DRESSING ROOM

'Athleisure' grabs lead as popular fashion trend

To the gym, to the store, a gathering of friends and more: Fabletics’ Iris L/S Top, a cold-shoulder top, shown with the line’s Lennox Jogger II. Athleisure — workout wear worn in other settings — is said to be a $97 billion market.
To the gym, to the store, a gathering of friends and more: Fabletics’ Iris L/S Top, a cold-shoulder top, shown with the line’s Lennox Jogger II. Athleisure — workout wear worn in other settings — is said to be a $97 billion market.

"Some live in their Calvins. Many women live in activewear," read a recent news release.

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Lila Ashmore, a buyer for Vesta’s boutique, sports an athleisure ensemble by Grey State. The athleisure line is sold at the store.

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Dansko’s Charlie sneaker takes a conservative look and adds pizzazz for athleisure wearers.

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The Vionic Contest Walker: the shoe for men who want to pair their athleisure looks with orthotic comfort.

It's true: Athleisure -- a word coined from athletic and leisure -- is all the rage.

An article at Thetrendmovement.com defines athleisure as "clothing designed for workouts and other athletic activities which [is] worn in other settings." No big mystery as to why: It's comfortable, forgiving, sleek, slimming and nonfussy. And much of it is moisture-wicking.

The athleisure trend has been helped along by the uptick in fashionable elements in workout wear ... brightly colored tanks, leggings, shorts and jackets with bold patterns, strappy back detailing, color blocking, foil and leatherlike textures and -- big in leggings -- mesh cutouts.

"The look is very chic when styled properly," says Lila Ashmore, buyer for Vesta's, the west Little Rock and Rogers boutique. Athleisure wear, she adds, is "great for running errands, date night, lunch with friends."

The aforementioned news release was from Fabletics, a line of athletic wear sold online (Fabletics.com) and billed as the "pioneer" of what a March 6 New York Times story refers to as a $97 billion athleisure market.

The brand was co-founded by actress Kate Hudson. It was the first brand that alerted me to the fact that exercise clothing pieces were getting creatively cute. (And popular, as evidenced by the fact that new styles are introduced monthly and often sell out.)

Fabletics pieces, besides being well made and wonderfully hold-it-in-able, are stylish enough to wear to places other than the gym. I have a Fabletics tunic tank, featuring a pattern of thin halter straps in the back, that I have worn with a skirt in the summertime. Other tops have featured peplums, open shoulders, high-low hems, caged (multiple straps) bodices and backs and Roman toga-style draping.

Some other notable athleisure purveyors:

• Teeki (teeki.com) offers some really funky, exaggerated bell bottoms, fit for those who are hippies at heart. One style is called the Woodstock and, yeah, there's a tie-dye print. Look for matching cropped tanks, sold separately.

• Sweaty Betty (sweatybetty.com). Based in London, this upscale e-tailer boasts hip items such as a Tear-Away Luxe Pant, whose side buttons can be worn closed or open, and a one-shoulder, tunic-length Mukha Yoga Cami that looks like it could easily be rocked with a flirty print skirt.

• Lane Bryant (lanebryant.com) gets creative with its Livi Active wear, including a tunic-length Wicking High Neck Active Tank with a high-low hem and an Open-Front Spa Hoodie, also tunic-length, that would make for a good go-to jacket.

• Grey State (greystateapparel.com) "is a new line for us that we picked up in the fall," Ashmore says. "Clients want to be casual yet look polished." The line, which offers athleisure pieces exclusively, fills the bill. Ashmore cites a Grey State spring ensemble of a white blazerlike jacket with coordinating jogger pants, which she has sold to a client who plans to wear the jacket with other pieces such as white and blue denim. "She will then be able to wear the white jogger with a ... cashmere sweater with a spring hue for a whole other look."

For men, athleisure looks can be found in pieces -- led by the jogger pant -- from Fabletics, Cottonon.com, Lululemon.com, and Outdoorvoices.com (check out the Printed 9-inch Runners High Short, dressed up with other pieces on the site).

One can only hope that the real athletes and workout enthusiasts don't find themselves frustrated at their preferred pieces being snatched off the shelves by the fashionistas.

FOOT LEISURE

All that snazzy athleisure wear has to have some snazzy athleisure shoes to accessorize, sneakers and otherwise.

"The sneaker trend is hot, hot, hot for spring," Ashmore says, but it's not the only choice. The customer who bought the white outfit from Grey State, for instance, can also "change it up with a neutral wedge or spring bootie."

I recently received samples of several candidates for athleisure footwear.

• Sneaker, women: Dansko's Charlie ($120), from the Women's Coventry collection, is a leather luxury sneaker whose perforated upper transcends seasons; it looks conservative at first glance but "sneaks" in some youthful detailing at toe, heel and sole. Inside, it has all the details favored by the orthotic shoe lovers and feels appropriately comfortable.

• Sneaker, men: Vionic's Contest Walker ($99.95) has a mesh upper that comes in several color combinations. My husband at first feared the shoes wouldn't be adaptable. But "the more I walked in them, the more they [conformed] to my feet," he said. They're his go-to shoes now.

• Nonsneaker, women: Vionic's Sterling Bootie ($159.95) is an ankle boot featuring asymmetric, tasseled outer zippers and inside gore panel. It's offered in leather or suede, the latter treated with a protective coating at heel and toe to guard it against the weather. I too find Vionic closed-toe shoes to be tight at first, but this soon dissipates. The boot delivers in overall style and comfort.

The two brands are found at multiple Arkansas retailers.

MAKE DREAMS COME TRUE

If you're planning on going to see Rodgers & Hammerstein's final Cinderella performance at 2 p.m. today at the Robinson Center Performance Hall, there's an opportunity for you to be a fairy godmother (or godfather). Cinderella's Closet will be there to collect donations of old or used prom dresses.

Based out of Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Cinderella's Closet collects donated formal wear and accessories and provides them to girls who could not otherwise attend their prom. New and gently used formal dresses and accessories in excellent condition are sought, along with shoes, purses, wraps and jewelry. Cash donations also are accepted. Celebrity Attractions, presenter of the Broadway Series at Robinson, will be in charge of the collection. For more information about Cinderella's closet, see facebook.com/CinderellasClosetLittleRock.

Dressing Room appears monthly. Send Arkansas fashion-related tips and news releases to:

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High Profile on 01/15/2017

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