Alicia Keys and Athleta teamed up for a capsule collection that built upon the brand’s hero product: leggings. We had five different people put the pieces to the test during a workout.
Bianca Nieves, senior shopping editor
What you tried: Keys Retroplush Sweatshirt in dark cherrywood in medium; Keys Transcend Tight in dark cherrywood in small.
Would you wear it again?: Yes. I’ve already reviewed and loved Athleta’s Transcend Tight, and love them, especially for low-impact classes such as stretching, Pilates, or yoga. I’ve owned my pair for over a year and they are still going strong, which speaks to the quality of its garments. This time around, I did an at-home strength workout followed by a 20-minute jog, and I’m happy to report the waist stayed in place and just minor scrunching occurred in the crotch area. At the end of my workout, though, I had sweat stains around my belly-button area and lower abs, so you might want to consider the colorway you purchase it and the type of workouts you do. The sweatshirt is cute, but I wouldn’t buy it (mostly because of the price.)
Keys Retroplush Sweatshirt
Keys Transcend Tight
Chinea Rodriguez, shopping writer
What you tried: Keys Transcend Bodysuit in medium; Keys Sweater in small.
Would you wear it again?: I loved many things about the jumpsuit: The length was perfect for me (I’m five-foot-four), and the material was thick without feeling heavy. I also like the wide leg. I tested out my full range of movement with a quick cardio workout and as many yoga stretches as I can remember, and it passed the test. The only downside is that it’s tight throughout the top, and while that’s fine for keeping things in place, it’s not the most comfortable. It’s not as noticeable when you’re moving, but this is something I’d change out of as soon as I finished my workout. I’d opt for yoga pants and a sports bra instead. I loved the look of the sweater; it was lightweight and stretchy, the perfect thing to put on after a workout like hot yoga. But I wouldn’t buy it because of the expensive price. If you do want it, take a pro tip and size up; it runs a bit small.
Keys Transcend Bodysuit
Keys Sweater
Maridelis Morales Rosado, photo editor
What you tried: Keys Transcend Bra; Keys Transcend Tight, both in medium
Would you wear it again?: I had recently tried a different Transcend set and enjoyed it, and this experience was similar. I’ve been mainly running on a treadmill as exercise, and I hate running in shorts, so I was excited to try this new set. The bra had great coverage. It stayed put for the most part, but I found myself tugging it down a few times during my run, which may mean I need to size down. The cutouts in the back added some extra flair and made me feel slightly dressed up at the gym (which I appreciate). I never felt the need to adjust the tights. I have a short torso and liked how high-waisted they were and how they made me feel snatched during my run. They are buttery-soft and it was a luxurious experience to put them on, but I wish they had pockets to keep my phone in when it’s warmer out and I can start running outside. I loved exercising in this set, but I don’t see myself spending around $200 for two pieces.
Keys Transcend Bra
Emily Leibert, night blogger
What you tried: Keys Transcend Bodysuit; Keys Sweater, both in small.
Would you wear it again?: While I enjoyed the general experience of wearing the jumpsuit around the city, it wasn’t well suited to my exercise routine. I try to take an open-level ballet class once a week and am diametrically opposed to wearing the old-school ballet uniform (a leotard and tights), so I figured the Transcend jumpsuit would make for a more comfortable option. As someone with a bigger chest, I appreciated the built-in bra for containing the girls while I leaped across the floor. Unfortunately, that snugness became suffocating as the class went on, and if I had sized up, the midsection would’ve been too loose. I also loved the gaucho-esque width of the pant legs, but they were too long on my five-foot-four build, and I found myself tugging them up every few minutes or so.
Tariro Mzezewa, morning blogger
What you tried: Keys Sweater Dress in XL.
Would you wear it again?: This dress seems like it would be flattering on everybody, especially curvy girls, but it wasn’t on me. It has a built-in bra that doesn’t offer support, so you need to wear a strapless bra because regular straps don’t work with the straps on the dress. I think sizing up for the chest size would make the rest of the dress too big. You’ll pop out of the sides if you have a bigger chest. The dress has no compression, so it hugs all the wrong spots for me. It’s the kind of dress that looks good in photos but not in real life, and I like my clothes to do both. On the bright side, the fabric is comfy.
Keys Sweater Dress
