Two Worlds Collide

Since becoming one of those people who go to the gym all the time and enjoy it, I've found it's affected how I dress in two ways. Firstly, I become much more lazy when it comes to everyday dressing because, compared to leggings and a vest top, everything feels like making an effort. Secondly, I am infinitely more drawn towards anything with so much as a hint of a sportswear edge.

I sometimes find it difficult to reconcile the two things that arguably take up the most of my time. Of course, fitness and fashion have developed a strong connection thanks to the rise of sportswear as a wardrobe staple and an endless stream of designer/sportswear label collaborations but I do tend to end up struggling to find a balance between the two, and inevitably feel pulled one way more than the other, and then back again. This seems to have settled of late, however, and just as I seemed to have reached an equilibrium of sorts, two collections were released which managed to pin point exactly how I envisage the perfect meeting point between fashion and sportswear. First up was Fyodor Golan's debut Resort collection...

Frills and flowers meet football field styling in the label's first ever pre collection. Whilst pre collections are usually a commercial endeavour in order to get more stock into shops to bridge the gap between seasons, Fyodor Golan's offering is still very much driven by creativity. The injection of a sportswear influence works well again their dense layers and rich prints; offsetting the ultra feminine vibe of the gowns and full skirts. Race cars feature heavily amongst the prints, both as a repeating pattern, and manipulated and melted into psychedelic swirls. The fluidity of these lines is mirrored in the scribbled floral designs and the shape of the asymmetric cuts which sweep around the body.






Next up is Mary Katrantzou's latest collaboration with Adidas Originals. The collection is, we're told, a nod to 80s sportswear, but it certainly seems to take a lot of inspiration from the tennis courts as well, with plenty of pleats, and dresses that wouldn't look out of place at Wimbledon (although they may be subject to dress code violations thanks to the very much not-white colour palette and abstract prints and motifs). The collection is the perfect meeting between high fashion and sportswear. It's unsurprising that it's heavily print-based considering who it has been designed by, but that's not to say that the design of the garments themselves has been overlooked. Even the floor length dresses have subtle touches of sportswear detailing that might leave you feeling like a quick stint on the court, no matter how impractical the reality.




If only I could wear all this to the gym...