JD Williams Sportswear Review

Smiling dark haired girl in graden next to a bush, wearing tropical blue leggings and black vest top

Finding the right gym kit can be a right old chore, can’t it? First and foremost you want it to be comfy, almost like a second skin, supporting you in all the right places whilst still allowing your body to move unrestricted. Plus the fit has to be absolutely bang on too, because let’s face it camel toe when you’re squatting just ain’t a good look no matter how hard you try to work it. And whilst we’re on the subject of how it looks, a girl’s gotta look good, cos it totally makes you work out better, right!?!

As someone who runs and also does a bit of strength work and HIIT sessions on the side it’s important to me to have multi functional sportswear that I can use for both types of exercise. The key criteria for me is stretchy material, seams that don’t dig in, leggings with a high waist, longer tops that cover up the risk of the aforementioned camel toe and pockets…you gotta have pockets!

I was recently sent some new ladies sportswear from the online home shopping company JD Williams and having never tried any of their clothes before I was really keen to see how they compare to what I currently wear.

Sports High Waist Printed Legging

Great so straightaway these leggings tick the high waist box and they certainly live up to their name. Lovely stretchy teal palm print material, that rise up enough to completely cover the mum tum without feeling as if you’ve got to hold your breath in, which is always a bonus. I’ve also got relatively chunky legs in comparison to the rest of my body, I’m a classic pear shape, so sometimes it can feel like I’ve already done a 20 minute workout simply trying to put the damn things on! But because this fabric is so lightweight it was an absolute breeze to pull them on and they felt really nice and comfy.

The only thing I will say is that because the fabric is thin, they might not be enough for your winter runs, so they’re probably more suited for summer or indoor workouts. The seams are also quite visible and I wonder how long they’ll last with continuous stretching, lunging and squatting…I guess time will tell. Priced at £26.00 (and actually they’ve just gone into the sale, so even better!) you can’t really argue with the quality of them however – they felt comfy, they washed well, they got some proper envious looks from my run pals and the palm print is lush!

Sport Double Layer Vest

The thing I absolutely adore about this top is that there are actually two of them, yeah seriously it’s a BOGOFF moment and we love that! A lot of the double-layered vests I’ve come across are attached to one another, usually by some kind of stitching either on the straps or towards the bottom of the side seams, which is fine, I mean it’s a fashion thing, right? But this one, oh yes this one, it doesn’t have any of that stitching thing going on, no siree so you get the on trend double layer thing going on as well as being able to wear both separately as well. The top layer is black mesh, so admittedly on its own it’s probs a bit risqué, but it can be teamed up with any other vest you own making it an incredibly versatile piece in your activewear wardrobe. And underneath you have the palm print vest, which matches perfectly with the palm print leggings above. For £24.00 you’re actually getting three tops if you think about it, which is such good value for money. I love the fact that it comes down slightly lower than the average vest top, it’s loose so allows plenty of freedom of movement, it looks lush and well I still can’t get over the fact you’re getting three tops in one!

Sports Running Jacket

Out of the three items I love this one the most, as I’ve been on the look out for a running jacket for a while, but I’ve yet to find one that has everything I want and need. Now I’m not saying this one meets ALL my rather tough and fussy requirements, but it does come pretty damn close.  It looks and feels the biz, and I’d feel quite happy wearing this jacket whether I’m working out or not.  The water resistant outer layer makes it practical, but in a cool not cagoule way, and the inner feels fleecy and snug, making it great for winter running. Feature-wise we’ve got a hood that stays up (not much to ask really, is it!?!), thumb loops on the sleeve (I personally love this on a top as it somehow makes me feel more secure and in control when I run, not sure how that works but it does…) and then there are the pockets. Two side pockets with zips (yes zips!) meaning all your belongings can be kept nice and safe. If I was being mega, mega fussy I’d mention that I’d quite like some internal pockets, maybe a couple of reflective strips and possibly a couple of vents for sweat release (I’m a sweaty gal what can I say), but for £38.00 you’re deffo getting what you pay for.

To conclude, I was really pleased with all three items and it makes a refreshing change to order clothes in a particular size, the size that I know myself to be, and they fit exactly as I expect them to. Having not really heard of the brand that much before and certainly having never looked around their website nor ordered anything from them before, I will be looking on their site again when I next need, OK let me correct myself, when I next want new running kit.

All of these items are available in sizes 12 – 28 and can be purchased from the JD Williams website along with a wide range of other women’s and men’s sportswear.

 

*Products gifted for review.
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