Technically, it's Fashion
Is "athleisure" finally catching up with the times?
As someone who resides in a suburb that leans more casual than not, the very idea of “athleisure” always gives me one of two immediate feelings: 1. Depression or Disdain, for the lack of creativity and effort, as well as the increased chances of looking like a clone (the dressing alike phenomenon is not relegated to the West Village!) or 2. Sheer Utility, in that there’s no denying we all need performance-driven attire, such as leggings, sports bras and windbreakers, to wear when we work out.
Lately though, I’ve noticed a third sensation beginning to bubble up at the notion of sporty attire…that of Fashion with a Capital F—which tbh, feels both Foreign and Funny. Bc in earnest, how Fashionable can athleisure really be? Perhaps during its nascent days it was considered a revolutionarily chic approach to getting dressed. In fact, I remember launching the “Net-a-Sporter” vertical back in 2014 when I first joined the retailer, which was filled with ritzy athleisure brands like Perfect Moment and Ballet Beautiful. (It’s since been folded and now just a simple “Sport” category on their site.)
But in the past few years (partly thanks to Covid), athleisure started to become a dirty word. It seemed to connote some of the associations I mentioned up top — laziness, little to no effort, sameness and a void of true personal style. In fact, I’m sure some of you will remember this hilariously viral video that popped up nine (!!!) years ago (can’t believe it’s been that long), mocking the rise of “activewear” and all things women did in said activewear BUT workout:
Cut to 2025, and it seems that almost 10 years later, we’re coming to terms with an entirely different approach to athleisure, one that—at last—melds bike shorts and anoraks with button-downs and jeans. A truer representation, perhaps, of what our athleisure ancestors of 2015 envisioned for the category: a non-bifurcated wardrobe that maximizes not only CPW, but also styling possibilities beyond just the workout section of our closets.
I’ll admit—this utopia of seamless wardrobe co-mingling is more often a lofty dream than cold, hard reality. (Although
put the hypothesis to test with flying colors in her post on summer athleisure, as did in her delicious Trail Mix write-up about fashion & the great outdoors.) But if you mix some of their ideas with the overall fashion ether at the moment, and add a dash of weather-favorability thanks to summer’s inherently casual lean, then I think this may be the year that finally delivers us into as close a state of hi-fidelity to the true spirit of athleisure as we’re probably ever going to get.And you know, we didn’t get here overnight! Brands like The Row, Donni, Leset, and even Skims started the movement in those early pandemic years, offering stylish interpretations of “loungewear” that began to loosen up the athleisure category, taking it out of the activewear-only conversation and cementing it more firmly into a 360-degree lifestyle consideration.
On the other end of the spectrum, the likes of Alo, Varley, and Puck Line Sheet favorite Vuori (hi
!) also saw booms in the early pandemic years, joining the ranks of long-standing category leaders Lululemon and Athleta. But for the most part, these brands still leaned more ATH than LEISURE. Yet again, it seemed we were divided into two camps: The Alo Yoga Girlies vs The Leset Girlies.It’s only thanks to the very recent introduction of sporty lifestyle brands like Spence, Literary Sport, H.O.R.S.E., Left on Friday, Tracksmith and Sporty & Rich (to name a few) that we’re finally merging these two camps and entering our Fashion Athleisure era…Fashleisure, if you will? Hideous term, I know…but you get the point. These new brands are capitalizing on residual post-pandemic casual vibes and our collective sartorial training toward luxe yet performance-oriented clothing to finally bridge the gap in our wardrobes between activewear and streetwear, bringing us that much closer to actually wearing windbreakers with dresses and running shorts with lace tops.
Add to that luxury designers’ continued embrace of technical fabrics, activewear silhouettes, and sporty details as seen at Miu Miu, Max Mara and Tory Burch last spring, and more recently at Auralee and Celine this month (both masterpiece collections…!), and the stage has been firmly set for “fashleisure” to finally come into its own.
So today, let’s do what I love to do, and dissect this trend to an inch of its life! Bc for once —and I mean it!!!—I really hope this is NOT A TREND. We’ve been through the fashion rigamarole the past few years, from quiet luxury to gorpcore and everything in between. So if that grueling journey has served to bring us to this point—a state where we can finally and joyfully wear the crap out of all the clothes in our closets together, in one glorious mish mosh—then every painful TikTok-driven micro-trend will have been worth it!
The Technical Jacket
I have to start with the garment that has led this movement in many ways: the technical jacket. This can be any iteration: anorak, parka, track jacket, pullover, windbreaker, etc. The key is in the fabrication. Technical fabrics are those typically reserved for workout wear: soft and slippery to the touch, sometimes moisture wicking, designed for durability and performance. The fabric is critical in this equation, bc it lends that interesting tension to the overall look when paired with street clothes.
Styling Ideas: 1. Wear solo as a shirt, it’s unexpected and easy. 2. Style with a more ‘dressy’ look, such as trousers or a dress, to add tension. 3. Embrace color or vintage for extra personality. 4. Tie around your waist for an added layer of interest. 5. Go for either oversized or super cropped—extremes feel modern and balanced here.
The Sport Short
Summer tis the season of shorts — and if Jordyn’s post wasn’t enough for you, check out
’s recent letters on shorts shopping and styling for more inspo. But if you’re looking to expand beyond denim & linen, may I suggest a fabulous sport short? Not only do you get instant retro street cred thanks to sporty shorts being somewhat synonymous with vintage gym vibes, but they’re also MEGA easy to wear and fabulously comfortable for higher temps. And given that it’s been declared leggings are on their way out, it only makes sense for the sport short to step in and claim its rightful place in the “fashleisure” bottoms category.
