Yoga retreats are kind of my thing. I've been practicing yoga for over 15 years, and I've been going on retreats for the past six or so — meaning, at this point, I have a good idea of what to expect on the trips. This year, I went to a tiny island in Greece with my LA-based teacher Kyle Miller and Portugal-based yoga and meditation teacher Tony Lupinacci .
This retreat (and most yoga retreats) include an hour to two hours of yoga twice a day — for a week-long retreat, that means around 14 classes. Which also means . .
. a lot of outfits. I've been a fan of the Artizia TNA activewear collection forever for its non-traditional workout clothing silhouettes (I've been wearing this halter top on repeat to the studio), so my interest was definitely piqued when I scrolled through the new Golden collection .
There are a bunch of different fabrics within the collection that are made for different types of activities; many of them are perfect for yoga, so I decided to grab a handful of options and put them to the test during my week-long yoga retreat. What I Like About the Aritzia Golden Collection Like the TNA collection, the Golden collection features some super-flattering cuts and silhouettes — there's a nice range that you don't always see in activewear. There's a mix of cropped and full-length tops, spaghetti straps and high-neck cuts, and different waistband options.
I'm also a big big fan of the colorways. I'm a neutrals gal; give me all your beiges, browns, and creams. I think the most "intense" colors I wear are butter yellow and sage green.
Surprisingly, activewear brands don't always nail the neutral category, or they only have one option. Not so with Golden — there is a host of earthy taupes and mocha browns that make my heart rate spike. Don't worry if you're more partial to brights — you'll also find a fair share of pinks.
Finally, all the fabrics I tried did a great job of both smoothing my curves and staying in place while I was actually moving. I didn't find myself pulling or tugging during practice as much as I often do when wearing other brands. What to Consider Before Trying the Aritzia Golden Collection My only criticism of the collection is that most of the low- and medium-impact tops aren't lined or include a built-in shelf bra.
For someone like me with a smaller bust, it's not that big a deal since the fabric has some nice compression to it. However, for someone who needs more support, you'd likely need to wear a sports bra underneath. When it comes to sizing, I found all the products I chose to fit true to size.
For reference, I'm 5'5" and I usually wear a size small in tops and bottoms, with a small C-cup bust. Some of the products were sized as Small, while others used a number system — for those I was a 4 across the board. Who the Aritzia Golden Collection Is Best For Technically, anyone! However, it really comes down to the activity you're going to be doing — each different fabric within the collection is meant for a specific intensity level.
When I was deciding on the products to try, I first took a look at which fabrics would suit my needs the best — those needs being: suitable for warm weather, good for low- to medium-impact workouts, and easily mixed-and-matched. The products I ended up choosing were a mix of Golden Butter and Golden Life. Here's the breakdown of the different choices: Golden Butter: Best for low-impact, with a barely there, buttery-soft, sweat-wicking fabric that shapes to your body.
Golden SoftWhip: Best for low-impact, with an ultra-soft, sweat-wicking fabric that hugs the body. Golden Life: Best for medium-impact, with a body-hugging fabric that wicks sweat while still being soft. Golden GlossForm: Best for medium-impact, with contouring, body-hugging fabric that has a luxe sheen and UPF 50+ protection.
Golden BodyLite: Best for high-impact, with seamless, sweat-wicking, anti-odor fabric with a smooth, second-skin feel. Golden PowerSculpt: Best for high-impact, with a sculpted, smooth feel that wicks sweat. Keep reading for my favorite looks from the trip, and get the details for each Aritzia Golden piece I wore.
Black Tank & Black Shorts Aritzia Golden Life Essential Camisole in Black ($45) Aritzia Golden Butter Cheeky Hi-Rise 5" Short in Black ($48) Aritzia Golden Butter Alignment Bra Top in Black ($38) A camisole tank paired with a 5" bike short is kind of my uniform — both on retreat and at home. First, let's talk bike shorts. These shorts have become my go-tos, even over my beloved Beyond Yoga shorts.
I feel like it's hard to find a 5" short — a 7" is what I usually see and is slightly too long for what I want when doing yoga, or a 3" running short, which is a bit too short. The 5" length is just right for me, and the high-waist of the Golden shorts stays in place during my whole practice. This pair is in the Golden Butter fabric (as opposed to the Golden Life shorts I talk about later), which is probably my favorite of the two options – it's super soft but also does a great job of adding a smoothing effect.
Now the top. I love the cut of this camisole; the spaghetti straps are barely there while still giving enough support, and the scoop neck never inches up or down, even while upside-down. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because it doesn't have a built-in bra.
And when I wanted to switch things up, I paired the shorts with the Alignment Bra Top. I'm obsessed with the '90s cut of this bra top — the wide-set straps and straight neckline really speak to me. Plus, it's soft and sweat-wicking.
Top Rating: ★★★★ Shorts Rating: ★★★★★ Bra Rating: ★★★★★ Crop Top & High-Waisted Leggings Aritzia Golden Butter Essential Cropped Camisole in White ($40) Aritzia Golden Life Cheeky Hi-Rise Legging in Rich Mocha Brown ($78) Aritzia Golden Butter Cheeky Hi-Rise Knee Legging ($33.99, originally $68) Let me start by saying, I can't get over how good my boobs look in this crop cami. The slight compression and longer crop than a traditional sports bra really hits for me.
Again, my only issue here is that there's no lining, meaning when you sweat, it gets pretty see-through and you're going to see some nip. I'm going for hot girl summer (literally, sweaty) so I'm OK with it, but if it bothers you, maybe opt for the black colorway. Full-length leggings aren't usually my thing (bike shorts are life), but I did really like the fabric of this pair.
The Golden Life products are a bit thicker with a higher compression than the Golden Butter products, which is nice for a legging — and I never felt like they were sticking to me, even when it was a balmy Grecian summer afternoon. I will say the waistband of these leggings did have a tendency to roll down a bit more than the other bottoms I tried. When I wanted to switch it up from both a legging or a bike short, these capri leggings came into play — and I have to tell you, they're perfect.
I didn't think I would get back on the capri bandwagon, but here I go. They're soft, they don't roll up at the knee, the waistband doesn't roll down, and they wick away sweat without getting gross. Bra Rating: ★★★★ Leggings Rating: ★★★★ Capri Rating: ★★★★★ Brown Racerback & Bike Shorts Aritzia Golden Butter Essential High-Neck Tank in Rich Mocha Brown ($31.
50, originally $45) Aritzia Golden Life Cheeky Hi-Rise 5" Short in Rich Mocha Brown ($48) I'm always in search of the perfect brown color way, and Aritzia really nailed it with the Rich Mocha Brown. I love the combo of this high-neck tank with the bike shorts. While I'm super into the cut and feel of the top, I wish it had a built-in bra: The under-boob sweat lines were real after a 90-minute practice.
It's not a huge issue — sweat is going to happen — but I would have been slightly more comfortable if there was a lining. Now, this pair of shorts is in the Golden Life fabric — the one that's slightly thicker. This works super well for shorts, and I didn't find that the waist band rolled down in the same way as the leggings in the same fabric.
They also do wonders for smoothing the hips and butt. Top Rating: ★★★★ Shorts Rating: ★★★★★ Additional Details About the Aritzia Golden Collection Where Is the Aritzia Golden Collection Available? You can find all the Golden products exclusively at Aritzia.com .
Aviel Kanter is the director of branded content for Vox Media, and oversees lifestyle content across the portfolio of brands. She manages a team of editors that writes articles in the wellness, fitness, beauty, fashion, health, entertaining, pets, and finance categories. She is also a beauty enthusiast and contributes many articles to the PS Beauty editorial site.
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