Pilates to Pizza Dates: Wear Athleisure Anytime Anywhere

Athleisure wear for casual dressing was a trend originally developed in the 1980s with the popularity of Bruce Lee wearing comfortable and sleek Adidas tracksuits to perform difficult stunts. Whereas the trend now dictates clothing that is functional, and comfortable and mixes elements from sportswear and everyday fashion. As a trend may have gone out of everyone’s Pinterest boards after 2019; however, it is not too late to look for new athleisure inspiration that is both cute and comfortable. We mostly regard Princess Diana to be the IT girl behind the athleisure outfit inspirations, but biker shorts and sweatshirts should be left in the 2010s. It is no longer cute. The style typically includes items like biker shorts, leggings, sweatpants, yoga pants, oversized hoodies, and comfortable sneakers. The trend has become increasingly popular in recent years, due to the majority of the population working from home due to the Covid-19 pandemic as well as a desire for comfortable and functional clothing.

An alternative style that has branched out of this is the Yoga To Brunch style; which involves dressing up for two very ideal and perfect Sunday activities- Yoga and Brunch. But what we realised is that we can bend this style further and give athleisure a more flexible approach. And in our opinion celebrities who absolutely have nailed athleisure and have evolved it as a style are K-Pop stars. With weathering cute crop tops and comfortable sweatpants and matching bolero cardigans. The popularisation of this style does stem from dancers who dress up for shoot days but still need to look like they are in their natural dancer element.

The thing about new-age athleisure is that it is not just about comfort anymore or looking like hype beasts. It is not central to any particular aesthetics, because while the Western fashion industry is convincing you to try irregular shapes and oversized clothing, we have South Korean stars showing us how to look cute in multiple ways; which ends up looking more inclusive and coherent. We all look forward to different fashion trends to find something that suits us, but we often restrict ourselves to the same resources for fashion. There is so much inspiration around us, with the newer generations of fashion looking way beyond just catalogues and magazines. As for the title of this blog piece, let us show you how you can effortlessly and stylishly transform from gym clothes to a pizza date with your bestie or boyfriend.

The first basic move is to get a pair of loose-fitting sweatpants and pair that with a hoodie or sports bra in a similar colour. The hoodie is essential here as it will provide extreme comfort when you're enjoying your pizza, protecting your precious and expensive sports bra underneath. If you don't feel like wearing a hoodie, as it may be hot, we suggest an oversized shirt will work just fine. Another alternative to hoodies is a bolero hoodie, at least 80% of the group is seen to be wearing one, and not going to lie, it makes a huge difference to a simple crop top and sweatpant combination. If you rely on a dressier side, consider buying cardigans in solid colours, and avoid chunky ones as they can feel a bit messy for dates. Especially on dates that involve eating messy foods like tacos or pizzas. If you are the type of person who wears just simple leggings and oversized t-shirts to the gym, they are perfectly fine as gym wear and date wear too (if you're comfortable). However, it is no lie that they are a tad boring. Even if you are not going for a date right after the gym, there’s no harm in dressing up cutely for the gym either.

The key element in dance practice outfits is that they are meant to remain comfortable and modest for the dancers to clearly show their moves without the general restrictions that stage outfits leave with. A prime example of such an instance is when Irene from Red Velvet had to wear an extremely short dress while performing their 2018 track Peek-A-Boo. And even though it did not have a demanding choreography, it included steps that required a lot of leg movement. As we saw in their dance rehearsals and other outfits, Irene was able to dance much better in comfortable clothing. So while stylists can often put stars in uncomfortable clothing, we can truly see their dancing skills much more distinctly in dance practice videos.

1. Sheer tops over sports bras-
A simple rule of layering, anything can be made edgier and more stylish with an external layer of clothing. A sheer top with a matching sports bra or tank top inside makes the look more than just gym clothes.

2. Cardigans
Since the dance rooms are often colder than it may seem, idols are often seen with soft-looking thin cardigans which provide an extra layer to the seemingly plain outfit.

3. Cargo pants or parachute pants
A simple compromise between sweatpants and jeans is cargo pants. With the rise of y2k fashion, parachute pants are also making a return too. Wearing cargo pants to the gym can be a frowning act but we can surely make an exception from time to time.

4. One-sleeve tops
Another y2k style that we grew up wearing, cold shoulder and one-shoulder looks are all the rage in K-pop dance practice looks. Even the most boring t-shirts can be made to look interesting with a silhouette change.

5. Oversized Tees
If you are not the one for wearing sports bras to the gym, oversized tees are the ideal companion. And actually, perfect to even wear to the pizza place afterwards.

6. Baby tees
Contrary to popular belief; baby tees are great for working out; they started out as cute tees that resembled crop tops, but in all honestly they fit better than crop tops and allow for more free movement while working out.

7. Sheer jackets
Great to be paired with sports bras, tank tops or baby tees. Yeji from Itzy here pairs it with a contrasting white sports bra creating a solid look just for dance practice.

8. Oversized jackets to cover food baby
While food baby is nothing to be covered about a food baby it is also good to have a comfy jacket covering you at all times. A good pair of jacket adds a good layering element to the outfit.

9. Bodysuits
Colourful bodysuits are a good choice if you want a tucked-in look but don't want your T-shirt to move while working out. We think bodysuits should make a comeback as gym wear in 2023.

10. Yoga pants
A classic yoga and pilates staple; you can't go wrong with a yoga-to-brunch look with yoga pants. While we always prefer classic black yoga pants, Nayeon from Twice makes an excellent case of wearing pink yoga pants with a crop top with matching hand warmers for your Sunday sessions.