In his paean to the daily constitutional, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami quipped that ‘pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.' Running puts your body through hell — anyone who says it doesn’t isn’t doing it right, but making the right choices when deciding what to wear running can make a big difference.
Running clothes are no longer simply about exercise either, the sports luxe trend has taken running gear from the treadmill to the street with the incredible success of Kanye’s Yeezy sneakers collaboration with Adidas and Beyoncé’s sport luxe IVY PARK collection. The sports luxe trend has made deciding what to wear running ever more exciting. Here’s a quick overview of exciting trends in running gear.
Work the track
Baggy, cotton track pants with an elasticated waistband — the last time you saw this look, Sylvester Stallone was pumping his fist in the air as he ran up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Like Rocky himself, the track pant never really went away, although it might have fallen out of style. Now, however, heavy cotton running clothes are back in a big way.
The classic track pant has been given a much-needed contemporary update. Labels like Eleventy have eschewed the Rocky-style design’s baggy pools of fabric in favour of a tighter, fitted look. Eleventy isn’t the only label rejuvenating the track pant; Rick Owens has remade it in his typical baggy and free-flowing style, with a range of bulky, drop-crotch varieties.
Don’t sweat it
Continuing in the 80s vein of Stallone’s track suit, the humble sweatshirt has come of age, thanks to the attention of labels such as Dolce & Gabbana. Designers like Alexander Wang have also established the runway-meets-treadmill look as a high-fashion staple.
The key to the sports luxe sweatshirt is its simple and low maintenance crew neck, which gives it an edge over its slightly dressier V-neck cousin. Wang’s sweatshirts apply his characteristic lyricism to running gear. His design has printed gashes running up the length of the sweatshirt, a poetic and potentially gruesome reminder of the travails of daily exercise.
Find your true aura
Running gear for women has undergone a rejuvenation thanks to the sports luxe trend, which has brought a runway-ready level of detail to the oft-neglected realm of sportswear. Rita Ora blazed the path for sports luxe with her rambunctious and self-confident sportswear looks.
Whether spotted on the streets of Los Angeles in a statement top or pounding the pavements of London in fitted leggings, Ora’s chic activewear looks strike a perfect balance between catwalk-ready perfection and ready-for-anything practicality. Ever the rebel, Ora’s style makes a statement with a printed or patterned Moschino top, sometimes baring messages mocking high-fashion trends.
Legging it
Cara Delevingne, known to be a stickler for comfort, has also earned a reputation as something of a poster girl for sports luxe. Although unlike Ora, whose fancy is fitted exercise wear, Delevingne opts for loose and flowing items in light materials. A hallmark of Delevingne's style is the use of classic running gear, updated with a tongue-in-cheek print or detail. Philipp Plein, ever the iconoclast, has a range of leggings printed with everything from love hearts to florals.
Sneaker style
Since Kanye dropped his long-awaited Yeezy sneakers to crowds of adoring fans, the sneaker has been at the epicentre of sports luxe chic. Kanye wasn’t the only one getting in on the action. Alexander McQueen debuted a line of starkly minimalist sneakers — a bold departure from the ostentatious detailing favoured by many sportswear designers. The house’s sleek and bold trainers arrest the eye with their self-conscious lack of adornment, some models even eschew laces altogether in favour of velcro, which doesn’t interrupt the sneaker’s pared-back look.
On the womenswear side of the equation, even traditional couture houses are getting in on the sports luxe trend and creating their own running gear for women, with Valentino and Lanvin proffering their own take on the humble sneaker. True to those houses’ respective styles, Valentino kit trainers out in garish pink and ruby, whilst Lanvin adorns sneakers with flowers.
Once upon a time, in the not too distant past, considering what to wear running meant putting all thoughts of fashion to one side and focusing on comfort and expedience. Not so today, as the sports luxe trend has drawn the attention of some of the world’s best designers. Running is no longer a choice between comfort and style as the distinction between the runway and the treadmill becomes ever more blurred.