When is it appropriate (is it ever appropriate?) to wear a completely matching tracksuit, top and bottom? When I see people wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants combo, I sometimes think “cringe.” And sometimes I can’t help but want to use it too. Which side of me is right? – Pepper, New York
Karl Lagerfeld, the Chanel designer whose talent for dramatic statements was matched only by his talent for coming up with extraordinary garments, once declared that sweatpants were “a sign of defeat.”
That pronouncement would suggest that the sweatpants-and-sweatshirt look, also known as a sweatshirt—that shapeless combination once synonymous with aging gym teachers, out-of-shape runners, and Rocky Balboa—is… well, what? A sign of complete and total surrender?
Maybe. Or perhaps, since this is fashion and in fashion nothing is more certain than what went out will be there again, it is the embodiment of an ironically triumphant comeback.
In truth, the tracksuit, also known as day pajamas, has made a comeback since the coronavirus pandemic. That period, in which we valued sartorial comfort above almost everything else, converged with Generation Alpha’s celebration of all things Y2K, including that era-defining item, the Juicy Velvet Tracksuit Couture. That discovery was exacerbated by the resurgence of the Miu Miu-driven “set,” whether it’s Miuccia Prada’s crop top and matching skimpy skirt, Versace’s cropped pajamas, or, yes, Versace’s sweatpants and matching sweatshirt. yesteryear.
Demna, the mononymous Balenciaga designer known for reframing streetwear totems as luxury, took up this idea and embraced not only an oversized hoodie, but also the tracksuit, through his Balenciaga collaboration with Adidas in 2022 Without a doubt, it was a more elegant and globalized version of the tracksuit, and with its own cultural semiology thanks to hip-hop. Last month, it went a step further and paid tribute to the Juicy tracksuit at its fall 2024 show, celebrated and inspired in Los Angeles.
It’s no surprise that TikTok adopted the trend and influencers of all kinds discovered the joys of sweatshirts (they don’t exactly call them that); More on that in a moment, especially as a solution for all things airport related. Or as a way to look more put together than, say, wearing drawstring flannel pajamas and a T-shirt when you’re out in public.
“Suits” have gotten a bad rap in recent years, but the essential notion of matching tops and bottoms to create an unbroken line and suggesting a bit of pre-coordination remains an effective way to dress.
To this end, the tracksuit has evolved beyond the usual fleece and baggy proportions, not to mention the whole “sweat” concept, and is now available in materials such as cashmere and wool, often with smaller tops paired with looser pants. or vice versa. (Everlane, for example, offers “straight leg” sweatpants, which are essentially regular pants with an elastic waist.) I wouldn’t use these options for jogging, but they are tremendously good for off-duty strolls.
As with most things, details matter. Wear a tracksuit with a sweatband and sneakers and you’ll look like a victim of the endless cycle of New Year’s exercise resolutions. Wear it with a pretty bag and a trench coat and you’ll look like a modern Jean Harlow coming out for some air.
It’s really a question of framing. Yes, the tracksuit as we knew it may be dead, but long live the lounge suit. Or, as influencers like to call it, the “matching sweatshirt set” or “sweatshirt set.” It’s kind of like the reinvention of Target as Tar-gét. Same word, completely new implications.
Your style questions, answered
Each week on Open Thread, Vanessa will answer a reader’s fashion-related question, which you can submit to her anytime via email either Twitter. The questions are edited and condensed.
