Athleisure: a word from 1976 that became a business in 2014

Athleisure is a portmanteau of athletic and leisure. Merriam-Webster traces the word to 1976, but retailers only treated it as a category in the mid-2010s. By 2014 the US market was worth about $35 billion, up 8% on the year before, and the share it took came out of denim.

The definition is plain: clothes you can train in and then wear to work or dinner without changing.

Chanel put sneakers on the couture runway in 2014

On January 20, 2014, every look at Chanel's spring couture show came with a sneaker made by Massaro, in python or lace or tweed, at roughly €3,000 a pair. That was the moment the sportswear crossover got its permission slip from the top of the industry.

Beyoncé's Ivy Park followed, on sale from April 14, 2016. She and Rihanna did more to spread the look than any brand campaign.

The three pieces: leggings, a blazer, flats

  • Leggings. Black or charcoal, high-waisted, thick enough to be opaque. Lululemon has sold yoga wear since it opened in Vancouver in 1998.
  • A long blazer. Light shoulder, hem below the hip. It is the garment that translates leggings into office wear.
  • Ballet flats. Big from 2005 to 2010, revived in 2022. The least effort you can make after sneakers.

Athleisure: leggings under a long tailored blazer

Three settings

Office: leggings, long blazer, loafers. Once the jacket covers the hip, the lower half stops reading as gym.

Weekend: a matching set with a structured bag and sunglasses. The bag is what keeps it from looking like pyjamas.

Evening: black track pants with a silk top and heels. The wider the gap between the fabrics, the better it looks.

For picking the blazer itself, see modern tailoring for everyday wear.

Fabric: natural blends first

Technical synthetics wick sweat and belong in the gym. In the office they photograph cheap. Silk or cashmere with a little elastane feels expensive at arm's length. Organic cotton and Tencel are the everyday workhorses.

Care

Cold wash, lay flat, no tumble dryer. Elastane dies in heat; one hot cycle and the waistband goes. Don't hang heavy sweatshirts, they stretch.

"The day sneakers walked the Chanel couture runway, sportswear got its pass into the office." — Guushu Design Team