Stretch-jersey performance leggings selling for $425 are changing the fashion game and we couldn’t be happier.
Despite the current upheaval and uncertainty surrounding the state of head designers, the scheduling of ready-to-wear collections, and the foundation of the fashion industry in general, one thing proves certain; athleisure is here to stay.
Sure, one could argue that the constant parading of yoga pants and sports bras by teen style icons Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid as well as the ever-present merging of sportswear with traditional red carpet glam by pop sensations Zendaya and Rihanna have spurred the movement toward athletic wear.
However, we are giving credit to Fendi; the Italian fashion house silently embracing athleisure’s presence into the luxury, high fashion scene with printed jersey leggings ranging from $400 to $450.
But that’s not all! A variety of jersey fabric tops, cotton-blend sweatshirts, and hooded shell jackets flaunting the brand’s signature logo, monster-inspired designs, and geometric patterns are also available for the Spring/Summer 2016 season on Net-a-Porter’s sportswear site, Net-a-Sporter.
Although we’re likely to stick to our more affordable brands like Nike and Zella for workout attire, we are loving Fendi’s take on athleisure as it changes the definition of the once uncertain trend in today’s fashion industry. For many people, gone are the days of staring in the mirror wondering if it’s acceptable to wear your yoga pants to places other than the gym. By tackling athleisure, the fashion-defining brand not only deems it acceptable to wear leggings out and about, but makes it fashionable as well, which ultimately elevates the fad into a luxury style category of its own.
Of course, we cannot attribute athleisure’s success solely to Fendi. For years, brands such as Victoria’s Secret, Nike, Adidas, Fila, and Puma have promoted the transformation of gym-ready attire into designs with true daily wear and fashion value. However, it was not until recently, with the influx of prestigious designer and brand collaborations that the legging, hoodie, and sneaker combination became a fashion forward statement.
Stella McCartney, Derek Lam, and Riccardo Tisci are merely a few of the designers who have expanded their collections by entering the sportswear universe and teaming up with Adidas, Ioc Athleta, and Nikelab respectively. The finished products fall nothing short of sleek and stylish activewear that is truly trés chic or in italiano, “molto sciccoso”!
The latest celebrities to take on the sporty style are American designer Tory Burch and mega- superstar Beyoncé.
The singer recently released her urban-inspired leotards, bra tops, leggings, and other workout staples flaunting IVY PARK in a collection that perfectly merges the ultimate gym to street apparel combinations.
The vibrantly colored and retro striped-patterned performance activewear of Tory Sport introduces a fresh play on sporty style in her “Coming & Going” collection; a collection less focused on fitting into the athleisure category but is rather concerned with being both stylish and performance-based as well as practical to how women dress.
“It really seemed like a change in the way women were dressing. I started to think, How do we make this stuff chic again? What a lot of sports brands miss is femininity, unless it’s a garish femininity in the form of exposed body parts and neon colors. I was thinking more The Royal Tenenbaums.”
-Tory Burch; courtesy of Vogue
With Burch, Beyoncé, and Fendi at the forefront, the rise of athleisure has become so prominent that even fashion’s famed manual, Vogue, has deemed “the hoodie” as one of spring’s must-haves. In a recent short video, model-of-the-moment, Imaan Hammam, illustrates “how to wear a hoodie all day, every day” by mixing the hooded sweatshirts of Alexander Wang, Hood By Air, and Vetements with everyday wardrobe staples for Vogue’s youtube channel.
If this video doesn’t shout the acceptance of activewear into an everyday clothing staple, we don’t know what does!
Having Zella cropped leggings and Nike mesh tank tops as part of my daily attire, I clearly could not be more fitting nor appreciative of this fashion statement worthy trend.
ciarralorren 