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And fashion has supplanted function. Anecdata from just last week... My partner wanted some new running trainers. She went to a popular high-street store here

And fashion has supplanted function. Anecdata from just last week... My partner wanted some new running trainers. She went to a popular high-street store here in the UK called JD Sports and said to the assistant "I'm looking for some new running shoes". In a bizarre fit of honesty the lady said: "Sorry we don't really do running gear here, we sell more fashion items." I'm sure her manager would have been appalled to overhear it, though perhaps the assistant is into sports herself and made an honest distinction between quality sports gear and the logo-heavy branded items in the store.

deebosong 4y ago
there was some article from New Yorker or NYTimes – with a quick google search I can't seem to find it at the moment. but the thesis was basically: sports wear has often influenced mainstream fashion since even like 100 years ago. but in each generation, people find it initially shocking to see so many people wearing what is marketed and made for sportswear for leisure, or even seeing it spill into the workplace. i think the article was focusing on leggings when they started creeping into non-sports-related settings. one of the craziest counter-examples i've seen, from the anecdote you share about your partner, was when i saw a man dressed to the nines in a really sharp/ smart business suit, looking like he had a great haircut. but for his kicks, he was rocking Nike Vaporfly 2's, which are known to only have so much life in their foam specialized for distance racing. i personally didn't think it looked at all aesthetically pleasing, but because they were relatively expensive for running shoes, i'm guessing that the man decided to pair them with his high fashion look.
- nonrandomstring 4y ago
  > made for sportswear for leisure, or even seeing it spill into the workplace Hopefully you are young enough to have been spared the indignity of witnessing a plague of fluorescent legwarmers and sweatbands escape the aerobics gyms of the 1980s. :)
- projectazorian 4y ago
  > i personally didn't think it looked at all aesthetically pleasing, but because they were relatively expensive for running shoes, i'm guessing that the man decided to pair them with his high fashion look. I'll sometimes do this sort of thing when I travel. Lot easier to travel light when you don't need a separate pair of running shoes.
- corrral 4y ago
  > but in each generation, people find it initially shocking to see so many people wearing what is marketed and made for sportswear for leisure, or even seeing it spill into the workplace. i think the article was focusing on leggings when they started creeping into non-sports-related settings. A lot of modern casual and even business-casual fashion is (or was) sports wear. Polo shirts? Explicitly designed for tennis—it's the reason the design exists. Pure sportswear. Oxford-cloth button-downs? Sports wear. That's why it's got the buttons to keep the collar down, and why the cloth is so heavy-weight and rugged. Rugby shirts? Jerseys? Of course. Sneakers, of course. Also, many other shoe designs, from equestrian and hunting sports. What's not sports wear is often former underwear. T-shirts and A-shirts (thought the latter remain very informal, at least) were/are underwear. Arguably leggings are underwear that (somehow—this trend remains baffling to me, but on the other hand, I mean, thank god for it, obviously) became sports wear and then became everyday casual wear.
  - 0xbadcafebee 4y ago
    Trousers started as activewear. Technically military dress for horseback, but you could argue that war is just a less aggressive form of football.
- 0xbadcafebee 4y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sportswear_(fashion) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sportswear_(fashion)
prvit 4y ago
> I'm sure her manager would have been appalled to overhear it Even their “description” meta-tag makes it clear that they focus on fashion items. > JD Sports is the leading sneaker and sport fashion retailer. With many limited edition and exclusive design from adidas Originals and Nike.

deebosong 4y ago

there was some article from New Yorker or NYTimes – with a quick google search I can't seem to find it at the moment. but the thesis was basically: sports wear has often influenced mainstream fashion since even like 100 years ago. but in each generation, people find it initially shocking to see so many people wearing what is marketed and made for sportswear for leisure, or even seeing it spill into the workplace. i think the article was focusing on leggings when they started creeping into non-sports-related settings. one of the craziest counter-examples i've seen, from the anecdote you share about your partner, was when i saw a man dressed to the nines in a really sharp/ smart business suit, looking like he had a great haircut. but for his kicks, he was rocking Nike Vaporfly 2's, which are known to only have so much life in their foam specialized for distance racing. i personally didn't think it looked at all aesthetically pleasing, but because they were relatively expensive for running shoes, i'm guessing that the man decided to pair them with his high fashion look.

nonrandomstring 4y ago
> made for sportswear for leisure, or even seeing it spill into the workplace Hopefully you are young enough to have been spared the indignity of witnessing a plague of fluorescent legwarmers and sweatbands escape the aerobics gyms of the 1980s. :)
projectazorian 4y ago
> i personally didn't think it looked at all aesthetically pleasing, but because they were relatively expensive for running shoes, i'm guessing that the man decided to pair them with his high fashion look. I'll sometimes do this sort of thing when I travel. Lot easier to travel light when you don't need a separate pair of running shoes.
corrral 4y ago
> but in each generation, people find it initially shocking to see so many people wearing what is marketed and made for sportswear for leisure, or even seeing it spill into the workplace. i think the article was focusing on leggings when they started creeping into non-sports-related settings. A lot of modern casual and even business-casual fashion is (or was) sports wear. Polo shirts? Explicitly designed for tennis—it's the reason the design exists. Pure sportswear. Oxford-cloth button-downs? Sports wear. That's why it's got the buttons to keep the collar down, and why the cloth is so heavy-weight and rugged. Rugby shirts? Jerseys? Of course. Sneakers, of course. Also, many other shoe designs, from equestrian and hunting sports. What's not sports wear is often former underwear. T-shirts and A-shirts (thought the latter remain very informal, at least) were/are underwear. Arguably leggings are underwear that (somehow—this trend remains baffling to me, but on the other hand, I mean, thank god for it, obviously) became sports wear and then became everyday casual wear.
- 0xbadcafebee 4y ago
  Trousers started as activewear. Technically military dress for horseback, but you could argue that war is just a less aggressive form of football.
0xbadcafebee 4y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sportswear_(fashion) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sportswear_(fashion)

prvit 4y ago

> I'm sure her manager would have been appalled to overhear it Even their “description” meta-tag makes it clear that they focus on fashion items. > JD Sports is the leading sneaker and sport fashion retailer. With many limited edition and exclusive design from adidas Originals and Nike.