What have you been doing in 2020? In many ways, the answer is unlikely to be what you originally envisioned. You’ve probably spent hours on end hunched over a desk at home rather than the office, swapped those swimming sessions for indoor workouts and… you get the picture.
One picture you probably don’t quite get yet, though, is exactly what you should wear to ensure that you meet your pandemic-conscious needs while making a positive impression with your style, too.
Look at what’s already in your wardrobe
Before we go much further, it’d probably be worth us defining what exactly athleisure is. Augusta Free Press writer Jacob Maslow sums it up well: “Once just for the gym, these newer styles of men’s clothing can be worn for even the most formal of business meetings.”
Since athleisure blurs the lines between gym gear and “everyday” clothing, you could find surprising success in repurposing much of your existing workout clothing as standard wear.
Redefine your assumptions about athleisure
“Athleisure” is one of those rather slippery categories that can be hard to define precisely. For this reason, you should probably be wary of too often spurning a particular piece of clothing simply out of a belief that doesn’t technically constitute athleisure.
Maslow points out that even polo shirts, trainers and sweatshirts all “have their roots in athletics, from hardwood courts to lawn games to regattas”, despite this clothing’s modern ubiquity. Therefore, don’t just assume that your local clothing store has a dedicated “athleisure” section.
Take inspiration from celebrities
Well, they are in the spotlight, so they obviously have to be especially conscious of how they look – right down to their clothing. They tend to be trendsetters, too; just consider the example of Kanye West, who designer Payal Singhal has lauded for his athleisure style.
Earlier this year, Payal told India’s The Economic Times: “I am personally going through an athleisure phase and it’s a look that Kanye carries best in my opinion.”
However, remember to prioritise functionality and performance
However nicely a particular piece of clothing looks, you have to remember that you need to be comfortable wearing it for lengthy, sustained periods of time. Otherwise, you will just be desperate to remove it before too long, defeating the whole point of buying it for its style.
Fortunately, many materials included in athleisure clothing for practical reasons also tend to, quite simply, look awesome. These materials are often sleek, modern and futuristic-looking, making the clothing look truly 2020 in the right – read, attractive – way.
Make sure your athleisure clothing choices are versatile
With the pandemic unlikely to entirely fade away before the year is out, you should, where possible, opt for clothing that seems relatively pandemic-proof.
Fortunately, athleisure can strike a good balance for those Zoom calls, looking neither too stuffy nor too formal. If your Zoom calls demand a suit jacket, you could just remove the top half of a tracksuit for that as and when necessary. Why not click here for an array of men’s tracksuits?
Images from MMSCENE Portraits featuring Malcolm by Ruben Vallejo – See the full story here
