What Should You Wear Instead of Athleisure?

My breakup with athleisure and my quest for a replacement

Another Fashion Friday is upon us! If you’re new and not a fan of fashion: don’t worry, this is just a weekly thing, and every day except Friday is something else. If you’re new and you like fashion, buckle up because this is going to be fun!

It took me a while of waffling, but I think I’m finally off athleisure.

I started wearing athleisure around the time everyone else did—I want to say late 2010s. Before that point, I had my work clothes, my clubbing clothes, and completely unstylish lounge clothes that I didn’t even like that much, but were comfortable to wear at home (SpongeBob print jersey gauchos come to mind.) Athleisure changed the game. Especially as a person with sensory issues, athleisure provided a cool secret third thing (or well, secret fourth thing.) Namely, the ability to be comfortable, instantly match and look put together, and look sexy in a way that was somehow appropriate for every casual setting, which as I learned in my twenties, did not apply to a Bebe bandage dress.

Despite loving fashion and spending an inordinate amount of time thinking about fashion, I’m not naturally good at fashion. Good combinations of colors and styles never occur to me. I always hate the newest trend until four months after people like Bella Hadid start wearing it. I’ve always liked coord sets (including athleisure) because they make it easier for me to coordinate an outfit, something at which I’m otherwise terrible.

I never thought athleisure was an incredibly edgy or avant garde fashion choice, but at the very least it wasn’t dated, oversaturated or trying too hard (at least at first.) At times, a good sweatshirt with bike shorts might give off Princess Diana vibes, plus athleisure always looked good on me. You could also find basically any color of athleisure, which I enjoyed, as a lover of color. Need to go to the farmer’s market or grab tea? No problem. Just grab your Aritzia coord workout set in “villa pink” and you’re off to the races. Don’t forget the Nike Air Force 1s with the pink trim, and some chic ankle socks to layer over the leggings. Throw on some gold hoops for good measure, maybe even a matching scrunchie. Voila!

It might not have been groundbreaking, but at least it was chic. While it wasn’t deliberate on my part, wearing athleisure for activities that clearly didn’t involve exercise was a bit of a status marker too. What’s the best way to identify a rich housewife or stay-at-home girlfriend at 1 PM on a Wednesday? Well, look for the woman at the coffee shop dressed for a Pilates class. Athleisure sent a message to the world that you had nowhere to be, other than maybe an Equinox. Looking busy and powerful might be a status signifier, but if you’re a certain type of woman, the biggest status signifier is looking like you have absolutely nothing to do.

But I think that was actually athleisure’s downfall—and now that I’m off it, I’m searching for what to wear instead.