On the BALL
In New York, Proenza Schouler’s nudge to think beyond the sweats—a streetwise slinky ’70s-inspired number—came down to the details: sleek ribbed stretch knit, an exaggerated point collar and bold black buttons that punctuated the muted mint colour. Basically, it’s the type of look that inspires one to actually get dressed again. Over at Michael Kors, the purveyor of classic American sportswear bridged our conflicting desire for ease and opulence by pairing an emerald-green asymmetrical knit with a sinuous silk skirt, its lustrous drape catching the light in a way fleece never could. Hermès’ surprising take on the flight suit—a clavicle-exposing cerulean one-piece devoid of any bells and whistles—is the ideal accompaniment to a sunny park gathering, although such use might warrant your first trip to the dry cleaner in nearly a year.
The fact is, we’re not out of the proverbial woods just yet, and our clothing, like our culture, has to reflect that. But there’s beauty in this fashion purgatory we find ourselves in: We’re not abandoning comfort entirely; nor are we reaching for an out-of-touch display of exuberance. Change, we learned all too well in 2020, is best served in small doses.
We’ve officially entered a tennis renaissance. (It is, after all, the ultimate socially distanced sport.) The revival was nowhere more apparent than at Lacoste, a brand whose sartorial conventions were built on the jeu de paume. Since taking the helm in 2018, creative director Louise Trotter—an under-the-radar talent with a knack for reviving somewhat stale heritage brands—has dissected and distilled the tennis uniform into its purest form: ultra-sophisticated sportswear. Trotter’s offering this season, a 20-look collection drenched in feel-good nostalgia, was ripe with modern amendments: an arts-and-crafts approach to construction (note the track jackets transformed into pants in the Lacoste photo above); Wimbledon whites worn with kicky pops of vermilion, lemon yellow and hunter green; and outside-the-box embroidery fashioned by couture house Maison Lemarié (with standout loose threads dangling from the hem and cuffs). Fortunately for unathletic types, you don’t need a deft backhand to don these newest iterations—athleisure separates elevated to perfection are total winners on and off the court.