The Gatepost Arts and Feature Staff
By Lauren Paolini & Caeley Whalen
Staff Writers
If you’re anything like us, you dress with comfort in mind. Although we love ourselves a classic gray sweatpants and sweatshirt ensemble when aiming for maximum comfiness, a groutfit isn’t exactly the most fashion forward.
Enter athleisure – the clothing department you never knew you needed.
Athleisure is the best way to look and feel put together while simultaneously feeling like you’re still in pajamas, and it seems like more brands every season are launching new athleisure lines to keep up with the lifestyle trend.
Huge companies have added sister brands or expanded their product selection to incorporate fashion-activewear. Victoria’s Secret expanded their selection to create their Victoria Sport line, Ann Inc.
launched their athleisure brand Lou & Grey in 2014, and Gap Inc. purchased active wear brand Athleta in 2008.
While popular athleisure brands offer comfy leggings, sweatshirts, and matching sets, they’ll cost you more than most college students would like to spend. The average pair of Lululemon leggings run for $98 – cute pants, not a cute price.
We get it – good quality clothes are going to come with a hefty price tag. But it’s possible for us ballers on a budget to live an athleisurely life without taking out yet another student loan.
You most likely own some basic athleisure style garments already, you just have yet to unlock their potential. Your favorite sneakers – whether they be Nike, Adidas, or even a lesser known brand – are the perfect example. Start with these as a staple piece and work your way up from there.
A cropped jean and basic sweatshirt are a great way to try out this trend while staying in your comfort zone. We’ve found that a solid color tee, hoodie, or zip-up make this casual look feel a bit more elevated, so switch out your old high school soccer sweatshirt for one of these.
If you want to achieve maximum comfort, you will need to invest in a reliable pair of leggings.
They don’t need to be crazy expensive, but the pair you got in seventh grade at Forever 21 that started out full length and are now cropped due to your growth spurts will not cut it.
We’re all guilty of holding onto our swiss cheese leggings – AKA there’s more holes than fabric at this point – for a little too long. But it’s time to let them go. Aerie always has great sales on leggings, so try a retailer like them or even Target for a fresh pair.
And before we go on, let’s make one thing clear: Leggings. Are. Pants.
You can style these PANTS with some slip-on sneakers and a flowy shirt. Maybe toss on a puffer vest and head out the door.
Athleisure is every college student’s new best friend. Next time you’re pressed for time because you slept until 8:27 a.m. and you don’t have enough time to get ready for your 8:30 a.m. class, grab your go-to athleisure outfit and sprint to Hemenway.
You might miss the attendance sheet, but at least you’ll be fashionably late.