Fashion gets physical

Reuters

TRENDY: Caroline Wozniacki in adidas Stella McCartney.

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Sportswear has never been so fashionable.

When Roger Federer stepped out in a crisp white military- style doubled-breasted jacket carrying a flashy kit bag at Wimbledon last year the Swiss tennis dandy was both mocked and applauded.

The Nike outfit was aptly described by The Daily Telegraph as a cross between Sergeant Pepper and An Officer and a Gentleman. Just as well he walked away with his sixth Wimbledon title.

Caroline Wozniacki, of Denmark, wasn't so lucky at last month's Australian Open - she crashed out of the competition losing to Li Na, of China. Still, at least she looked good, togged out as she was, in an adidas Stella McCartney Tennis Performance dress, complete with a floral motif featuring Climalite technology mesh panels on the sides for optimum ventilation. She also rocked in a Performance hot pant and bra, and biker-style jacket in slate green with diagonal zippers, chunky pockets and shoulder flaps.

Tennis is the one sport where players have traditionally been able to express their individuality through their on-court wardrobe. Now more sporting disciplines are following, with fashion lines branching into high-performance sportswear (Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin and Rick Owens are all doing high-top trainers) and high-end fashion designers, like McCartney and Alexander McQueen, collaborating with top sports brands.

McQueen's current sportswear collection for Puma packs a punch with trainers, hoodies, singlets and printed T-shirts inspired by boxing.

The trend is swinging the other way, too, with sports brands like Skins making their hardcore performance pieces more fashionable. Its current outdoor range comes in a camo print.

Orca, known for its fast wetsuits and triathlon garments knows "not everyone wants to wear Lyrca in public" and has developed its new Core range with comfort and style in mind, and it comes in fashionable colours. It also transferred its garment technology to swimwear featuring distinctive Orca styling.

New Zealand clothing company Untouched World is the latest to join the fray with the launch of an Ethical Performance Cyclewear range in December. The new eco-friendly range has been tested and endorsed by Kiwi- born Phil Keoghan, host of television's award-winning The Amazing Race, and former All Black captain Todd Blackadder.

Keoghan tested the clothing when he cycled from Los Angeles to New York to raise money to help fight multiple sclerosis. He covered more than 5630 kilometres, averaging 160km a day.

The Mountainsilk Recycle range combines an inner base of merino and a protective outerlayer of recycled polyester.

Stella McCartney and Wellington's own Icebreaker are trailblazers when it comes to high-performance wear that is eco-friendly and good looking.

McCartney first collaborated with adidas in 2005 and doesn't believe "style has to be sacrificed for sport". A key piece from the current summer collection is her hooded pack-away jacket made of recycled polyester. It's super cute over running shorts as well as over slim-fit dress pants with heels. The windbreaker is light, and packs into its own pocket taking up minimal handbag space.

It is only available from adidas Performance store, Auckland. The Wellington adidas Originals store is strictly fashion leisurewear.

McCartney's collections for adidas remain deeply rooted in the physical but also challenge more traditional sport silhouettes. The range consists of stylish performance clothes, footwear and accessory pieces for several codes, including running, gym, tennis, golf, cycling, triathlon and winter sports.

Sporty Icebreaker HR manager Kimberley Gilmour has been training for the Speight's Coast to Coast this weekend. Travelling south for pre-event training over Wellington Anniversary weekend, Ms Gilmour put one of the company's "ultralite" tops through a rigorous workout - 12km run on Friday, 100km bike ride on Saturday, 10km run on Sunday, slept in it Monday, and 30km run on Tuesday - and she didn't wear deodorant. She then offered it up for a sniff test. It smelt clean and odourless (we smelled the armpits too).

The fitted style is made from GT150, the lightest, finest merino available, and features eyelet panels for increased venting in sweat zones.

- © Fairfax NZ News