Sports Luxe for Spring/Summer 2012

Victoria Beckham, Spring 2012 Collection

My most recent fashion article for The Cardiffian:

RACER necklines, bomber jackets, neoprene and slouchy track style trousers: you could be forgiven for thinking the worst of the 1980s had returned with a vengeance.

But fear not the return of the chav and fake Burberry check, as sports wear has gone high fashion. Scattered across catwalks for spring/summer 2012, and clearly influenced by the impending Olympics, sportswear is the new by-word in all that is fashionable.

Stella McCartney, the doyenne of sports luxe after her sold-out collaborations with Adidas, created asymmetrical dresses with sporty mesh insets. Anoraks, netting and silk tracksuit trousers all graced the catwalk at the Lavin, Hakaan and Antonio Berardi Spring/Summer 2012 collections.

Anoraks (yes, anoraks) got glamorous at Kenzo, Victoria Beckham and DKNY while Alexander Wang did a neat twist on the shell suit, making it sexy and short.

Shift dresses with contrast piping were comfortable and, for a catwalk trend, accessible. Meanwhile, silk track pants were teamed with loosely tailored smocks for a modern spin on le sportif.

On the high street, pleated skirts as seen at Victoria Beckham have already started appearing. Topshop has some beautiful tennis style dresses while Miss Selfridge has mesh cut out bodies on offer for less than £30.

Keywords for this trend are: mesh, zips, stripes and bright colours in simple, sporty silhouettes. Crop tops, two tone and trainers all starred on the catwalks, with designers such as Alexander Wang, 3.1 Philip Lim and Isabel Marant all referencing sportswear in their recent collections in New York.

For a winning look as opposed to being mistaken for an extra from Shameless, make sure you team your sportswear with clean, minimal shapes and colours. A monochrome palate works best for night and don’t be afraid to mix sportswear with the other big trend for 2012: pastels.