Years ago the tracksuit was something only associated with middle-aged sports coaches and PE teachers. Well, how times have changed. Just as we’ve almost edited Juicy Couture’s designer tracksuit days from our fashion-disaster memories, sportswear has recently made a revival. The tracksuit is no longer an item confined to the walls of your living room on a slobbish Sunday, but has made a chic appearance on the catwalks of many designer powerhouses.
Chloé was one of the main designers taking tracksuits from tacky to tasteful for Spring 16, flaunting tracksuit tops over girly, floral skirts, cleverly fusing the line between womenswear and menswear. However, full-bodied matching tracksuits were also dominant, finished with striped sides in true sportswear fashion. If you’re not feeling brave enough to dive straight into the full on casual look then look to Paco Rabanne’s Spring 16 collection for inspiration and try pairing your tracksuit bottoms with a smart top, cashmere chunky knit and your best designer bag for true sports luxe.
The return of the tracksuit alludes to the idea of the move in womenswear towards gender-free dressing. We’ve gender-neutralised and restructured our wardrobes into staple, basic pieces and in doing so blurred the line between smart and casual. Cottweiler is one of the main brands doing this, originally a menswear brand but recently reinvented as a unisex brand, women are also buying their relaxed sporty styles. For those that aren’t ready to take their sweats off yet, it looks like the laid-back 90’s tracksuit trend is here to stay after making recent appearances at New York Fall 16 Fashion Week by designers such as Baja East and Rihanna’s line, Fenty x Puma.
Celebrities are leading the way when it comes to taking the athletic-looking trend into an everyday stylish look. Follow in Kylie Jenner’s footsteps and get one in every colour, so comfy you’ll never want to wear anything else. Vicky Pollard could have had a point with the matching tracksuit; go big or go home. It’s a statement piece. You can’t wear something as brazen as the tracksuit without some confidence, it’s a look that can go either way and maybe that’s why we love it for it’s tackiness. There’s a sense of danger when choosing such a controversial outfit.
Love it or hate it, the tracksuit is a style we can no longer ignore, are you brave enough to remove your tracksuit from the guilty secret of your hangover wardrobe and join the trend?
Hannah Brown
Image courtesy of Daily Read List