Tracksuits not trousers

The year of lockdown has not surprisingly coincided with a boom in loungewear at a time where wearing tracksuit bottoms outside became cool… kind of.

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Outfit pictured above: ARMAND FEATHER DOUBLE CASHMERE COAT [similar] by JOSEPH FASHION, WASHED CHARCOAL EVERYDAY HOODIE by RONNING, CASHMERE-BLEND TRACK PANTS and ORIGINAL ACHILLES LEATHER SNEAKERS by COMMON PROJECTS

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Photography by ROSIE BUTCHER

Saved folders and Pinterest boards are the millennial trade off to pinning up your favourite band/footballer/movie posters in your room. I myself have a few folders on the go, each one created with the best intentions while simultaneously left to be neglected. One folder however has avoided collecting digital dust and has been added to daily. On digital treasure hunts of menswear goodness, hopping from one account to another in search of enviable outfits to recreate and save in my “menswear” folder, there has been one image this year that was shared so much that I thought Instagram was broken. You may be able to guess which photo I am going on about if I say my outfit is heavily inspired by it, but for those not as far down the zeitgeist hole, I am referring to the one taken for the Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance collaboration in February. In frame, a man and woman that both possess a confidence level that I’m not sure I’ll ever obtain. The smirking guy ready to light his cigar to signal the weekend, the lady holding an emotionless posture and would rather be making her way back home - probably living somewhere in Soho or LES - to put her flowers in water. I use the word cool with caution as it more often that not comes across as vapid, but no, on this occasion they ooze cool. I want in.

Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance

At a time where many brands may have doubled down on conservatism in such uncertainty, ALD appear to be thriving off of the coattails of collaborations with: Woolrich, Clark’s Originals and Drake’s to name a few. But honing in on this particular image, I feel unshackled from the unwritten rule of not wearing tracksuit bottoms outside of the house* and safe in the knowledge that maybe it is not so style sin after all.

Following the year we have had, wearing tracksuit bottoms outside feels right. Essential food shop? One form of exercise a day? Definitely tracksuit bottoms. Why is there a need to get changed again when before too long you will be returning to your fleece lined or loopback cotton two-legged counterparts.

And to take this leap and lower societal dress codes (all sounds a bit serious), I believe we need to do it with an emphasis on better loungewear. That means purpose bought loungewear that you are going to enjoy wearing. Case in point, cashmere-blend track pants by RAEY. Incredibly soft and premium even in their cuffed state, evidenced by the fact they are dry clean only. I am not saying we need to go overboard, but more thought on what we deem good enough for our downtime is the right step in a year where we could all do with more comfort.

The key to this shift in style standards does come with some caveats; one being the need for balance. I refer back to my cool couple and study what they have worn their joggers with. While there will inevitably be those that are reading this that can carry themselves in a matching Adidas tracksuit, for me, something like a raglan or trench coat that sits just below the knee adds a dose of put togetherness in order to be fully equipped for bakeries and takeouts. This style of coat happens to be my favourite and I have no hesitation in reaching for one of last year’s in the form of my Joseph one. Underneath, as evidenced by those who follow me on Instagram, I am yet to take this Ronning hoodie off. A perfect companion to this new style freedom I have granted myself and one I’ve certainly double down on. Made in Portugal and from Portuguese jersey it is incredibly slouchy and dyed then washed in a delectable shade of faded charcoal grey.

It appears that among this small scale style liberation, I have been able to not only imitate what Aimé Leon Dore achieve so well, but also a grey dulux colour swatch found down the aisle of your favourite hardware store. I’m pretty sure I can spy “concrete grey” in the hoodie, a “dove slate” hint in the coat and is that “deep fossil” I’m seeing? Block colour outfits play favourably into this category of dressing, keeping things low-key on first glance to trousers and jeans jobsworths that may pass me by. Little do they know I’m donning cashmere tracksuit bottoms and reaping the benefits for casting my eye over that ALD x NB photo time and time again, fully ready to return to the sofa to find my next muse(s) to model myself on.jbicon

*I’m still shackled by, as all of us show be, by Tom Ford’s rule of no flip flops in the city.

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