Style Athleisure Wear

The New Outdoor Voices Exercise Dress Has a 5,000-Person Waitlist—And for Good Reason

Ali Finney

April 30, 2021

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Sitting around a dinner table with a group of newly vaccinated friends, the conversation topic turned to a simple question: "Where has personal style gone?" For half the group, throughout the pandemic, personal style holds a steady mix of 9-to-5 basics that were comfy but with a certain amount of identity. For the other half, pandemic style basically means a free-fall into cozy cottons and terry cloth. Then there's me: If left to my own devices, I would wear comfortable clothes that I could move in every-freaking-where I went, which is why I'm thrilled to say that the Outdoor Voices Exercise Dress ($100) just got a revamp and it's even better than it was before.

If you aren't already into the OV lifestyle, the Exercise Dress launched in May of 2018, falling in step with Outdoor Voices's POV on fitness that movement should fit into your life and the clothes you wear should as well. “Our belief is that the future of athletics isn’t any longer about being first or fastest, it’s about frequency and consistency,” Tyler Haney, the brand's founder previously told Well+Good. “[Outdoor Voices] isn’t up against the Nikes and the Lulus of the world, we’re up against people’s negative perceptions of themselves.”

The Exercise Dress has a liner that started out as a bikini-cut leg, but upon taking feedback from wearers, the brand updated it with a bike short cut and added pockets. Today marks another big moment in the history of the OV Exercise Dress, because the brand has added adjustable straps, which make it easier to get on and off and also make it more custom-fitting for those with taller or shorter torsos as well as even more pockets. You'll find those pockets, now, on both sides of the bike shorts. Along the rim of the seaming, there's an added grip to keep the shorts from riding up.

Outdoor Voices Exercise Dress — $100.00

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While I've long been a fan of the Exercise Dress (I have it in polka dot, leopard, green, and pink), these additions really do make the Exercise Dress better. I'm 5'9" and have a longer torso, so having the adjustable straps really does help the dress fit my body better, and the sticky-rimmed shorts mean that I can even wear the dress when doing higher intensity workouts like running, which I probably wouldn't have done prior. The only additional update that could truly make the dress summer's second-skin would be a built-in bra (however, OV did launch the All Time Bra, $58, which is meant to accompany the dress).

The new and improved Exercise Dress is available in nine new colors and patterns, a mix of wear-everywhere classics like black and navy; dusty summer shades like tea tree and pinot; and a leopard print that's been a staple in the line for over a year. All to say the next time I get asked about my personal style, I only need five words to answer: The Outdoor Voices Exercise Dress.

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