The Big Chill

Let's face it, workout clothes aren't going away and that's just fine.

Today’s newsletter is brought to you by Beyond Yoga. All ideas are, of course, my own.

Two looks from the Miu Miu Spring 2025 this past Tuesday. Heavily borrowing from fitness clothing, but a very far cry from working out.

Two weeks ago, I found myself sitting next to an elegant French beauty executive at dinner, visiting from Paris. I asked her how she was enjoying her New York stay and her reply: SHOCK at the amount of workout clothing she saw on the street. Uptown, downtown. Clearly coming from a workout, clearly just out to lunch. She said it was something she expected in a place like Los Angeles, where “sport” is so embedded in the lifestyle, but very surprised to see it on Madison Avenue.

So I, of course, put my reporting hat on and kept my eyes open (and tried to keep them off my phone) since then going to and from all my daily tasks. And it is true. Of course it’s true! This is America and this is kind of just how it is now!? I tend to always notice a fabulous outfit on my daily jaunts around town, but less frequently notice the general athleisure surrounding me. I think I’m immune to it. It’s just clothing now. And I support the desire to be comfortable and just get on with it!! But I also love clothes (obviously) and getting dressed so I couldn’t leave it there. Around the same time, Beyond Yoga asked if I wanted to partner on a newsletter, in honor of their new NYC pop up, having loved our deep dive into the changing look of working out, and I had a lightbulb moment.

I don’t want to sit here and preach about how to go from workout to dinner (even though, you definitely could do that with some of the ideas below), but I did think it would be fun to challenge us to fashionize our workout clothes and incorporate them into a complete and fully styled outfit.

Fashion has forever pulled from sport and Americana and I have always been of the mindset that the original will almost always be better. For example, I would rather have Dynastar skis than Chanel. And you’d better believe an Arc’teryx jacket will be more waterproof than a Fendi one. Yes to Stan Smiths. No to Saint Laurent Court Classics (don’t @ me!!) The same goes for incorporating everyday technical garb into a fashion forward outfit. Splurge on the Prada dress, but get your windbreaker at the mall.

So today, five workout ready (but you don’t have to if you don’t want to!) pieces that complete a fashionable outfit grounded in today.

The windbreaker wins

You will see a lot about windbreakers in the coming months. They scattered the Spring 2025 runways (my official seasonal trend report coming at you next weekend) and there is a lot of talk about styling them in place of a blazer or a trench. So I was very pleased to spot Beyond Yoga’s jacket in the exact shade of grey I have been searching for - an extremely 90s, techy, no-hint-of-heather grey. This shade of grey is a core memory for me. Growing up we had a Reebok gym bag in this very matte, dark grey with a red logo and I am always pulled back to it. It also happens to be a chameleon “is it new or is it vintage” shade without a vintage performance wear smell. It’s one part Sopranos, one part Dior.

I started by throwing it on over a t-shirt and my favorite black pants (they are from Toteme last year but these look pretty darn similar). Added the pearls (a 40th bday gift from my MIL! <3) since I thought the sport jacket could use a little girlish charm. I’m wearing a size small, for reference.

With a silky dress and loafers ala Prada SS25. The dress is old Commission, but I would also wear it with this Ulla one that has been one of my dresses of choice this fall. Bally loafers. Beyond Yoga jacket.

In my most fashion-y interpretation of the jacket, I plan to wear it zipped all the way up for a work cocktail next week. The jacket with a Tory Burch skirt from two summers ago (how about this as an alt!? I love the color) and black accessories. Bag here, shoe alt here since these are old Celine.

A hoodie, for us

It can be hard to integrate an oversized hoodie into an outfit without it drowning you (me) because the best ones are usually from the mens department - meaning super long, slightly tighter than I’d like on the hips and big in the shoulders. That is the look if you are aiming for full Balenciaga, but if we actually want to wear a hoodie as part of our ensemble, it has to let the other elements live a little. I am 5’5” and a size 4. So the proportions on this “cropped” hoodie are actually perfect to pair with pants and skirts on my frame. It sits right at my waistline, allowing skirts to create the shapes they are meant to.

I wore this to a client closet visit last week, the hoodie a comfortable and cool addition to silk pants and a cashmere t-shirt. Many of my clients talk about the challenge of getting dressed for the weekend, and I think this might be the answer! The hoodie with a Frances de Lourdes t-shirt (here and here would be fun t-shirts to peek out from the bottom too!) and The Row pants (I also just ordered these in Navy. I might be ready to try a cargo!?!) Nike sneakers (size up at least a half size!) and a Metier bag.

