Le Sportif: Sportiness In the Fashion of 2014

By Anja Wade

The word “sporty” has been showing up all over the place in reviews of S/S 2014 fashion. At Vera Wang: “Oh, that collection was so sporty with such a languid air.” At Gucci: “you could see the sporty influence in the fabric and cut of the clothes.” Of course, many people mean to say that there is an obvious influence of actual sportswear in today’s collections. There’s mesh, there’s the racerback neckline, etc. And there’s nothing wrong with that. As a category of clothing, sportswear has its own history and place in the canon of Western fashion. But I think we’re reaching for more lately when we say that a collection is “sporty.” My question is, why sports, and why now? What is it about “sporty” that is relevant?

            Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines sporty as “of, relating to, or typical of sports, sportsmen, sportswomen, or sportswear.” What, praytell, are “sports” then? According to SportAccord, an organisation for all international sports federations, a sport meets the following criteria: 1. It includes an element of competition. 2. It does not rely on luck. 3. It involves the mind, coordination, and/or motorisation or the support of animals. Well, the support of animals aside, I’d say that the everyday life of a 21^st-century woman qualifies as a sport. Our world is full of competition, mental and physical dexterity, and constant motion. Isn’t this what sports are all about?

            Further, the word “sport” actually comes from the Old French word “desport,” meaning “leisure, recreation, or pleasure.” This nuance of the word is on point for today’s fashion trends. In this often chaotic 21^st-century world, aren’t most women looking for clothing that imparts a sense of leisure and pleasure? We are entrepreneurs, PhD students, artists, mothers, writers, CEOs, and more. We want both sides of the coin: ease and pleasure to parallel our uncompromising mental and physical dedication. There is both exertion and relaxation in our world, and we are attracted to clothing that embraces this duality.

Designers are increasingly hip to this. They have heard our call, and answered it. Some of them understand this duality on a first-hand basis (e.g., Vera Wang, former ice skater and current fashion mogul on the go). So, when we say “sporty” in our reviews of fashion these days, I think we mean something new. A new sense of being, and a new femininity. Something entirely different and full of evolution. Something a 21^st-century woman understands well.

Model at Vera Wang S/S 2014. Image sourced from:http://i0.wp.com/www.fashionisingpictures.net/runway/vera-wang-spring-summer-2014-nyfw37.jpg