Sporty Style: 10 Ways to Wear Spring’s Athletic Trend
Of the 12 major trends that lit up the Spring runways last September, we’d be lying if we said we didn’t have a few select favorites. Namely, the array of super-sporty looks. From Rag & Bone’s modern tennis sweaters to Marc Jacobs‘ homage to the baseball bomber jacket, we just love it all.
The only problem? Sporty clothing could run the risk of looking too masculine, so it’s a challenge to take something like a basketball jersey dress (we’re looking at you, Karen Walker) and make it girly enough to wear in real life.
Luckily, we appreciate a solid challenge, and we took on 10 runways looks to see how they can be translated into everyday wear. Click through the gallery above!
Layer it up.
If we're being honest, there are few occasions where a jersey dress (like this one from Karen Walker's Spring 2014 collection) is completely called for. But it's a great casual daytime look if you go all-out with the layering: over a white tee, under an open cardigan, with a big chunky hat. The only thing we think might make this look better: a big, chunky necklace.
Photo:
Alessandro Lucioni/IMAXTREE.COM
Girl-ify it.
The easiest way to style a super-sporty style: pair it with a piece that matches it in femininity. Designer Tracy Reese dressed up this bomber by not only making it pink, but also by layering it over a flowly, flouncy skirt.
Photo:
IMAXTREE.COM
Err on the side of "I meant to look this casual."
This look, from Karen Walker's Spring 2014 show, is giving us more "I'm making a trip to Starbucks" than anything else. But maybe that's okay; there's a clear line between wearing legitimate pajamas out in public and wearing what looks like your boyfriend's college sweatshirt. And only one of them is acceptable.
Photo:
Alessandro Lucioni/IMAXTREE.COM
Add some glimmer.
Another easy way to a dressed-up athletic look: metallic shimmer. Whether it's in a full-fledged reflective bomber jacket, like this one from Marc by Marc Jacobs' Spring 2014 lineup, or you pair a more subdued bomber with a pair of sequined pants or a skirt—a little shimmer goes a long way to taking the look from über-boyish to runway-ready.
Photo:
IMAXTREE.COM
Opt for exaggerated details.
Another quick way to manipulate the athletic trend in your favor: reach for pieces that have overstated, exaggerated details. When done right (like this look from Rag & Bone's Spring 2014 collection), far from being comical, they add a high-style flare to a look that might otherwise go unnoticed or even err on the side of pedestrian.
Photo:
IMAXTREE.COM
Another great example of exaggerated details from Marc by Marc Jacobs.
Photo:
IMAXTREE.COM
Pare down an oversize sweater.
We love how well designer Karen Walker understands that an oversize tennis sweater doesn't have to look bulky or cartoonish; with a couple of simple, understated accessories and a side-swept 'do, you'll look like came fresh from the courts—in a good way.
Photo:
Alessandro Lucioni/IMAXTREE.COM
Pick up accent colors.
Athletic-inspired pieces run a high risk of looking a bit jumbled and purposeless; by pairing a tennis sweater with a skirt or pair of pants that pick up an accent color in the trim, like this look from Band of Outsiders, you ensure everything looks streamlined without being too matchy-matchy.
Photo:
ANDREA ADRIANI/IMAXTREE.COM
Do matchy-matchy, but do it well.
On the other end of the spectrum, if you want to do matchy-matchy, then do it. Just exercise caution; one wrong accessory or cut, and a short set like this one Marc by Marc Jacobs enters into tragically cheesy territory. If you're going to wear a full athletic set, stick with one piece being a solid color, like these shorts, with little more than an off-setting piping.
Photo:
IMAXTREE.COM
