Active Fashion: The Editorial – Part I

Today’s trends are yielding an element of carefully calculated casual, and it’s opened a new (couture) door that has been seized by athletic brands and sport-inspired styles. When the luxury activewear trend started to materialize a few years ago, I was thrilled! It was what moved me to bring Haute Sweat to life.

I dislike the stigma that activewear and sport-inspired trends sometimes receive and that it’s often a dismissive afterthought in the world of fashion. Just like formal and style fashion, activewear is worthy of its own realm of beauty and relevance. If you think about it: what truly defines each tier of dress? Is it design, textile type, or simply how the wearer carries themselves? I personally believe it’s the latter.

This editorial is designed to explore the many shapes and influences activewear can span, and how you can appreciate them in your own right. I’ve decided to begin right in the middle, and move laterally across the dress codes, showing that lines can be blurred forward and backward, making it relatable to nearly every person’s style of choice.

First up: the world’s middle ground, business casual. Defined, business casual is “relating to or denoting a style of clothing that is less formal than traditional business wear, but is still intended to give a professional and businesslike impression.” It’s one of the most “up to interpretation” styles in the world, and trust me I’ve seen it all first hand, especially here in the Bay Area. Ensembles of my fellow co-workers at Google range from collared shirts all the way to sweats. Seriously. Sweats. Not even the fashionable kind.

I personally love this realm of fashion styling. You can truly be fluid, taking inspiration from every level of dress. Working concurrently in technology and fitness, it’s important for my outfits to be transitional, yet polished. I love to pair polished, comfortable shoes with richer fabrics, playing with different textures. Adding a softer and more elegant piece like this light and airy dress from H&M to my favorite rose gold Superstars allows me to be comfortable yet pulled together in an office setting while being able to effortlessly transition to training my personal training clients without the added bulk in my bag.

If you’re looking for a way to incorporate a splash of active fashion into your work wardrobe, try some of these simple tricks:

1. Choose one or two pieces maximum. Sporty shoes add a playful element to business casual and pair well with skinny slacks and blazers. My go-to work shoes consist of sleek wedges for an extra element of glamour, like the Aldo Bladow High Top Wedge, Wanted Stowe Wedge Sneaker. If you’re a flat lover, my go-to’s are the Adidas Superstar and the Steve Madden Bryanne Puffball Platform Sneaker.
2. If you’re a legging lover like myself, play with your technical fabric textures for a more polished look. My personal faves and weekly go-to’s are my Alo Moto Leggings, High Waisted Moto Leggings, and Aday Brakes On Leggings. I usually pair longer silk blouses or sweaters with them so they have a more office and happy hour friendly look.

Outfit Details

Dress: Satin Dress With Ruffles, H&M

Shoes: Superstar Rose Gold, Adidas

Rings: Ice Lateral Ring, Baublebar

Makeup Details

Foundation: Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint, Dark

Primer: Hourglass Ambient Light Correcting Primer, in Luminous Light

Blush: Marc Jacobs Air Blush, in Lines and Last Night

Highlighter: Glossier Haloscope, in Quartz

Brows: Glossier Boy Brow, in Brown

Eyes: Pastel Goth Palette, Kat Von D

Lashes: Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara, in Black

Lips: Le Marc Lip Creme, in Slow Burn

Photo by Christine of Christine Hanks Photography