disclosure: athletikaty.com uses affiliate links, and may receive a commission if you make a purchase through links contained in this post.

---

2 posts in 3 days? Don’t get used to it. We are now 11 years into the game, so you know how it goes.

Katy feels newly inspired for a week, life interrupts the groove, back into oblivion for 3-6 months I go. But today, I took a little field trip to the mall and have a few minutes to share some thoughts.

My daily uniform for the last 2 years has been some sort of fun jeans and a Hold Tight Long Sleeve from lululemon. They’re soft, have a flattering fit, and are comfy as all get out. While the stockpile will never reach the depth of the Swiftly Long Sleeve or Cool Racerback piles that exponentially grew from 2013-2020, I may have a mini collection going.

While in search of something new to wear to NYC this weekend, 3 of my favorite shirt made it into the Fitting Room with me: Candy Cloud, Clubhouse Blue, and Downtown Tan. You know, for ‘research’ purposes.

Note: I am 5’9″ and ~165lbs, wearing a Size 8 in all colors. All photos are unfiltered so the colors aren’t affected.

Hold Tight Long Sleeve: Candy Cloud

I wanted to like it, I did. However… the only ‘candy’ that Candy Cloud is giving is 1990s bubblegum. Or, you know, Pepto Bismol. I really wanted to like it, but up close, my skin tone was a bit too pink and it made me look splotchy. Back onto the rack she went. I think I need a darker or lighter pink. This shade in the middle wasn’t for me.

---

Hold Tight Long Sleeve: Downtown Tan

Next up, Downtown Tan. This muted millennial beige shade is very close to the Ivory version of this same shirt I wore into the fitting room. In my defense, the two shades looked more different in the store than they do in the photos. I’m into it, though. Trying to break out of the all black everything rut, at least for travel days.

Plus… I’m 40 years old, and it’s my money. I can do what I want. It’s my shirt now. I own significantly more than 2 black crew necks and I wear them all quite often. So there. (Why am I getting defensive? Because I know this was a frivolous buy.)

---

Hold Tight Long Sleeve: Clubhouse Blue

Clubhouse Blue might have been my favorite, because the color IRL is somewhere between bright and moody navy, and the price tag was right. Hell yeah, purple WMTM sticker. It comes across a bit brighter to the naked eye, and it’s perfect for wanting to put a *little* more color into my outfits, despite the fact that it’s still 40 degrees in the Northeast, and May is next week.

I ended up getting both Downtown Tan and Clubhouse Blue, leaving Candy Cloud behind. The Ivory that I already own is starting to get frequently worn as it warms up, so I wanted one more color on the lighter side as Spring finally makes an appearance.

Talk to me about the fun jeans.

SHOP: Alice + Olivia Cay Cargo Jean in Brea Blue

Fit Notes: The rise is low, the fit is generous, wearing a Size 31.

These jeans will be my new personality for the foreseeable future. I’ve more or less had the tab open for a YEAR AND A HALF, and did my “hooray you survived another regular season of hockey” splurge on them when I passed by an Alice + Olivia boutique in Bryant Park a couple weeks ago.

They were not cheap, so I will be wearing them as much as possible. They are exactly the vibe that young Katy in the 90s loved, but might not have been confident enough to rock.

Honestly, I didn’t buy them for me, I bought them for her. ♥️