My wish has come true. I can channel my favorite Disney princess when I play pickleball.

The official Disney Store has released a small collection of four athletic dresses (perfect for playing pickleball) inspired by iconic Disney princesses, Cinderella, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Ariel (The Little Mermaid), and Rapunzel (Tangled).

These classic dresses have everything you need on the court: built-in bra, shorts (with pockets for your phone!), and a fit and flare silhouette that is flattering on every body type. 

This lineup of athletic Disney princess dresses feels so nostalgic. They almost remind me of the tulle and polyester princess dresses I lived in when I was three years old. But, these are the adult sporty girl version for those who still are kids at heart.

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Disney Store (@disneystore)

These dresses are playful, youthful, girly, and honestly perfect for girls who love to go Disney bounding - or moms eager to play dress-up with their kids. It’s just too cute. 

So, let’s rank these three dresses.

1.     Cinderella

At the top of the list, we have Cinderella’s athletic dress.

I think it’s a crying shame that Rapunzel doesn’t get the best dress because she’s my absolute favorite – but that’s how you know you can trust my opinion because even though I want to be biased, I have to be honest.

The light Cinderella blue is absolutely gorgeous and so flattering. I love the white pattern on the skirt that features elements from the original cartoon like the glass slipper, castle, and carriage. Overall, it’s subtle (which cannot be said about the others). It’s dainty and simply timeless, a lot like the princess herself. 

This dress was also the first to completely sell out in all sizes, so clearly my opinion is the majority too. Cinderella would absolutely be the best dressed player on the pickleball court. 

2.     Ariel – The Little Mermaid

Second on the list, we have Ariel from The Little Mermaid. 

I love the ombre purple to seafoam green color pallet. The little shell detailing is so cute and a perfect reference to her life before she got her legs. The fluttery silhouette feels like a classic Disney princess, but makes it modern. And it’s the most unique in the lineup when it comes to the silhouette. 

The standout feature is the flutter sleeves. They are just so pretty and eye-catching. 

I wrestle with the color pallet a little bit. I think the ombre with the purple overlay on the front is a little jarring, and even more severe looking from the back. But I like the movement with the overlay. It would be a great twirling dress (which is important for a princess, duh). 

But overall, very pretty. A great dress where you can easily spot the inspiration. 

3.     Rapunzel – Tangled

Third on the list is Rapunzel from Tangled. 

I hate to say it, but this just doesn’t stick out that much. It feels “fine.” And to me, it feels too boring for a princess that’s so vibrant and beloved. 

With all the flower motifs in the movie and in her actual princess dress, the skirt is missing floral patterns similar to the Cinderella design. I also think they’re severely missing a bodice or corset top, similarly to the 11NIL dresses. Rapunzel’s princess dress literally has a corset, so that detail would be just as fashionable as it is accurate to the princess they’re referencing.

And where I think Ariel’s sleeves added so much beauty to the dress, I think these sleeves are atrocious. I’m personally biased against stripes, and the colors of the stripes are way too jarring. I feel like they aren’t cohesive at all with the rest of the dress. My eyes are drawn to those stripes in a negative way. 

I almost want to rip off those sleeves like that one scene from Aquamarine. 

4.     Aurora – Sleeping Beauty

And at the bottom of the list, we have Aurora. 

Oh, childhood me would be so offended by this choice (I lived in my pink Aurora dress for a solid year when I was little). I love the bold hot pink, and I think the ombre skirt could be good, but the pattern absolutely ruins it for me. 

Where the light blue and white design from Cinderella is subtle and elegant, I find Aurora’s to be way too distracting. The spindle feels so big. And isn’t that the item that basically killed her in the movie? Shouldn’t the pattern feature the birds or fairies or even a rose? 

Additionally, if the skirt was a softer color instead of that bold pink, the design wouldn’t feel so loud. 

Is it just me or does the crown at the center of the top look askew? 

Looking at Aurora’s actual princess dress, I think this athletic dress could’ve benefitted from a much more interesting neckline, perhaps more similar to Ariel’s. A V-neck with a bodice top directly aligns with the original princess design. And they could also add a white scalloped hem at the bottom. Even a fluttery overlay on the waist. 

And if they really wanted to take this dress over the top, why not indulge on the pink versus blue debate in the movie?

I just think they need to ditch the pattern and focus on modernizing the gorgeous dressmaking elements they have from the original princess dresses. 

---

But considering all of that, all the dresses are either completely sold out or have only a few remaining. Clearly, there’s a huge demand for athletic princess dresses. 

I know I want to feel as pretty as a princess when I hit the pickleball court. That’s literally my goal.

So, I’d love to see this small collection expanded. They have such a variety of great characters to choose from. I even see this expanding into all the other characters, not just princesses. 

How cute would it be to have a little Tinker Bell edition? Or an entire villain line? Tell me Cruella de Vil's little black and white tennis dress wouldn’t be so unbelievably fabulous. Or, they could even make a bold red dress with yellow lightning bolts for Lightning McQueen. They could truly take this to infinity and beyond.