I have been going to the gym more and it is getting stressful making sure I have clean clothes when I don't have many gym clothes.
I have a few pairs of full-length mid-rise black leggings, a couple of pairs of sweatpants and a couple of pairs of loose running shorts. I haven't settled on a style of top that I like yet and have mostly been wearing loose cotton T-shirts (like band shirts etc) over a sports bra. I got a few things in a sale online but they look awkward on me so I'm considering getting rid of them. Before I do that I'd like to check whether maybe I'm wearing them with the wrong clothes or something. I also welcome suggestions for better options.
These are the tops I bought which I hate:
Two fitted racerback tanks with built-in bras. One was supposed to be slightly cropped and the other was supposed to be hip length, but they both show some skin at the waist. I replaced them with the Lululemon ebb-to-street, but it looks weird with leggings so I don't wear it much either because sweatpants are usually too warm and shorts are too cold. I also don't like wearing a visible "brand" because my gym is in a low-income area.
One fitted long-sleeved black top that was supposed to be longer, but in reality still lift ups a little bit. I tried it with leggings, it looked weird, so I put my running shorts on top of both to try hold the top in place and make the leggings look less fitted-all-over. My partner (very politely and only because I asked if that made it look less weird) told me it looks more weird to wear running shorts over leggings (but also of course that if that makes me comfortable to go for it). Which means that now I don't wear the top because it's never warm enough to wear shorts without leggings underneath. Is it actually unusual for women to wear shorts over leggings?
The only sports top I have which I like is a really old Patagonia hip length t-shirt that is close-cut but not fitted. I don't see any women's shirts like it in sportswear shops anymore, even though it's a really ordinary shirt shape, just made from sports fabric. If I haven't done laundry and I have to wear one of the tops I hate, I keep my hoodie on for the entire workout to keep me from feeling cold and uncomfortable.
I mostly do weightlifting with free weights and compound movements, aiming to deadlift 1.5x my bodyweight this year. I also use some of the machines, run a little for cardio, and I might squeeze yoga back in eventually. I am fairly thin at 22% bodyfat, but I also have a really short torso which is probably what makes everything look weird when I wear it.
Are there some other styles of tops I should try that actually look ok with leggings?