Styling Ideas: 1. Pull a Jordyn (or even retro Carrie Bradshaw) and pair with an unexpected, feminine blouse. 2. Wear biker shorts with an oversized, long button-down or mini dress as a peek-a-boo element. 3. Add a kitten heel sandal a la Zoe Kravitz for instant elevation / tension. 4. Layer long biker shorts under mini running shorts for extra interest. 5. Do as
did and layer under sheer dresses or skirts.
The Sweatshirt / Hoodie
Most of us have been wearing sweatshirts with the rest of our wardrobe for a good while now; nothing new here. The instant laid-back chill (and comfort) it adds to most outfits is inherent to its allure. But I’m sure you’d agree that sweatshirts seem to have received a luxe makeover as of late. As seen from the likes of Jamie Haller and Buck Mason, 2025’s humble sweatshirt feels more like a well-designed top vs a ratty old layer. And while I’ll never stop wearing my Buck Mason (and neither will
!), I like the idea of leaning into the true spirit of sweatshirts this summer by embracing ones that are a bit more oversized, casual and less “considered,” if you will. Think a Hanes sweatshirt or Gildan hoodie, old school style. Middle school me would be proud.
Styling Ideas: 1. Wear a cropped sweatshirt with high-waisted pants for easy proportion play. 2. Go oversized and pair with poplin shorts or a miniskirt to counteract its more casual nature. 3. Have fun with vintage sweatshirts, even those with script or logos—they add a ton of personality. 4. If temps climb, take off and tie around your shoulders or waist for serious junior high flashbacks of the best kind! 5. Lean into contrasts; style with skirts, dresses and heels for visual tension or with unexpected materials like silk, lace or chiffon to bring the look down to earth.
The Swimsuit
I don’t want to beat a dead horse, bc everyone from
, , and have already extolled the benefits of wearing your swimsuit as a bodysuit this summer, and I cannot top their incredible styling ideas & advice! I’ll just add to the fray by reiterating how versatile a swimsuit can be, not only in giving you more wearability and styling options in your wardrobe, but also in changing the tone of any given look. You could be in the chicest trousers you own, but pair them with a Speedo one-piece, and it will instantly feel relaxed and fresh. I’m a huge fan of how impactful this tweak can be. Plus—it’s just flat out practical, esp for us suburban moms who practically live at pools during the summer!
Styling Ideas: 1. Play with different silhouettes; a style you may never wear poolside could surprisingly work as a bodysuit when paired with street clothes. 2. Use bikini or bandeau tops as bras with your transparent summer wares for an element of cheeky fun. 3. Similarly, use high waisted bikini bottoms to layer under all those trending sheer skirts & dresses 4. Wear a bra, nipple covers*, or tape those puppies down* (SOGOLE for 15% off!) for extra support. In fact, you can even make the bra part of the outfit (as seen up top with my bandeau). You’re not actually going swimming, so the right undergarments may help make the suit more wearable.
The Performance Accessories
Who knew that paracords & carabiners would give us all heart palps in 2025? We’ve fallen hard for performance accessories that look good but also convey a hint of utility in our looks (check out
’s latest for lots of similarly-vibed, retro summer camp inspo!) Designers are playing with drawstrings, shoelaces, flaps, zippers, pockets and buttons as of late, and the result is enchanting. I love embracing one or two of these accessories in an otherwise tailored or more feminine look to really throw things off the rails—a fit & flare dress with a paracord belt? Yes, please!
Styling Ideas: 1. Don’t be afraid to have fun here—wrap shoelaces around your ankle or wrist as jewelry, throw carabiners on your bags as charms, or embrace the baseball cap more regularly. 2. Pair your performance shoes & sneakers with dresses or trousers to bring everything down to earth. 3. Embrace texture: nylon bags, canvas hats, elastic belts—sky’s the limit! 4. Use performance accessories to inject fun & color into an otherwise minimal outfit for some playful zest.
So what do we all think? Are we finally warmed up & ready for our Sporty Spice era? When it looks this good, and is this easy (and comfortable!!) to incorporate into your everyday wardrobe, there’s no breaking a sweat over the stressful connotations of athlesiure any longer. I, for one, really appreciate that this trend is coming into full force as we head into the height of summer, bc as the heat cranks up, the last thing I want to do is “outfit build.” In fact, the temptation to default to the workout section of my closet on weekends hits an all-time high—and that’s OK! Knowing how to mix and merge my performance gear with my ‘street’ clothes in a way that feels authentic to my style has not only opened up styling doors for me, but also given me permission to wear swimsuits or track jackets with newfound abandon. And why not? Technically, it’s all fashion.
Thank you for reading…until next week! xx
Thanks for being here! If a paid sub is not doable for you right now, you can also show your support by buying me a coffee or by liking, sharing, or commenting on this post! Whatever you decide, thank you so much!
I use affiliate links where applicable throughout my posts, so I may receive a small commission from things you buy (but at no cost to you!) Thank you for supporting me in this little way so I can keep writing every week!
*It’s rare but occasionally brands send me gifts. I will always note these with an asterisk, but I would also never feature anything I don’t love and wear on the regular!
Such a great post for moms! It’s often difficult to work the fashion we love into our daily “uniform”(which can too easily become leggings, again).
Wait, wait, wait, I need to hear so much more about you working at NAP, the gold standard for multi-brand fashion websites imo. I vividly remember Net-a-Sporter and I have somehow never seen that YouTube which is comedy gold. Also, bike shorts ftw! I almost exclusively wear mine under sheer things and all my skirts instead of for actual gym time.