I’m neither athletic nor sporty, and the Athleisure trend is not my thing. I don’t wear shorts, leggings, skorts, joggers, polar fleece, basic tees and tanks, baseball caps, or gortex for casual wear. I avoid wearing sports gear unless it’s an absolute necessity, like trail shoes for canyon walking, or body-con spandex for yoga practice. But I do have a sporty element to my style, and here’s why.
Elements of sporty style are varied and aren’t necessarily overt. In my case, these elements are subtle, preppy, refined and dressy. Wearing casual knits with horizontal stripes, colour blocked pullovers, structured sweatshirts, cashmere hoodies, polo tops, non-athletic sneakers, casual crossbody bags, puffer jackets and coats, lace bomber jackets, and a white backpack is sporty my way. A sporty and casual integrity, but not athletic and not made of technical fabric.
Here are the items from my wardrobe that I consider sporty:
I style these subtle sporty items in dressier ways, and with structure. Fits range from tailored to fluid, and nothing is oversized. I wear sneakers with dressy frocks, dressy coats, fancy suits, and pearls. I combine striped tops with lace skirts. I layer a hoodie under a blazer with pearls. Polo tops are matched with dressy skirts, trousers and pearls. Hi-tops go with structured pants, dressy toppers and dressy satchels. Colour blocked knitwear and sweatshirts go under dressy toppers with pearls. And every outfit is finished with light make-up and styled hair for extra polish.
Over to you. Are there sporty elements to your style? If so, are these sporty elements athletic, or are they more subtle like mine?
