When the gym is your catwalk
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If last season’s shows were all about dressing for the supermarket run (think grey-marl hoodies and knickers peeking under unbuttoned coats, à la Bridget Jones), then SS24’s shows offered further style hacks for the woman on the go. Only this time, she appeared to be heading back from her Sunday morning Pilates class, spa towel in tow.
At The Row, the models padded out in jelly shoes and fluffy white hotel slippers, towels neatly tucked into the necks of trench coats and terry-cashmere bathrobes draped around their shoulders. There were branded hotel bathrobes and fluffy slippers at Balenciaga too, while Belgian newcomer (and Balenciaga alum) Marie Adam-Leenaerdt proposed a black maxi terry robe with a bright pink towel for a belt.
Chanel, meanwhile, evoked the poolside glamour of the Villa Noailles in Hyères with a sportswear-inspired collection that featured flip-flops, swimming costumes, athletic twinsets and tweed beach-blanket capes. It harked back to the brand’s roots as the purveyor of sporty pieces for the beau monde at the Normandy seaside resort of Deauville. Dior and Victoria Beckham looked to the barre for inspiration, with stretchy leotards and ballet flats that ribboned around the ankles. Indian-British designer Supriya Lele paired cotton sports bras and bodysuits with jelly shoes straight out of the locker room.
The prevalence of the gym as a fashion locus points to how such places have become modern status symbols – with a membership at luxury gyms such as London’s 180 Health Club or Equinox being a badge of honour for the hyperactive social classes. “In-person gyms and classes have regained social importance [since the pandemic],” says Yvonne Kostiak, head of activewear at trend forecaster WGSN. They’re also, increasingly, becoming venues for more intimate acquaintances. She points to Toronto’s wellness club Sweat and Tonic, which has a spa, gym and cocktail bar all under one roof, as an example. “They offer a space to connect with the community, socialise and even look for love as an alternative to dating apps.”
In a natural evolution of the quiet luxury trend, the spa slipper has become one of this season’s most coveted pieces (£960, therow.com). The trend, which also has a whiff of The White Lotus about it, caters to “all parts of your lifestyle, even the most understated end-uses”, says Libby Page, market director at Net-a-Porter. For an “elevated” post-gym fit, she suggests styling The Row’s drawstring lounge pants or oversized tank dress with a pair of retro sneakers such as Adidas’s Samba or the Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66.
The apex of quiet luxury, Hermès also drew on the codes of gymwear for SS24, featuring ribbed-knit cropped halter tanks and louche silk-twill trousers in a palette of taupe and burgundy, as well as cleverly engineered modular dresses that could be unfastened at the midriff to become a skirt and bra top. According to the show notes, they are clothes designed to feel “light, free and trace your movements like a second skin”.
You might prefer to take notes from Miu Miu, however, if you’re in the more harried, dishevelled, gym‑going commuter camp. There, the models appeared with frizz escaping from their slicked-back (read: sweaty) hair, carrying leather totes full to bursting with high heels, spare undies, keychains and other clutter, their feet accessorised with brightly coloured Elastoplasts. It was a tongue-in-cheek nod to reality. As the show notes read, the looks embraced “the joy of life”. Goblin mode, but make it glam.
Model, Diana Li at Premier. Casting, Tiago Martins at Ben Grimes. Hair, Joy Matashi at Saint Luke using Innersense. Make-up, Lauren Reynolds at Bryant. Photographer’s assistants, Dylan Massara and Tamibé Bourdanne. Stylist’s assistant, Lizzy Ash. Production: Kaneza. Shot at 180 Health Club, London
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