Athletic Appeal
This autumn, it’s time to look smart, not prim and proper smart, but street smart. Fashion’s overwhelming embrace of living a fit and healthy lifestyle is seeing novel changes in casual streetwear that are not only athletic-inspired and gym approved, but are also super sartorially. We revisit and rewrite the rulebook on the threads from your old Physical Education school days, because frankly, these looks are just too cool for school.
Let’s face it, we’d all like to be more active in our day-to-day lives, but sometimes it’s just tough. Still, the complications of wearing fragile designer outfits day to day are obvious; you’ve often got to deal with the anxieties of wearing an expensive item of clothing that might accidentally snag, rip or tear. Add into the mix the additional precariousness of Chinese washing machines, and it’s no wonder that we’re seeing a surge of easy to maintain sportswear pieces in the collections of Chloé, Alexander Wang, and Phillip Lim.
And unlike the sloppy gym uniforms you were forced to wear in your adolescence, today’s sportswear collections are much better tailored to suit a customer’s shape, and many of the ready-to-wear pieces seen on the high street now not only look great, but additionally do wonders in emphasising a person’s natural physique. Some sportswear pieces are even well-tailored enough to wear to your office job and later to your dinner date without breaking a sweat.
What’s trending right now is putting these comfy pieces together in a way that doesn’t look like sportswear. Following the example of people like Kim Kardashian, you can look deceptively outfitted in posh attire that allows you to break into a jog or head straight to the gym after leaving the office. Geared towards fitting around our fast paced lifestyles, most of the pieces on the high street right now fall snuggly (not tightly) over your body and come in smart, neutral colours, meaning that you can wear them just about anywhere.
One of the leading brands that’s been heading this trend is adidas, and a browse round its Huaihai Zhong Lu store offers a unique and vast selection of good looking, versatile and functional threads with its autumn line.
adidas Originals. 841 Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Maoming Nan Lu. Tel: 6473 3277. Web: www.adidas.com
Top Tips
• Stick to a clean, monochrome palette with fabrics such as leather, cotton and jersey. Wearing a leather jacket over a jersey dress for example adds a subtle polished effect.
• To make the outfit look extra sharp, we recommend when wearing grey pieces to add just a splash of colour (like the men’s David Beckham top seen pictured below), which invokes an utterly cool retro vibe.
• Women can dress it up a bit by looking for outfits with clever cut-outs on the shoulders, hip or in the décolleté area, as seen in Stella McCartney’s collection, as they reveal just enough without losing the androgynous edge.
Got errands to run throughout the day? Pair this cardigan with some skinny denim jeans for an easy, on-the-go look.
Women’s Modern Ivy Cardigan (RMB 680)
These monochrome pieces teamed with a pair of black trousers can be worn just about anywhere, for comfort and style.
Men’s Blue Collection Jacket (RMB 1,880); Men’s Blue Collection Baseball Top (RMB 480); Hat, model’s own
For Sporty meets Posh Spice, these shoes are great for a long day at the office or an evening occasion.
Women’s Blue Collection Wedge Boots (RMB 1,380)
You can team these funky fly-kicks up with just about everything.
Men’s Ransom Shoes (RMB 1,280)
Soft and lightweight, these blue sneakers are a no-brainer.
Men’s Blue The Soloist/KZK Sneakers (RMB 1,280)
A knitted sweater and leggings like these make you want to join a pick-up game of dodgeball.
Women’s Blue Collection Knit Sweater (RMB 980); Women’s Blue Collection Leggings (RMB 580); Hat & shoes, model’s own.
Take note: A formidable man looks dashing on and off the field.
Men’s David Beckham Top (RMB 580); Men’s David Beckham Sweat Pants (RMB 980); Men’s David Beckham Shoes (RMB 1,580)