The hoodie with my favorite old Celine skirt and my newest, strangest conquest, these shoes (size down a full size! These are 7.5 and still big!). This outfit is the beauty of American style to me in a nutshell. We get to mix it all up and take total ownership of it. A hoodie. With my fanciest skirt. But I have to credit the sweatshirt’s proportions for keeping the whole thing from going schulb. The crop doesn’t create bulk. And the fabric is a nice medium weight. Not too thick so it can still take the place of a slim sweater. I’m wearing a size medium to get more of an oversized feel across the top.

In legging color

Bad pun. Couldn’t help myself! Could you wear these dresses over your yoga outfit to lunch or dinner after a not so sweaty session? Yes. But do you have to be yoga bound to feel good in these? Definitely not. I constantly am pulled back to one of my favorite Celine shows (Fall 2016) and the leggings Phoebe Philo layered under flowy dresses and trench coats throughout. I bought those leggings faster than I could get my paycheck deposited when they came out and wore them into the ground. But they were, at the end of the day, designer leggings. They didn’t hold up. It’s part of the reason why I’m so gung ho on actual technical brands for technical pieces now. For the first time in a long time, I’m considering color too. I am all in on this “spruce” pair. It’s nice fodder for pastels, winterizing my summer pieces that I’m not quite ready to store yet. Black might just seem like I’m adding leggings, in a less strategic sense???

Spruce leggings with my favorite summer dress (insert your favorite white summer dress here) and Tory brogues. I also ordered this dress, eager to recreate this look from Prada SS25 but it’s been in customs for a week and didn’t make it in time. SIGH!

Lingerie dressing! Without having to show any skin at all. Perfect. 😬 Spruce leggings with a pale pink slip from Peress (RIP) but love this one, it’s maybe more functional as an actual dress, and a CDLP men’s pajama shirt over that. I love how the green of the leggings makes a color story with the pastel pink and browns.

Prada Spring 2025 show in Milan last month. Note the anorak over cocktail dress at left and the sheer over leggings at right.

The bright white base layer

The techy, stretchy fabric of this top takes the prudishness out of the white long sleeve tee. I honestly am having a hard time describing it. I know, me, out of words! HILARIOUS! But something about the connotations of sheer physicality it gives off. The balance it provides to dressier fabrics, the skin contours it hints at. It just makes layering a little less mumsy. It’s also crazy soft which doesn’t hurt.

The classic crew (size small for reference) with a second hand Prada skirt, Jamie Haller loafers and vintage bag. This idea works with any knee legnth skirt that has a hint of fancy. Embellishment, sparkle, brocade, florals, you get the point.

As a base layer for a sweater vest! The crew with a Row sweater vest (but she looks perfect), Matteau pants and M. Gemi ballerinas. Sorry this pic is so grainy. I am begging the sun to return so I can take a proper picture again!

The stark white crewneck provides a graphic base for varsity colored knits. I intentionally styled this outfit with a bright blue polo instead of a grey one, because I love the sporty reference that the primary color implies. It also makes a wacky silk skirt and leopard pumps feel somehow less garish!? It’s all about the mix!

Flared pants

We talked about a similar pair last year in our styling stretch pants newsletter. But I’m going to reiterate that I enjoy this shape. Great for those who are “allergic” to leggings. And also just a nice shape to peek out of a trench coat on errands where you’re never going to take off your jacket. They fall nicely over shoes and can easily act as the “personality” item for a casual lunch with a 70s style tunic or your new leather jacket! :) In this case, I kind of think the style needs to be jet black to work (I’m open to opposing arguments.) The black creates the ‘dressed’ feel that makes all of these shoes and jacket and belts work.

Gen Z leggings as my sister calls them! with a tissue weight cotton tunic from Datura and fisherman sandals for a fun fall day running errands. I’m wearing a size small.

I like the shape these create coming out of a big coat, better than if I were just wearing an ankle legging. The coat is Bottega Veneta - a recent RealReal conquest (final sale and thank god it panned out, always nerve wracking!) Here are some other awesome ones I was eyeing. The pants and Vans.

Yes, I could swap these leggings out for actual pants but if I am just going to dinner with friends this feels just the right amount of silly. The Prancercise lady would approve, I’m confident. The pants with a Malene Birger tunic, Dehanche belt, The Row sandals (but these) and pearls!

Now go get dressed, half way, and own it!

Yours TRULY,

Becky