Unitards Are My Most Worn Staple Right Now—11 I'm Ready to Buy Again
Athleisure trends always have a way of sneaking up somewhere, and this time, it's the unitard making waves. With the rise of balletcore (courtesy of Miu Miu), it was only a matter of time before one-pieces were the subject of Instagram outfit shots and runway collections.
I personally never envisioned myself jumping on the bandwagon, but five unitards deep and a few months later, I'm all in. In the middle of a heat wave, there's nothing better than the ease of just slipping on one garment and calling it a day—layering on a ton of clothes is the last thing I want to do. A minimalistic unitard is my one-and-done solution and my lazy-girl saving grace. The wonderful thing is that a unitard is perfectly chic on its own, but should you need to look more pulled-together, a few add-ons can really upgrade it to look more intentional.
After much trial and error, I've narrowed down my go-to list of unitards that I, without reluctance, would buy again. Keep scrolling to shop the full list and see some of my favorite ways to style the wardrobe hero.
My Current Favorite Unitards
It shouldn't come as a surprise that Alo's version makes the list. Although it's a bit pricey, the quality is worth it.
Here's another unitard from the brand with slightly thinner straps.
Whenever someone asks me about my favorite workout line, I always name Girlfriend Collective. It always has an extensive size range in a selection of cool colors.
Gil Rodriguez is an American Apparel veteran, so it makes sense that the designer has perfected body-hugging basics.
I wear this at least once a week. The open back is great ventilation, but it's also a cute design choice.
If you want to take the opportunity to wear your unitard to your workout classes, Nike's version will keep you secure.
For a piece that falls into the fancy-clothes category, I highly suggest this one. Another bonus: It's on sale.
Pockets! But other than that, the biggest selling point about this is the wonderful smoothing material.
How I'm Styling My Unitards…
Style Tip: When we said an oversize button-down makes everything look infinitely chicer, it wasn't an exaggeration. Paired with a unitard, the result is a casual, on-the-go woman about time. It's the type of look you can wear to yoga at 8 a.m. and brunch at 11 a.m. without shame (or an outfit change).
Shop oversize shirts:
Style Tip: If it's too hot for another layer, here's where a beautiful bag saves the day. To add a touch of elegance, choose a minimal, structured bag with sophisticated details.
Shop structured bags:
Style Tip: Arguably my favorite way to dress up a unitard is throwing on an oversize tailored blazer. It's still polished, but the looser proportions lend a cool edge.
Shop tailored blazers:
Up next: I Research Fashion 5 Days a Week, and These Outfits Truly Wowed Me
Indya Brown is a fashion editor, stylist, and writer living in Los Angeles. While going to school at Columbia University in New York City, she got her feet wet in the fashion industry interning at Elle magazine, Harper's Bazaar, and New York magazine's The Cut. After graduating in 2016, she joined The Cut as a fashion assistant, eventually working her way up to fashion editor. There, she worked on a multitude of projects, including styling inbook feature stories for New York magazine's print issue, writing and pitching market stories for The Cut, and serving as fashion lead for The Cut's branded content. While New York has been her home for over 10 years, she moved to Los Angeles in the midst of the pandemic in 2020 for a new chapter. Now she is a fashion market editor for Who What Wear, focusing on emerging designers, rising trends on and off the internet, interior design, and BIPOC creatives and brands. Aside from her duties as a fashion market editor, Brown is also a freelance stylist and writer, working on national print and video commercial campaigns for Sephora, The Independent, and Cadillac. Her bylines also include Harper's Bazaar, Vox, and The New York Times. But once the computer goes down and the emails turn off, she's likely eating her way through Koreatown, hunting down vintage furniture, scoping out new outrageous nail designs to try, or taking a hot cycling class.
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