This Reversible Athleisure Doubles Your Fitness Wardrobe (And You Won’t Believe How Soft It Feels)

• Value: 20/20
• Functionality: 18/20
• Ease of Use: 19/20
• Aesthetics: 20/20
• Sweat-Wicking Abilities: 17/20
• TOTAL: 94/100

I live in fitness-obsessed, 284-sunshiney-days-a-year Southern California. So I like to think I’ve got an especially fine-tuned ability to judge quality athleisure. Hot yoga, oceanside HIIT classes, trail running, sometimes even off-label uses like yard work, grocery shopping and profesh-but-casual appointment-going: They’re all going to involve some combination of a sports bra and a legging. So after sporting so many of the fanciest names in Big Lycra, I wasn’t expecting much when I came across a workout top and leggings from indie brand Wolven, a women-owned company in Los Angeles.

However, I was intrigued even before I even slid the buttery fabric over my boobs. That’s because the Crisscross Four-Way Top is not only reversible, it’s inside-out-able. Made of double-sided stretch fabric, the top I tried was patterned on one side, solid on the other. One side of the top has a demure high neck, while the other side has a strappy, lower cut design. So you can choose to wear it one of four ways, custom fitting it as snugly as you like thanks to adjustable straps.

The Crossover Pocket Legging also has a couple happy surprises. First, I really admired the super soft fabric, a blend of 84 percent recycled water bottles and 16 percent spandex. (When I tried to get specifics on how they weave fabric so much softer than their competitors’, the Wolven public relations person shut me down with “that’s one secret they will never share.”) The crisscrossed waist is the social media-approved style that’s flattering to all figures, without feeling too much like you’re wearing a corset, as ultra-high waist leggings sometimes do. Add to all this: pockets. Yes, two side pockets mean I can stash my phone for hands-free hiking, or leave empty for a more streamlined silhouette in a studio class.

There’s also a more relaxed jogger style, a bike short with pockets and a super cute legging that has a bit of ruching in the back.

All this costs under $100, comes in more than 20 patterns and solids, and washes up without pilling, fading or coming apart at the seams. The only quibbles I have are small: Since the top can be worn inside out, there’s no shelf bra to add additional support, so larger-busted folks might want to save the top for low-impact workouts. And during a jog, I noticed the fabric wasn’t as fast-drying as some of the slick runner’s tights I’ve worn in the past. But truth be told, my Wolven top and leggings are what I reach for first in my athleisure drawer, since they’re so cuddly, they’re my pre-workout (and OK, sometimes pre-nap) sensory splurge.



The PureWow100 is a scale our editors use to vet new products and services, so you know what’s worth the spend—and what’s total hype. Learn more about our process here.