Keep cool and feel accomplished while working out with a higher-end Lululemon outfit at Belle + Barre

Week after week, people pour in and out of their favorite fitness classes, myself occasionally included. I’ve noticed fitness classes becoming a new kind of runway, where you can flaunt your style while you sweat it out.

Waiting for the next session to start at the Belle + Barre studio off of 1st Ave in Hillcrest one Monday night, I asked some of the ladies for tips on how they choose their exercise ensembles.

After a challenging heated barre workout, Liz came out of class looking accomplished in her Lululemon outfit. She’d paired a patterned racerback tank ($52) with magenta Wunder Under capris ($88). “I like to dress cute because it makes me more motivated to work out harder,” says the 31-year-old from downtown San Diego.

Liz picks her workout attire based on quality and price. “The difference is really there when you wear higher-end stuff and you’re sweating that much.” She praised the moisture-wicking fabric. “That means that it pulls the sweat off my body, so it keeps me cooler while I’m working out, which is important in a heated class,” she explained.

Breanna, on the other hand, says most of her workout clothes come from Old Navy and Target. “I like affordable options, because I’d rather have more.” The 31-year-old marketing and sales professional sports an Old Navy split-back plum purple tank ($19.99), giving a pop of color against her solid black leggings and hoodie jacket. She added, “I actually think they’re just as good as some of the more expensive clothes. That’s what I’ve found.”

Twenty-seven-year-old Elise agreed. “I first started working out about maybe five years ago, and you could only really get stuff from Target and it was... okay. But their quality has improved a lot, and so has everybody else’s.” A fiscal assistant at UCSD, Elise looked bright and empowered in a pink workout tank from Target ($12.99), grey space-dyed leggings from Senita Athletics ($38), and kelly green bandana that tied the hair away from her face. “Everything has gotten a lot cuter, which is really nice.”

She’s also noted the rise of Instagram brands. “A lot of my clothes are from an online brand based out of Arizona” — Senita Athletics. “They’re mid-range, none of their pants are over $40, which I appreciate because...why should I be ugly and poor?”