Gear: The LBD Active Dress

July 10th, 2013 • BY Kelly Bastone

Up your sizzle factor on the trail with an active dress with pure LBD styling. Our roundup includes 3 classic Little Black Dresses that go anywhere plus one buttery maxi that we could live in. These active dresses look—and feel—cool in summer’s heat.

Horny Toad Seahorse Dress ($76)

“If you could wear summer it would be this garment,” promises the tag. It’s a sizeable boast for something that looks, on the hanger, to be a basic racerback tank dress. That is, until you try it on—when you fully appreciate the fabric’s silky feel and swingy drape. Then you don’t want to take it off.

Tencel makes the fabric soft and buttery, and polyester makes it quick-dry (unsightly sweat blotches don’t form in hot weather). The lightweight knit skims my body and lets cooling breezes flutter over my skin, thanks to gathers in the seams (at the upper and lower back) that create some fullness in the fabric and keep the dress from hugging every curve.

Yet the fitted bodice and A-line skirt look spiffy, not sacklike. I like the simplicity of the built-in shelf bra: There’s no fretting about bra straps peeking out and cluttering the streamlined, bare-shoulder look. And the fabric transitions beautifully from afternoon barbeque to dinner date.

Mountain Khakis Anytime Knit Sleeveless Dress ($65)

Less innocent than the Seahorse, the Anytime Dress is more biker babe: Its stretchy cotton (with 10 percent Spandex) accentuates your hourglass and cranks up the sizzle factor without ever stepping into a pair of high heels.

The midweight fabric prevents the close fit from revealing too much. The racerback design looks sweet in front, sporty from behind. Princess seams are amazingly flattering. And decorative black stitching at the lower back adds a pretty design element to an otherwise basic dress: It’s a subtle embellishment, but that’s fine, because dresses are inherently girly things that don’t need a riot of ruffles and bows to look feminine. With the Anytime, your own bod provides the eye candy–anything more would be overkill.

Pearl Izumi Superstar Cycling Dress ($80)

The thought of biking in a dress seemed strange until I realized: This is a feminized version of bib shorts, which cyclists have long sworn by for races and epic rides (when even the most forgiving waistband seems to bite into your gut and prevent your lungs from grabbing every last drop of air).

The Superstar has no waistband, and I love the feeling of unfettered expansion it grants my belly as I’m hammering uphill. What it does have is a built-in chamois and adjustable bra (with various settings on the hook-and-eye back closure that let you customize the fit). Its all-inclusive design makes the Superstar ultra-convenient for commuting, since I can grab and pack one item in the morning and know I’ve got everything I need for a lunch-hour ride (except for socks, but forgetting socks isn’t a game-ender).

The slick fabric wicks sweat fast. The chamois isn’t what I’d want for century rides, but it’s plenty comfortable for typical after-work spins. And the two slits on the skirt—one over each thigh—make you look like Sheena, Queen of the Jungle.

ISIS Contessa Maxi Skirt ($65)

This floor-length maxi may not work well for the trail, but it’s definitely an easy-to-wear, good-looking travel companion.

The silky viscose/spandex fabric drapes like a dream and resists wrinkling—it packed well for me on several trips, including camping adventures. The buttery soft fabric is thick enough to provide nice coverage (read: no shapewear required here) and a fold-over-style shirred waist has side drawstring cords that are adjustable for a customized length.

The ISIS Contessa has become a go-to staple in my closet that delivers comfort and good looks time after time. —Erinn Morgan

 

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