Try a Trend: Athletic Inspired Wear

It started as Tomboy chic inspired by football and gym gear and masculine sports trend. And it merged with military trends and spurned utility garb fragmented by zips and dripping with toggles and buckles. The first major trend to emerge from the spring shows was athletic-inspired looks. Designers like Alexander Wang, Balenciaga, and Proenza Schouler were spotted rocking the trend on their runway shows.

They appropriated harness detailing, technical mesh fabrications, and good old-fashioned gym togs to create uniquely spirited ensembles.

What’s best about this season’s translation of the trend is that it’s not only athletic but sexy at the same time, in a way that’s complimentary to most body types. For example, Rag & Bone channeled an adrenaline junky with bungee cords and neon accents, while Alexander Wang reinterpreted the tracksuit in his signature urban aesthetic, and Joseph Altuzarra incorporated parachute buckles and perforated leather into his modern styles.

Since sportswear fashion in 2012 is all about subtlety, it’s the finer details that count the most. You don’t need to look like you’ve just stepped off a playing field or out of a gym. Instead your best bet is to hunt down versatile pieces that inject a sporty sensibility without being limited to what you can wear them with. Look for:

• Sports bras and tank tops that are minimal and sleek, but with twists like asymmetrical straps. These types of pieces are perfect for layering both day and night time.
• Details like thick elastic strapping, exposed zippers, and utility buckles. Keep them toned down with the outfit, or bold and bright for contrast.
• Mesh or perforated leather, especially when applied unconventionally to a classic item or cut giving it a sporty update.
• Hoods, racer backs as cutaway details on jackets or dresses, outside utility pockets. Again contrasting the details with luxe fabrics and minimal lines gives them a fresh look for 2012.
• For a mermaid look gone urban sports, mix sparkling sequins or metallic-foiled leather with luxe jersey or figure hugging wetsuit-like silhouettes.
• A tunic with a dropped waist or relaxed silhouette – kept minimal and sans embellishment – works in with the 1920s fashion revival in a sporty way. Also forgo the traditional sports stripes in favour of geometric prints. Art Deco inspired prints in block colours can give a sporty piece an infusion of 1940s modernist cool.

Celebs wearing Athletic Inspired Wear:

How do you feel about the Athletic Inspired Wear as a trend for Fall 2012?