Athletic Wear

Hey everyone, and happy October 1st! I can’t believe it’s already October. 2016 is flying by.

Today I want to delve into a different realm of fashion that I think is starting to become a more popular choice of dress: athletic wear!

As a little kid, I used to be completely opposed to anything that wasn’t flats, boots, or sandals. I didn’t really like tennishoes or sneakers (converse were an exception), and I wasn’t one for sweats or running shorts, unless a sport required it. I was really into dressing up back then and I didn’t think sporty clothes were fashionable at all. Today I’m still into dressing up, but as I’ve gotten older, my perspective has changed. In middle school I got really into fitness, and it wasn’t like I could wear a skirt and flats to get a workout in, so I eventually learned to appreciate sporty clothes. Now I love them when the occasion is right, and there’s nothing I love more than a pair of sneakers, especially if they’re sporty.

I think fashion is relevant for any circumstance or occasion, including working out or playing a sport. Maybe it’s just me, but I like to look cute when I’m working out or at practice. I think the saying “dress for success” is applicable to athletic wear as much as it is to normal clothing. If I show up at school wearing sweats( which is a rarity), I feel like going to bed, and I don’t feel as sharp in my classes. If I’m dressed up, I feel like I’m doing a job and I perform better. I could say the same about what I wear to practice, except in that setting its more about confidence. There have actually been a few studies done that support the idea that trendy workout clothes might affect performance. The phenomenon is called “enclosed cognition”, which pretty much means our mental state changes when we wear certain things. This may not be true for everyone, but I find truth in this. If a person has super cute Nike sneakers or Lululemon apparel(a place I have yet to venture to) it might make them actually want to work out,and might make them work harder because why wouldn’t they? They’re wearing Nike and Lulu, and they look the part. Whenever I see Nike ad campaigns I always want to look as sporty as the athletes because they look like they know what they’re doing,and that’s how I want to look.

On the other side of the athletic wear spectrum there’s “athleisure.”

I’m assuming most people are familiar with this term or this new trend, but for those that aren’t, athleisure is the concept of athletic wear being moved out of the gym and into social settings or other occasions. This is where the “leisure” part comes from. Leggings and yoga pants probably deserve the most credit for this movement. Athleisure is a fusion of sporty and normal everyday clothes. In my outfit I paired running shorts with a bomber jacket that could’ve easily been worn with something more dressy. I think athleisure rose out of our evolving culture and it has kind of a cool factor. It’s been made fashionable. Athleisure is great for those who don’t workout but want to look like they do. Of course, people that do workout take part in this movement too.

In this day in age we dress more casually than ever before. I attribute this to a more progressive society where we can’t tell who’s a CEO and who’s a middle class citizen. Clothing isn’t as much of a status symbol anymore. I also think technology is to thank because we can do so many things now from the comfort of our homes, in our sweats, and this carries over into other parts of life. We are also in a bit of a fitness craze right now, so that could also be a factor. I don’t think I can count how many people( moms in particular) I know who aren’t obsessed with tracking their steps on fit bits…

I like to appreciate all fashion, so I’ve compiled a collection of different sporty looks as inspiration for when it’s time to hit the gym or even grab a coffee. Some of the links under the photos will direct you straight to other bloggers’ sites. There’s some cool content on there, so if you want to know more about athletic wear or just check out another person’s blog, give it a click!