A friend of a friend, casually said, “I don’t dress up anymore”, at a dinner I went to a couple of Fridays ago. I nearly choked on a wingding I was gnawing on.
She was around my age, mid to late twenties, and recently started a new job at a digital startup. After leaving a cushy marketing job in a huge corporation where the office standard was to “dress to the nines day in and out”, she’s now sublimely happy to be in a laid back environment where as she say folks can “wear their loose tees and yoga pants” to work. She proudly remarked that her yoga pants of choice are Lululemon.
Let me clarify, I wasn’t shocked by what she said more like caught off guard. In a culture, where the symbol of status for many women is a fresh pair of Louboutins, skintight dresses, flowy hair, and perfectly contoured makeup done up so well folks leave bewildering comments on Youtube beauty transformations, I found it refreshing. This friend of a friend is a proud card carrying member of the athleisure club.
Unfamiliar with the term? “Athleisure” is defined as clothing inspired by or is performance gear and/or activewear, though the clothes aren’t intended for the gym or any type of strenuous activity. In other words, you’re not supposed to sweat in your sweating clothes. In fact, athleisure or “cozy cool”, as its called in some circles, is supposed to be technical. Hoodies now feature a breathable mesh, slimming fleece sweats have a cuffed hem for a jogger effect, and tights have moisture wicking which moves moisture away from the skin. Most sneakers (like the now sold out Yeezy 350 Boost) feature a “high tech “ digital knit. Thus, the athleisure trend is less couture inspired and more streetwear meets gym rat meets Silicon Valley savant.
Yet, high fashion has embraced athleisure for seasons. In 2011, Alexander Wang made sweatpants chic along with his classic Rocco bags and even incorporated the atheistic into his popular H&M line. Stella McCartney has long had a coveted Adidas line boasting performance fabrics and spandex that is worn for the gym and out. Even Kanye West has dressed down his wife and muse, Kim, for a slummier look albeit in the launch of his latest runway collection. But who’s to say that trend is here to stay? Major retailers are predicting stores to carry the looks for a long time as it blends into everyday fitness and wearable tech. Common mall staples like GAP and Old Navy are capitalizing off it, offering price points drastically lower than those of Wang, McCartney, and even Lululemon. Why spend $100 for a performance fabric tight when you can go to the major retailer (Old Navy) that has made a touchstone on such apparel for 10 bucks?
Still many predict that the pendulum will swing from athleisure like so many before it (remember, normcore?), in favor of something more high fashion. But for now, as celebs and tastemakers like Reese Witherspoon, Drake, and the Kardashian/ Jenners are making the trend posh, there’s no end it sight.
As for my friend of a friend, hopefully she’ll let me into her club chapter.
Images via Le Souk, Kim Kardshian-West’s Instagram
The post Going to the Gym or Nah: The Rise of Athleisure appeared first on lowefactor.