Dress Your Best In and Out of the Gym

For many years, a true-to-life stereotype has existed were the world of fashion collides with the popular activity of working out. “Gym clothes”, from our earliest schoolyard memories, have always consisted of tattered T-shirts, shabby shorts, stained sweats and soiled sneakers. This made sense to a certain degree – it was the only apparel in which one actually intended to perspire.

The Lycra Revolution

A subtle transition began in the 1980s, when leg warmers became fashionable both in and out of the fitness center, and form-fitting workout outfits started hitting the racks – in color – and even began showing up in various film scenes. Call it the Lycra Revolution. Since then, gymwear has continued to evolve as a mainstream fashion item; thankfully, the days of those wrinkled, gray workout sweats have gone the way of rotary telephones and lawn darts.

A Mobile Society

In part, the cultural leanings of our mobile society have driven this trend. Fitness centers have weathered the economic storm fairly well, as more and more people have become aware of the benefits of staying in good shape. But we’re also a nation of multi-taskers, so hitting the gym before or after work (or even at lunch) has become routine for many people. Carrying a change of clothing may or may not be an option. Why should you have to, if you’re just running an errand or two after yoga, and then heading home?

Today’s fitness fashion goes to great lengths to afford the health-conscious consumer apparel that makes you look good in or out of the gym. The makers of women’s clothing have to use a sharper pencil when designing such pieces, though, as the standards are not the same for men (who can conduct business meetings in logo-emblazoned bikewear). Companies like Marika go out of their way to match style with performance, incorporating such elements as Moisture Wicking into a clothing line – everything from cover-ups to capris – that looks great at the mall, on the beach or in the gym.