Here’s How to Look as Good as Your Favorite Sports Fashion IconsBy Angelica Malin
Cristiano Ronaldo. David Beckham. Serena and Venus Williams. Megan Rapinoe. Lewis Hamilton. Simone Biles. What do they all have in common besides a tradition of athletic excellence in their respective sports? As you may have guessed from their media appearances, these athletes are considered among the best-dressed sportspeople in the world. They’re known for making powerful visual impressions on their audiences through their personal style, both in-game and outside of it.
If you aspire to look just as good as your favorite sports icons, what rules should you follow from their style playbooks? Here’s a rundown of the nine best tips for picking activewear and athleisure clothing like a champ!
Get Excellent Basics for Your Sports Wardrobe
Before you start on anything else in your athleisure or activewear wardrobe, you have to start with the basics. Your favorite athletes depend on good-quality basics to take them through their training, their game-day moments, and their off-court or off-pitch endeavors. Just like them, make it a point to build any athletics-inspired wardrobe on comfy, stylish basics that you can keep returning to. Buy socks, shorts, joggers, leggings, shirts, and tank tops that you can use for multiple athletic or athleisure ensembles.
Dress Neatly and Tidily
Former New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz makes it a point to look clean, neat, and well put together both when he’s on the field and off the field. You may not always feel very glamorous when you’re being active, but you’ll be able to make as strong an impression as the most poised athletes by dressing and comporting neatly. Start your morning at the gym or at the park with a clean and well-pressed set of activewear, and see for yourself what difference it will make to your morale.
Pay Special Attention to the Way Your Athletic Clothes Fit You
If there’s one thing that athletes know from experience, it’s the value of wearing clothing that fits them perfectly. Form-fitting clothes enhance athletic function by freeing the body of clothing-related obstructions and allowing optimal flexibility and range of movement. To look good and perform as well as the sports icons you admire, choose clothes that flatter your figure and that don’t get in the way of your chosen activity. Just like them, you’ll end up feeling like you’re ready to take on life’s most pressing challenges.
Don’t Be Afraid to Show Off Athletic Details
Many athletes like to rock an everyday personal aesthetic that still calls back to their chosen sport. You can do the same by incorporating the aesthetic elements of sportswear into your active or everyday ensembles. Go for eye-catching color schemes, jersey-knit fabrics, and designs that feature stripes or other geometric shapes. Don’t hesitate to sport numbers and logos on your apparel, especially if these have special significance to your favorite athletes and sports teams.
Look Extra Fresh with Breathable, Moisture-Wicking Clothes
Though your favorite sports fashion icons are used to breaking a sweat, a lot of them still look breezy and confident when they’re in action. In many cases, the secret can be traced to wearing clothes that effectively mitigate moisture and regulate the athlete’s body temperature.
Take a leaf from their book and buy athletic or athleisure clothing that’s made of breathable fabric. You can also invest in sports basics like shirts and jerseys that are extra absorbent of moisture or are treated with moisture-wicking textile technology. That just might do the trick in making you look as effortless as your favorite athletes do.
Elevate Your Outfit with Spiffy Shoes and Accessories
The most fashionable athletes know how to style footwear and accessories for both their in-game and out-of-game appearances.
On days that you anticipate being as active as they are, bust out your sportiest trainers or running shoes and pair them with colorful and interestingly patterned socks. Match your shoes with other sports-related accessories like smartwatches with silicone bands, sweatbands, headbands, caps, and even earphones or earbuds. You’ll be able to achieve a subtle, but visually pleasing impression on others by wearing athleisure tops or bottoms in muted colors and contrasting them with bright, sharp accents in your shoes and accessories.
Whether You’re Indoors or Outdoors, Dress for the Occasion
Both athletic performance and athletic fashion draw from the principle of adjusting to circumstances. That’s why you should do as your favorite athletes do and dress appropriately for the weather and the activity you have in mind. Always consider how much warmth and mobility you’ll need indoors as opposed to outdoors, and choose the best moments to wear a jacket or hoodie versus a plain shirt or cropped tank top.
Don’t Limit Yourself to Just Men’s or Women’s Clothing for Inspiration
The awesome thing about sports and sports-inspired fashion is that it’s no longer limited to traditional gender binaries. Take it from two basketball icons who get inspiration from the opposite sex for their everyday wear.
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook has been known to draw fashion inspiration from women’s wear, while the Phoenix Mercury’s Skylar Diggins-Smith likes to play with sartorial elements that are traditionally masculine, like tuxedo-cut clothing. Follow their lead when it comes to styling active outfits, and draw from both masculine and feminine styles—whatever you look good and feel comfortable in.
Bring Out Your Character and Love for the Active Life Through Your Fashion
Finally, don’t be afraid to use fashion like your favorite sports icons do: to express who you are and what you value.
Tennis legend Serena Williams is also a fashion icon because she’s not afraid to wear clothes that show off her innate strength, grace, and sophistication. Undefeated boxer Laila Ali has pioneered an athleisure fashion brand built on versatility and the empowerment of the wearer—hearkening closely to her father Muhammad’s timeless motto of floating like a butterfly, but stinging like a bee.
When you dress yourself, think about what it is you want to convey to the world through your sporty fashion style. Whether you’re tough and proud of the struggles your body has taken you through, or you love bringing out a sense of poise and refinement even when you’re exercising, choose clothes that reflect the best of you.
These are just some examples of how you can draw visual and aesthetic inspiration from your favorite athletes. Who among your favorite sportspeople do you consider a fashion icon, and what style tips do you want to borrow from them?