The Cool Kids of Yoga Are Wearing Bike Shorts to Class

Yoga shorts, traditionally born of 105-degree postures and perspiration in the country’s hottest yoga studio climates, have often been of the booty-skimming variety.

But passionate yogi Kalen Kaminski, who's designer-founder of the cool, hand-dyed brand of women’s wear and home goods called Upstate, is re-invigorating the bike short category as a chic summer style, with her first first fitness fashion foray: Some highly covetable mid-thigh-length yoga shorts, created with crazy-popular Sky Ting Yoga in Chinatown.

The just-arrived shorts ($80)—which are majorly tantalizing when you’re checking in for class—come come in two prints, Static (black and white) and Galaxy (blues/turquoise).

They’re 90% cotton and 10% spandex, perfect for summer, says Kaminski, who’s been practicing in them instead of leggings for a while now.

“I’ve been making my own yoga shorts for a few years, so it seemed appropriate to pitch the idea to Sky Ting,” says Kaminski. “Kumi Sawyer’s Tuesday night class is a religious experience for me. I'm addicted. It's an incredible workout and very restorative. I love the overall vibe of the studio.”

The feeling is mutual. Saywer, along with Sky Ting founders Krissy Jones and Chloe Kernaghan say they’ve been fans of Upstate, and the indie brand’s elegant prints and silhouettes.

“We’re always on the look out for cute yoga apparel," they say, but even better was the opportunity to collaborate on these shorts, they say, using the word "thrilled." It marks the studio’s first yoga fashion collaboration—which had to happen given Sky Ting's fashion-editor demographic.

With the spiking seasonal temps, it’s the perfect time of year to lighten up what you're wearing to yoga, notes Kaminski, who with style arbiters at Sky Ting are wearing them with graphic tees for an edgy, downtown look. (Summer 2016 uniform?)

“We like that the shorts aren't too short,” Kaminski says. “They feel almost like a 90's bike short, which we love.” The cool kids of yoga have spoken.

Next, get skin-care tips from the gorgeous people who sweat for a living (AKA top yoga and fitness instructors)...