How can you use sportswear in a retro style?

The period of 70-90s was golden for professional and amateur sports. This time could not but leave its mark in fashion: boxer shorts, tank tops, jumpsuits, bodysuits and bikinis appeared in our closet thanks to sports style. Together with stylist Daria Galperina we tell you where you can buy vintage uniforms and how to incorporate them into your closet.

Daria Galperina

stylist, image-maker

At that time, many aspiring athletes experimented with their health as soon as they could: they spoke water through TV, were treated with the help of psychics and hypnosis and beat themselves on the back with nettles. In the 80’s, they began to orient themselves to the West and release workouts on TV. Then rhythmic gymnastics came into fashion, which brought with it brightly colored tight overalls.

What was sportswear like in the 70s and 90s?

These years saw the emergence of the denim trend and the tendency to dress more loosely. In the Western fashion industry, sportswear was promoted to the masses by designers such as Calvin Klein, Roy Halston, Ralph Lauren and Anne Klein. For a long time jeans were not sold in the Soviet Union, but you could hardly find denim from the Italian brand Rifle, American Montana and Indian Miltons. In the USSR, jeans were made at the Bolshevichka factory, but it was almost impossible to get them. During the same period roller sports and golf became popular, which caused shiny dresses and pants made of silk organza, as well as short skirts and polo shirts to appear on the racks.

In the 80s, the world goes aerobics crazy. TV shows sporty girls in brightly colored costumes teaching women of all ages to be active and slim. From sports, neon-colored clothes, bright gaiters and colored tights are making their way into the everyday closet.

The most popular TV-trainer was Jane Fonda. The success of her program later tried to repeat Denise Austin, Cindy Crawford and Denise Richards, and viewers in the meantime massively bought colored tights, swimsuits and bodysuits.

Another example of style was Princess Diana. Thanks to her street outings and her enthusiasm for tennis, girls got sweatshirts, bicycles and sneakers with long socks. Now her style is inspired by American model Hailey Bieber.

The scope of sports style significantly expanded in the late 90’s, when in a sports suit you could go to the gym, and for a walk, and even in a cafe. Sport-chic became the dominant style in the clothes of the younger generation: minimalistic dresses were combined with sneakers, pencil skirt – with a bomber, baseball caps were worn with absolutely any clothes, and open cropped tops girls wore with sports pants.

How did the pandemic help sports style make a comeback in 2021?

A focus on comfort

With the closure of establishments and gyms, as well as canceled events and flights during the pandemic, the focus of clothing choices shifted to comfort and practicality. To wear for both peace and feast, to workout and at home. It was convenient to sit through an eight-hour working day in a home environment, and after not changing clothes to run out for coffee or a walk. As a consequence, the sports style of the 70s and 90s has rapidly returned to fashion-2021.

Daria Galperina

stylist, image-maker

Sportswear and sports style should not be confused. In the 70s these two concepts were identical, but now it is not so. Sportswear is what we literally do sports in: we go jogging, go to the gym and do yoga. Sporty style is the incorporation of elements of sport into looks (often not appropriate for strength training).

For example, the classic version of sporty style is a hoodie, olympics and a cap. But it’s hard to imagine how to run a marathon in them or do presses in the gym? If earlier sports elements of clothing were used exclusively for their intended purpose, now they serve for interesting combinations in everyday images.

The pandemic has also led to a rethinking of values. We have finally started to think about what we invest our time in. We don’t want to waste time changing clothes throughout the day. Clothes that drag on the body or restrict movement are no longer to our liking. We want comfort, practicality and a sense of freedom in our clothes.

Nostalgia

Another motto of the pandemic was nostalgia. For better, brighter, more active times. For smiles, meetings, traveling and, of course, movement. Brightly colored micro-shorts, metallic leggings, brightly colored polos and tie-dye tops from the 70’s also because of nostalgia and the desire to celebrate have played in 2021 with new vigor.

Love for oversize

Sportswear is often about oversize, a lack of fit. Joggers, hoodies are an essential closet item for those who have put on a few extra pounds during the pandemic. Oversize tracksuit from 2020 is one of the most coveted purchases, and caps that are beloved by everyone save when there is no styling on lazy days.

Fashion conscious

A tracksuit, retro sneakers or caps can easily be investment items that if you buy now, you don’t have to worry about their relevance for years to come. The whole world is now moving towards reducing consumption, buying fewer things with more functionality and mix and match. In this, sports style has no equal.

Where to find sportswear inspired by the 70-90s era?

New collections of the luxury segment this season are often built on bright colors and high speeds, embodying the era of the 1970s and 1990s. MIU MIU designers decided to combine functionality and fantasy in every piece, maintaining the title of a high fashion brand and helping people survive the pandemic. For example, tops with a techno collar and trendy dresses with ties reminded of carefree discos in neighborhood clubs, and the combination of a shortened sports vest and shorts with a white airy blouse and heeled sandals adds femininity to comfortable sportswear.

Today, brands use hockey game uniforms as one of the sources of inspiration. To it designers add ornaments of national costumes, which remind hippie style from the 70s, and expressive numbers on the back, as numbers of players on the uniform. That’s what the brand Nina Donis does.

It recently introduced the Olympic uniforms for the U.S. national team. The jackets from this collection feature new technology that will cool the athletes’ bodies, and the jackets will go to those who will carry the U.S. flag. In this collection, the Ralph Lauren brand has paid tribute to the style of past generations and perfectly integrated it into the modern closet.

Apart from luxury and mid-segment brands, you can find a lot of sporty vintage pieces in massmarkets and second hand stores. In this season’s summer collections you can find a huge number of jogger shorts, cycling shorts and tops. And retrovets, for example, can often be found at local flea markets or in boxes on the balcony where parents store their old things.

Expert tip: How to style retrovets?

We live in an amazing time when everything is fashionable! Sport-chic, sneakers, Cossacks, dresses and pants are fashionable. There are plenty of opportunities for stylish experiments, but there are basic tips that should be followed, especially if we are talking about combining vintage things in a modern closet.

Don’t go too vintage

If you’ve bought yourself a sporty style retroversion or new pieces in the spirit of yesteryear, the basic rule is not to go completely vintage in your look. If you put on vintage sports shorts and alcoholic T-shirt, shabby sneakers high tops, complement it all with a hairstyle like a cascade, you may get the impression that you are from 1967, but not from 2021. This image is perfect for a themed photo shoot, but not for everyday life. Therefore, when wearing retro sportswear, dilute it with something ultra-fashionable.

Play on contrasts

If we talk about sports style (modern and retro), we should not forget that it is always relaxed. Sport is about comfort, softness, convenience. Therefore, to make the image a little more collected and suitable for different formats of meetings and events, it is best to add inclusions of other styles (so-called eclecticism). That is, wearing a tracksuit, choose a classic jacket to complete the look. Retropolo to complete the look with classic straight pants and a jacket.