Prepare to mourn, because trend forecasters have announced that our beloved exercise leggings are so passé. Gone are the days of comfortably lounging around, pretending you’re going to exercise at some point in the day. Instead, prepare for the new activewear trend: activewear bodysuits.
Otherwise known as jumpsuits or onesies, these all-in-one outfits admittedly save a lot of time spent on outfit co-ordination. They also reduce the amount of time spent picking half of your exercise shorts from between your butt cheeks or pulling your shirt down while attempting a yoga pose. It’s easy to see why these activewear jumpsuits are so appealing, especially when you see the jumpsuits themselves.
The trend has been growing steadily since mid-last year, but it has really hit its stride/the runways this year. Unsurprisingly, a celebrity was behind the sudden explosion of the slowly creeping trend. A vampiric photo from Kylie Jenner’s campaign with Puma featured a high performance bodysuit that hugs her curves.
The exercise bodysuit is in keeping with this year’s fashion and makeup trend towards all things 1980s. Bodysuits like these were everywhere in the 80s, in lurid colour and often with a skimpy bottom half. The current bodysuit trend seems to be a bit more subtle than it’s benefactor, but it pays homage to the original bodysuits.
The trend is evident in the activewear lines of most high fashion exercise brands, such as Stella McCartney, Michi, Live the Process and Lucas High. From fashionable bodysuits with lace cutouts to very functional stretchy jumpsuits, there are plenty of onesie options for the fitness fashionable. One of our favourites is this bodysuit from Joanthan Simkhai’s collaboration with Carbon38, with the cutouts for extra breathability.
There’s no denying that the bodysuits look sleek and minimalistic, which is ideal when the gym-goer wants to focus on the exercise itself. However, the full body active wear does present some problems, which many will understand, such as the obvious problem of using the bathroom in a bodysuit. Not to mention, it’s already difficult enough to take off a sweaty bra – how is one supposed to remove a sweaty full body jumpsuit? A final concern: is this just another exercise trend that only models and fitness inspo Instagrammers can pull off? The very tight nature of this active wear trend lends itself to the kind of body scrutiny that an average gym-goer (like yours truly) wouldn’t want to invite.
It’s certainly a divisive active wear trend, yet it looks like exercise bodysuits won’t be going anywhere any time soon. The trend is already present in most high-end activewear brands, so it won’t be long until more affordable exercise brands begin to manufacture their own jumpsuits. So if you’re a fitness fashionista, grab a bodysuit and enjoy the freedom of exercising in a one-piece!
What do you think of this trend? Let us know below.
