The US Open always raises the bar as far as style quotients go, both on and off the court. A fitness fan and stylist explain how to flaunt sporty-chic looks
Try on basketball shorts with heels, Cycling shorts on the red carpet, Mix your luxury with activewear and Style your sporty looks with a net top. Pics/Getty Images
We have (thankfully) come a long way from feeling guilty about wearing yoga pants at home to glamming up basketball shorts. This evolution in mixing-and-matching sportswear for a chic look is aided by multiple athleisure lines from Beyoncé Ivy Park looks to homegrown platforms like Seeq. And recently, we’ve been witnessing this trend at the ongoing 2023 US Open in New York City with chic looks on and off the court. Fitness and style expert Rashmi Rai from @rashmiraifitness tells us how to style athleisure ‘fits.
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Chic up
“Activewear seamlessly blends with other styles and it’s comfortable too,” Rai notes as she lists essential pieces for your wardrobe which can include black full-legged tights, light jackets and co-ords. You can easily mix sportswear with casual and formal pieces like denims and an oversized white shirt.
>> Rai suggests putting together a white sports bra under a sheer mesh top with black thighs which can look like leather pants if it has a sheen to it. “Since it’s too hot for leather, this is the perfect alternative,” she adds. Top it off with sports shoes, sneakers like Vans and Converse or heels — based on your personal style and mood. We love a knee-length pair of jeans with heeled boots and a white sports bra. Sign this off with a large white shirt and a cross-body fanny bag.
Aryna Sabalenka and (right) Carlos Alcaraz during their performance at the 2023 US Open in New York City
>> Tennis skirts are already cute and can be styled for casual dates, worn with ballet shoes (which have been coming back in style). For our weather, Rai suggests running shorts with a lightweight oversized jacket.
>> Cycling shorts aren’t just must-haves, they’re couture now. And whoever your bike shorts inspiration is, whether big fashion houses or the late Princess Diana, you can’t go wrong with styling them — bike shorts, heels, blazer or shirt, done.
>> This season, if you think of basketball shorts, you think of New Yorker Kristina Avakyan (@subwaysessions on Tik-Tok) who wore the shorts rolled down at the waist over a lace leotard and heels. Yes, we are firmly in the “we understand the vision” camp. Try layering your below-knee-length shorts with jackets, fitted spaghetti tops or corsets over white tees and pair this with heels. Don’t be afraid of mixing colours and textures here.
>> Kendall Jenner’s look for the 2023 US Open combined luxury with sporty with a formal dress, a sweater tied to her waist and a baseball cap. You can achieve this with a co-ord set. Ditch thin polyester fabric for cotton, and fitted looks for looser but well-structured pieces.
Rashmi Rai
>> Athleisure wear comes in popping colours. Rai suggests buying them in neutrals, monotones and matching sets if you’re unsure but simultaneously she encourages people to explore colours, noting, “Colours are a personal choice; one should own their style.”
Accessories
Add jewellery to your athleisure wear for a more glammed-up look like thick medium-sized hoops and multiple gold rings. Keep a few thin and light jackets handy, they can be mixed with more formal pieces or worn over a sports bra. Sporty accessories like a baseball cap, headband, sweatbands for the wrists and cross-body fanny packs make for great additions to non-athleisure pieces. Rai’s personal choice for hairdos is a high ponytail or a half-done messy bun with a neutral or pastel make-up look to help you achieve a simple canvas for colourful outfits.
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