Last week Athleta’s tall sale was the widest we had seen from them, and we said the flat 30% and 40% rates were the part with an expiry date and that the fall pieces were worth buying at those prices. That is what happened. The promotion ended, roughly a quarter of the tall styles that were discounted went back to full price, and most of what stayed on sale got shallower.
Our Athleta tall fit guide has the sizing detail if you are new to their tall range.
The sale is half the size it was
| Last week | Now | |
|---|---|---|
| Share of tall styles on sale | 70% | 50% |
| Typical discount | 30% off | 30% off |
| Share of the sale at 40% off | 20% | 10% |
The typical discount held at 30%, so the rate did not change. What changed is how much of the store it covers. Tops took the hardest hit, dropping from about two thirds of the category on sale to under a fifth. Jackets went from roughly 85% on sale to about half.
Everything we named last week costs more today
This is the clearest illustration of what a flat promotional rate does when it ends.
Elation Ultra High Rise 7/8 Legging · $71 today, $53 last week, tall XS to XL, Mystic
We named this at $53 seven days ago. Mystic went from 40% off to 20% off, and Garden and Bright White went from $53 all the way back to the full $89. Black and Ash are full price as well. One colorway carries a discount now where five did last week.
Endless High Rise Pant · $76 today, $65 last week, tall 0 to 16, eight colors
The 40% rate on Athleta’s best-known tall pant became 30%, so the price rose about $11 across eight colorways. The full 0 to 16 run is still there in most colors. The Cardinal colorway that was clearing at $55 has left the tall range entirely.
Skyline Zip Pant · $104 today, $89 last week, tall 0 to 16, Black, Pearl or Nocturnal
Full price two weeks ago, $89 last week, $104 now. All three colors carry the complete size run.
Venice High Rise Wide Leg Pant · $83, 30% off, tall XS to XL, Navy
Navy is the last colorway holding the 30% rate. Mystic went from $77 to the full $129, and Ash, Nocturnal, Black and Abalone are all back at full price. Umber sits in between at $95.
The one we told you to buy is gone
Skyline High Rise Barrel Leg Pant in Slate was $60 for five weeks running, and we called it the one to actually buy because it was standing clearance rather than promotional pricing. It is sold out in tall.
That is the trade with clearance pricing. It holds through promotions that come and go, and then the stock runs out instead of the price going up.
Skyline High Rise Barrel Leg Pant · $83 (was $139), 40% off, tall 0 to 16, five colors at this price
Savanna, Jungle, Navy, Black and Bright White held the 40% rate through the expiry, which makes this the deepest discount left on a full-length tall pant at Athleta. Every one of the five carries the complete 0 to 16 run. Solstice and Olive Branch are $100.
One thing went the other way
Venice High Rise Jogger · $69 (was $98), 30% off, tall XS to XL, six colors at this price
Full price last week and newly marked down in six colorways with complete size runs, which makes it the only meaningful new discount at Athleta this week.
What to do about it
The pattern here is now three weeks old and worth remembering: Athleta runs a flat promotional rate across a wide slice of the tall range, holds it for a week or two, then lets it expire and the prices return. If you are watching something at 30% or 40% off, the discount is the temporary part.
Underneath that, a small number of styles sit at odd discounts like 55% or 65% that do not move when the promotions change. Those are real clearance, and they end by selling out. The Slate barrel pant is what that looks like.
The practical read for this week: the Skyline barrel pant at $83 is the best full-length tall bottom Athleta has on sale, and the Venice jogger at $69 is the only fresh markdown. Everything else is more expensive than it was seven days ago, so there is no hurry.
See what the other three stores did in our Sale Radar roundup.
Prices, sizes, and stock checked September 9, 2026. Discount figures are typical across the tall styles we looked at. Some links are affiliate links; see our disclosure.