blog · Feb 26, 2019

Blue Up Your Athleisure

Tranquility - Loyalty - Creativity - Stability - Trust

My story probably sounds a lot like yours. I'm a working mom and wife whose life dissolves into chaos more often than not. In the midst of that chaos I carve out an hour a day to do Pilates. This hour is sometimes the only thing that offers me a dose of sanity. For a long time I wore black leggings to my workouts and even though I was working hard, I felt uninspired. I wanted what I was wearing to reflect the power, energy, and joy I was feeling. So I started wearing bright colored leggings and I found that changing what I wore to work out changed my feelings while working out.

If you've never been one to add color to your athleisure wear, blue is a perfect entry color. It is only a few steps from black on the color wheel, so you won't feel too far out of your comfort zone, but it will still provide you with a newfound sense of authority, creativity, and calm. Here are a few tips to pull together the perfect look.

BLUE IN FASHION

If you are like I was and you're still wearing black to your morning Pilates classes but you're terrified of making that bold of a statement, start with baby steps. Pair a blue sports bra with your black leggings and throw on a neutral color tank. Once you gain comfort with that step, add some blue leggings or blue shoes and work your way up from there. You'll soon see what I saw...the more color you wear, the more powerful and calm you feel not only in your workout but in your life. Afraid of wearing color entirely? Try bringing a blue accessory like a mat or water bottle with you to class. Surrounding yourself with this color will take your workouts, and your day, up a notch.

AlanaKayART Ride the Wave leggings are the perfect way to share the power, energy and joy you feel during a kick butt workout.

Pair bold patterned leggings with a neutral colored jacket like this Patagonia puffer jacket. Warm, stylish and comfortable.

Throw on a pair of athleisure shoes for a sporty look as you leave class for your weekly Target run.

Statement earrings are a small but mighty way to incorporate a new color into your wardrobe. These AlanaKayART Back to the Well acrylic earrings elevate any look to Insta worthy.

Pair a bright blue legging like these AlanaKayART Ride the Wave Leggings with a neutral top to add balance to your outfit. Throw on some stylish athleisure tennis shoes like these from Target and complete your look with the unexpected...AlanaKayART Back to the Well Earrings.

The groundhog saw his shadow, but for some reason Mother Nature didn't get the memo that we should be getting ready for SPRING already. So, instead of waiting on spring sunshine and warmth, I suggest we bring spring to this dreary weather. Throw a bright colored coat, like this one from JCrew, over your Ride the Wave leggings, add an AlanaKayART Wild Rag and some acrylic earrings, meet your girlfriends for brunch and pretend spring is here while sipping something colorful and fruity. Cheers!

I am a believer in the power of color. I see it every day as an artist, a designer and my self-proclaimed role as color evangelist. I have seen color reconnect people to themselves and others, empower women, and inspire joy. CMYK is the abbreviation for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and blacK. Combining those four colors allows us to create any color. Bright, dark, bold, subtle, neutral, neon — all of them. Over the past year, people continue to admire the bold colors and patterns used in AlanaKayART and tell me how great I look, but are concerned that they can’t pull off such vibrant colors. Challenge accepted. The goal of CMYKay is to educate you about color and empower you to incorporate it into your home and wardrobe in both big and small ways. It will challenge you creatively and encourage you to have fun with color in new and re-imagined ways, because friend, life in color is way more fun.