Wednesday, June 8, 2022

Popflex Active skorts and ponytail running cap

I wasn't on the lookout for cute workout bottoms, but this caught my attention on instagram immediately. When I was a runner in high school, I would always wear loose leg shorts (similar to soccer shorts because I played soccer as a child and that's what I was familiar with) and really didn't love anything with spandex that was form fitting in the thighs and hips. 
In recent years, I pretty much exclusively wear full length (or 7/8 length depending on the brand) leggings and almost never wear shorts. This recent development is mainly for "sun protection" because I'm way too lazy to try to put sunscreen all over my legs and I also hated having a shorts tan. I also mainly run during the day, and often the hottest times of day, plus I'm getting older, so that's why I started taking UV protection a little more seriously. All that being said, I couldn't resist these skorts that Popflex released!

Twirl Skort in black
Who doesn't love it when you can twirl in a skirt without worrying about being too exposed? I purchased this one first because black seemed the most versatile and easy to match with for going out or working out. I was nervous about the fit of the bottom band of the shorts and possible tightness overall, so I decided to size up to size S. 
The material is actually quite stretchy and soft, so while this size does fit me, it's definitely not compressive at all which is fine. It does make it a little easier to wear casually. The shorts do stick out a little, especially in the back - another feature that seems controversial but I'm personally a fan of. The skirt has just the right amount of volume and just feels really cute and fun. I really love that it has the deep pockets in the shorts - something I've really come to value in my recent Popflex Active bottoms purchases!

Twirl Skort in cerulean
Having been satisfied with the black version, given the opportunity, I decided to grab another but in what I now recognize as my preferred size (XS). All of the alternate colors are super cute so I had a difficult time deciding, but in the end picked cerulean to match with the running hat (below). I do anticipate mainly using the skorts for running (bc that's just the majority of the type of exercise I do), but this color also seemed a bit akin to denim (and pops nicely against white as seen in the stock photos) which was another plus for me to possibly wearing it more casually. 
Most of the fit feels the same except that it's a little tighter in the waist and thighs. The shorts/skirt don't feel too much shorter and it still very much feels wearable. When I stick my phone in the pocket, it also feels like it doesn't move around as much which is my preference.

Tiny stars high ponytail run cap in cerulean
During the time that I started considering sun protection more, I decided to go with a visor to help protect my face. This was mainly because I wanted to be able to style my hair more freely than I though a regular cap would allow. This running cap with a high ponytail gap solves that problem! This is the third version that Cassey designed and since this one is specifically designed to be a bit sportier and I am mainly intending to use it for running, I thought this would be a good chance to give it a try. 
The band is adjustable and the ponytail hole is at just the right place for what feels comfortable for my typical ponytail height. The only thing I don't really love is how stiff the front of the hat is, but that could be because I'm used to my visor which is made of a softer and more flexible material. Otherwise, I see this as a good option for my runs and also offers protection to the top of my head which the visor doesn't do. 

Some pictures from when I was wearing these items on actual runs back in HI - 
This post is quite a bit delayed from when I purchased these items, but since I hadn't really been able to wear the skorts in JP yet due to weather, I figured the timeliness didn't matter much. The bright colored skorts are still available from Popflex but I'm sure they're planning a restock in the future for the basic colors!

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