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| Sweaty ladies: (left to right) Gisele strolls Manhattan in Kenzo’s single eye sweat top; Christopher Kane’s S/S2014 runway; stylist and former model Hanneli Mustaparta at Paris fashion week. |
I remember the first time I sprinkled M&Ms on my movie theatre popcorn. My mind was literally blown…it shouldn’t have worked but it was fabulous. Exactly the feeling I had when I saw the street style shots from New York, Paris and London wherein 90’s style sweatshirts were hooking up with tailored skirts, skinny jeans, heeled sandals and single soled pointy pumps. It was as if worlds had collided and Friday night out was now partnering with Saturday morning in. Just like the chocolate complimented the buttery saltiness, the humble frump of the sweatshirt compliments the acute fit of a sharp mid-length skirt and a Swiss-Army-knife sleek shoe. Ditto the effect when the shapeless upper is bottomed out with skinny jeans or an elegant ladylike skirt.
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| Helmut Lang’s leather luxe sweatshirt (left), Clover Canyon’s prismatic version (right). |
Designers have really embraced the trend and given us plenty of candy-bar colour choice beyond locker room grey: liquorice black in leather at Helmut Lang, hot tamale red at APC or snow cone white with contrast blue sleeves at Equipment. The more daring of us can wander further afield with Kenzo’s single eye or Clover Canyon’s graphic kaleidoscope. Pick one up now and fearlessly hang on to it for Spring/Summer because it also works when paired with structured leather shorts or denim cutoffs. For his S/S2014 collection, Christopher Kane sent his darlings down the catwalk in blinged out cut out sweatshirts with silky elegant skirts. Again, the duality was miraculously refreshing. To mimic this effect right now, add a glittery statement necklace, and a sweatshirt over top a summery slip dress, don some suede booties and prepare to embrace your sporty self.
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| Street style sweats: (left to right) with an architectural skirt, punking with plaid, ladylike lace and statement necklaces. |
