Rese’s Pieces: Fitnesswear With Built-in Cues

Rese Activewear makes it easier to perfect your form.

We’ve heard the instructions “draw your navel to your spine,” “close your rib cage,” and “keep your shoulders and pelvis vertically stacked” hundreds, if not thousands, of times in our years of Pilates and other core-conditioning classes. And, frankly, we’re still not sure whether we’re doing it right. Now, a new stylish line of fitness garb promises some help. Rese Activewear boasts its tops and bottoms have “built-in personal trainers,” and that’s only a bit of an overstatement.

The tops are designed with elements like strategically placed seams at the rib cage, contrast side stitching and inset chest panels that help you isolate your core muscles and check your alignment visually. The logo on the bottoms is placed right at the navel; watch it move in and out so you can be sure you’re breathing properly. What’s more, the tops are cut long and fit snugly, so they don’t ride up during inversions and also allow your instructor to see whether you’re maintaining proper form.

Created by Gail Reisman, a former department-store buyer and longtime Pilates enthusiast, Rese Activewear combines function (high-tech fabrics to wick away sweat) with chic (jackets and tunics for post-workout polish) to take you gracefully from pelvic tilts to brunch or shopping. Find the line, priced from $34 (for a sports bra) to $98 (for a fitted jacket) at resepilates.com.

Wearing flattering fitnesswear has a funny way of making us look forward to our workouts. Do you have a favorite brand?

Tags: Biology, Core, department-store buyer, high-tech fabrics, Hospitality/Recreation, Human rib cage, Medical education, Physiology, Pilates, Tops Markets LLC, USD