I’ve got a question for you: When did we become so comfortable looking like we’re on our way to the gym, even when we’re very clearly not going to the gym?
Between the rise of wellness culture, working from home, and our obsession with convenience, athleisure went from something we wore to exercise in to an everyday wardrobe staple. Leggings became trousers, matching workout sets became acceptable lunch attire, and oversized sweatshirts and running shoes became the default for just about everything.
And while I have nothing against comfortable clothing, I think we’ve taken this particular trend far enough. I’m not suggesting we throw out our leggings or start wearing Loubs to the grocery store. I’m just saying that it’s time we retire athleisure as our automatic choice and remember that getting dressed can actually be enjoyable.
Life is short as fuck. We spend enough time working, worrying, paying bills, and dealing with the general nonsense of adulthood. Surely we can find a few minutes to put on something we actually like.
How Did Gym Clothes Become Everyday Clothes?
Walk through a mall, coffee shop, or grocery store and you’ll see plenty of variations of the athleisure look. There’s nothing wrong with any of the individual pieces, but I find it interesting that clothing designed for exercise has become such a common choice for activities that have absolutely nothing to do with exercise.
The airport is a particularly good example. I know comfort matters when traveling, but personally, I’d much rather wear a dress and cardigan or a great pair of jeans with a bodysuit and blazer. You can still be comfortable without looking like you’re about to go to spin class. And there are plenty of other ways to dress casually without defaulting to gym clothes.
I also think the fashion industry has helped normalize this shift. We’re constantly being sold matching sets, elevated basics, expensive sneakers, and another version of the “perfect everyday uniform.” Everything is designed around convenience and versatility, until eventually it all starts looking rather similar. I miss a little more individuality. I miss people wearing interesting things simply because they like them.
This Isn’t About Your Body, Gender, or Bank Balance
Saying this loud for the keyboard warriors: this isn’t about size, age, gender, or having the money for an expensive wardrobe. You can have fantastic personal style in any body, at any age, and on practically any budget. Whether you love vintage anything, oversized tailoring, dresses, boots, minimalist clothing, or something entirely else, personal style has very little to do with following rules.
It’s about having some interest in what you wear. There’s a difference between dressing comfortably because that’s genuinely your style and reaching for the same leggings and sweatshirt every day because it’s become a habit from laziness and apathy.
And there’s nothing superficial about enjoying clothes. A great outfit can make you feel good. It can change your mood, give you a little confidence, and make an otherwise ordinary day feel more enjoyable. Obviously, a blazer isn’t going to solve your problems or pay your mortgage, but I really don’t think every little pleasure in life needs to be justified.
The Irony of Our Wellness Obsession
What’s most amusing about modern culture is how we’re obsessed with youth, aging, skincare, longevity, and looking as though we’ve somehow managed to avoid the passage of time. People are spending hundreds, sometimes thousands, on expensive facials, elaborate skincare routines, supplements, and overpriced red light therapy treatments.
Yet plenty of us spend the better part of our waking hours wrapped in polyester workout clothing, from sun-up to sundown.
The irony isn’t lost on me. We’re scrutinising every skincare ingredient, researching the latest treatments, and spending ridiculous amounts on our faces, while giving remarkably little thought to the clothes we’re wearing every day. I’m not suggesting polyester is some great health scandal or that everyone needs to dress exclusively in organic cotton and linen – though it is life-changing. But perhaps our interest in looking after ourselves could extend to a little more consideration of what we’re wearing, too.
There are so many beautiful fabrics, textures, and ways to put an outfit together. Getting dressed doesn’t have to mean expensive designer labels or another shopping haul.
Stop Saving Your Good Clothes for Special Occasions
I also think we have a habit of saving our favorite clothes for occasions that apparently deserve more effort than everyday life. The beautiful dress stays in the wardrobe, the good shoes are reserved for a special dinner, and the jacket we love never seems to make it out of the house.
Meanwhile, most of our lives are spent doing perfectly ordinary things: meeting friends for coffee, going to lunch, running errands, traveling, or wandering around on a Saturday afternoon. Why should those days be any less deserving of an outfit we enjoy wearing?
I don’t want to spend my life saving my favorite things for a handful of events each year. Wear the dress. Put on the good shoes. Take the jacket out of the closet. You don’t need a birthday invitation or a dinner reservation to enjoy getting dressed.
And before anyone assumes this is another excuse to shop, it isn’t. Most of us have plenty of clothes already. We just need to wear them. Try different combinations, revisit things you’ve forgotten about, and stop convincing yourself that something is too dressy for an ordinary day.
Let’s Bring a Little Personality Back Into Everyday Fashion
I’m not interested in policing anyone’s wardrobe, and if you genuinely love wearing athletic clothing every day, that’s your business.
But I would love to see a little more variety and individuality in everyday fashion. More interesting combinations, great coats, vintage finds, beautiful shoes, and people wearing things because they genuinely like them. Less reliance on the same matching workout sets and the idea that anything beyond leggings is somehow too much effort.
Life is short, and most of it isn’t spent at weddings, on holidays, or celebrating milestones. It’s spent doing the everyday things. I’d rather enjoy the clothes I own, make a little effort, and actually wear the things I love than keep saving everything for later.
So perhaps it’s time to give the workout clothes a day off. They’ve had a pretty good run, after all.
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