If you’ve ever felt your leggings slipping down while you were on a run, or worried that you were exposing yourself to the gym during a squat, you’ll know how important it is that you wear the right type of clothes for training. With sports luxe showing no signs of going anywhere, it seems that recently every fitness wear label has collaborated with a different high end designer and signed a beautiful supermodel as the face (and body) of their brand. We’ve seen Stella McCartney for Adidas and Richard Nicholl for Sweaty Betty, while Heidi Klum has teamed up with New Balance to design a line of transition pieces to take you from the gym to street style, and Gisele Bundchen recently signed a $25m multi-year contract with Under Armour, fronting their campaign #IWillWhatIWant. There have been fantastic advances in sports technology over the last decade and it’s great to have so many sartorial options for women who workout, but buying gym clothes can quickly become a very expensive habit. Especially if you happen to stumble across a Lucas Hugh pop up shop… I absolutely love the sky blues and orchid colours across their collection this season, but can’t quite justify spending upwards of £100 on a sports bra. Luckily, you don’t necessarily have to fork out a lot to look good in the gym. If you invest in good quality staples and build up your gym wardrobe around these key pieces, you will save yourself money in the long run.
My leggings of choice are these Sweaty Betty capris. I loved my first pair so much I soon realised I needed to purchase another. They’re comfortable to move in and incredibly flattering, with a high waist, drawstring tie and a three-quarter length cut. I’m 5’3 and I wear a UK size 6-8, so I went for the XS, which was a perfect fit. I’m praying Sweaty Betty will never discontinue them. At £45, I think they’re really good value for money. The material is totally opaque, so you don’t have to worry about what people can see when you’re squatting. Unlike some leggings, they don’t slip down over your hips, so you don’t find yourself readjusting them every few minutes. I train 4-5 times a week so my gym clothes spend a lot of time in the wash, and I haven’t noticed any wear in mine after six months. These have the ‘repurchase’ seal of approval, which is a massive thumbs up from me. I love Sweaty Betty because not only do the sell amazing quality sportswear, they encourage their customers to lead active lifestyles by providing free fitness classes across their stores.
Frustratingly, a lot of sports bra designs seem to place form over function. As much as I love the strappy crop tops from Lorna Jane, I’ve resigned myself to the fact that they will never be practical for me. Instead, I swear by Shock Absorber for sports bras. They offer plenty of support for high impact workouts, even for girls with larger chests. Their Active D+ Classic Support bra comes in a range of sizes between a 30-40 D-F cup, all the way up to a 32-38 H cup. I wore these bras under my leotards for years, and I’ve never been disappointed. They’re made from high quality moisture-wicking fabrics and certain designs come with removable lightweight padding, which helps to create a natural, flattering silhouette, and means you don’t have to worry about standing under the air con in the gym. We’ve all been there.
I’m a diehard Nike fan when it comes to trainers. I went through two pairs of the Nike Free 5.0 model while I was training for the London Marathon (I still won’t throw them out), and at the moment I’m loving the Nike Free TR 5 for training indoors because of the weightless feel. You can count on Nike to combine aesthetics with function. If you’re looking for a sexy pair of shoes, there’s no better place to start.
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