And suddenly Sporty Spice is my style role model
What happens when the Spice Girls meet Lockdown and high fashion? A look called Athleisure Wear. All of a sudden, trainer pants are acceptable denim substitutes - and I look like Sporty Spice back in the day.
Recently I wrote an article about my rekindled love for the platform sole. Of course, the Spice Girls couldn't be missing as a source of inspiration. And while I was clicking through countless pictures of the best girl band of the 90s (or should I say ever), I came to a realization in addition to sugar-sweet nostalgia: I am Sporty Spice. To prevent a misunderstanding: I neither have a six-pack carved in stone nor do I move through the world beating flick flack. No, my statement is tragically based solely on fashion parallels. While Scary, Baby, Posh and Ginger Spice preferred to squeeze themselves into short fumbles, push-up bras and said platform shoes, Melanie C aka Sporty Spice always wore training pants - with a preference for Adidas or Kappa - along with tank or crop tops and dad sneakers. At that time I found that quite boring and the tight, colorful looks of the other four girls much more exciting.
Source: Instagram @spicegirls
Source: Instagram @sportysspice
Cut to 25 years later: I'm sitting here writing this text. In a pair of training pants from Adidas and a printed t-shirt. In the hallway, several pairs of dad sneakers are waiting for their turn. How could this happen?
Who needs real pants?
On the one hand, the lockdown is probably to blame. Like most others, there was little reason for me to wear "real pants" at the beginning of the pandemic. So my jeans stayed in the closet more and more often, the steadily growing training pants repertoire, on the other hand, hardly left untouched for a single day. In the meantime, all covid measures have disappeared from our everyday life again. And with them my sense of duty towards "sensible outfits". Why pinch and tweak to emulate Scary, Baby, Posh or Ginger when Sporty Spice is so incredibly comfortable and casual?
Let me get to the other side at this point: Athleisure wear (a symbiosis of the terms "athletic" and "leisure wear") has suddenly found a significant place, and not just in my world. Anyone who is anyone in the fashion industry has produced at least sweatshirts, jogging and training pants in recent years. Plus, ideally, sporty accessories like caps and socks. In Switzerland, for example, Lola Studio, Lamarel and Nologo Studio do this particularly well. Internationally, even high-fashion brands like Louis Vuitton and Y/Project send casuals down their catwalks.
Source: Imaxtree
Source: Imaxtree
Logically, then, I see absolutely no reason to say goodbye to my new alter ego even long post-Lockdown. Sporty Spice already knew it in the 90s: Athleisure is the ultimate. And if I do feel like a little more posh, a blazer (preferably leather), a slim-fitting top and gold jewelry will do the job. Yes, it's that easy. Thanks, Sporty!
Always in the mood for good hits, great trips and clinking drinks.