching loungewear. Harem pants, $70 at zobha.com.

• New for spring, Athleta's convertible Rain Forest top has a shirred empire waist and removable halter straps for different looks. An internal double-layer shelf bra offers low-impact support for A-C cups. $59 at athleta.com.

• The brand Beyond Yoga is true to its name with versatile styles such as the organic cotton scarf jacket — with scarf built in so you never leave it behind. $176 at iambeyond.com.

• Bebe has launched PH8 — pronounced "fate" — its active-inspired sportswear collection with a hint of Bebe's sexiness. Designed to extend beyond the gym, the clothing, bags, shoes and jewelry range from $19 to $139. A cowl neck jacket with shirred mesh is $89; leather leggings are $69; a stripe top is $36. See ph8stores.com.