BO+TEE REVIEW

Oh Polly brought out the gym wear brand 'Bo+Tee' mid February 2020 and it's been a craze ever since. They came out with their first seamless collection which was made up of two different tops, one sleeved, high neck crop top and another which was a stappy, v neck sports bra and then high waisted leggings and shorts in a selection of 6 colours. The initial collection did get a lot of hype because a lot of people love Oh Polly for mainly their going out dresses and outfits and they are known for their high quality, so everyone wanted to try out their attempt at entering a new market. The tops were sold for £27 and £23 which is quite expensive for what I would spend on sports tops but then compared to Gymshark it is quite reasonable, but a bold move for a new brand, their Oh Polly reputation really carried this and persuaded people that it would be worth the higher cost. The leggings were priced at £28 and the shorts £25 which again is a reasonable price if they are high quality.

When the collection dropped the items sold out really fast and I wasn't able to get a hold of anything, but one of my friends did so I asked her thoughts on the pieces and whether it was worth me trying get when they next restocked and she said she loved them and they were great quality but recommended I get the crop tops rather than the sport bra as its not very supportive. So I brought some things one I think their third restock as things were selling out so quickly and I was able to get the cream leggings and crop top, the blue leggings and the Lilac leggings as they were all in stock in an XS so I wanted to try out what I could whilst they were stocked. Something that disappointed me was that the Oh Polly 20% student discount didn't work on the Bo+Tee pieces. So I paid £111 for the three leggings and crop top which is quite a lot but I did get a lot so I think it depends on how much you want to spend on your gym wear, I personally wear leggings all the time, to uni or around the house, especially at this time when comfort is key, so I was happy to invest in some leggings and I had been looking for a sports top.

They came after I think 3 days which I was happy with at this time I know parcels are being delayed. When I first took them out of the packaging I thought the leggings looked tiny and there is no way I can fit in them, but when I actually tried them on they were really stretchy and fitted me perfectly, however the top was a bit too big, which I got in a medium as I usually have to size up for tight fitting tops and sports bras and Oh Polly sizing is usually quite small so I thought this would fit me best but I would recommend sizing down if you want a tight fitting top. The top was really thick and you couldn't see through it at all which is great, however the cream leggings were really see through, even when I was wearing nude underwear so this was really disappointing and I ended up returning as I couldn't wear these in public. The other two coloured leggings were really nice, they are all a great material, very different to my other gym leggings, they are very comfortable and well fitted, which is a must for gym leggings and weren't see through at all.

They started to sneak peak the second collection a month after the first launched, mid March posting photos of the new pieces on their instagram to begin the anticipation. The new collection didn't drop until April 9th, so they really kept people waiting, but this also added to the hype as they drip feed followers sneak peaks of the new colours and styles. This was their Slinky collection which featured, 3 different tops, a long sleeve crop top, a slinky crop top with tie features and a ruched v neck sports bra, something for everyones needs and preferences. They also came out with full length leggings and high waisted shorts all in 5 different colours, these colours were all very bright and perfect for spring. I honestly wasn't the biggest fan of this collection, I much preferred the seamless collection styles but thats all down to personal taste.

The newest collection they have released is another seamless collection, with new styles and colours. They first started teasing the collection May 9th, a month after the last release. The collection went live on May 18th and I was quick to get on the website a grab some pieces of the first drop this time. I had been loving the sneak peaks of the collection, the styles and colours were very me so I had been waiting for them to be released, I was actually quite quick to make it onto the website and check out with all the items I had wanted really quickly and easily, however my friend was trying to get some things and really struggled to find her size in stock and had a few check out issues with it failing several times. This collection was made up of three different top styles, a cross strap sports bra (£30), a high neck crop top (£30) and a long sleeve crop top (£32) and a pair of high waisted leggings (£35) and shorts (£32) and their first unitard for £35 and a cropped jumper for £45. These pieces came in six new colours, quite a variety of dark and light colours to suit everyones skin tones and preferences. The first thing I noticed about this collection is how much more expensive it is than the first seamless collection, when the leggings are the same just different colours this doesn't really make sense. I then looked back to compare the prices and noticed that they have actually upped the prices on the first seamless collection, the leggings from £28 to £32 and the crop top from £27 to £29 which I think is really unfair and must be their way of justifying the higher price of the newest collection. They have seen that it has been successful and want to make as much money as possible out of it but I don't agree with upping the original prices, they are already on the pricey side. I love the new styles, they are very simplistic and clean but also very trendy and great pieces for those who want to put in an effort and look good whilst working out.

However this upped price didn't stop me buying some of the new collection, I fell in love with the high neck crop tops as that is really my style and I thought I could wear it with so many different outfits as well as working out in it, its also very conservative and supportive which is what I like in a sports bra/ top. I also loved my leggings from the first collection so wanted to get so more in different colours. I also love two pieces and that is something I love about this brand, that you can really mix and match to make your perfect outfit as all of the pieces come in the variety of colours. So I brought the high neck top and full length leggings in Lemon and Blue and this came to £130, which is a lot for just two gym sets. I ordered the tops in a small this time in hope that they would fit me better than the first medium I brought but it actually wasn't too much better which was very disappointing and I definitely wouldn't think I would fit in an XS top so I'm not sure how they are doing their sizing but it isn't in line with their Oh Polly sizing which was what I was expecting. The tops are again amazing quality, very thick and supportive and I would recommend those if thats your style but defiantly size down for maximum support. But the leggings I again got in an XS and they fit exactly the same as the first however the lemon leggings were again completely see through a like to the cream, I didn't think they would be as bad as they has the lemon colouring but they were probably even worse so I sent these back. I love the blue, the colour is gorgeous and I ended up selling my first blue leggings as I much preferred these.