Ask dapperQ: How to Dress Awesome for Sports/Gym?

A reader asks:

“I have a question I’m DYING to ask!

I don’t always wear men’s clothes, but I do when I want to feel FANTASTIC! I like vintage professorial looks, and I’m a sucker for vests.

My problem is that, although I didn’t grow up as a sporty type, I’ve been getting more into sports lately (mostly competition running, yoga, and I mean to take up Krav Maga).

Though I’ve seen a few stunning basketball players, that isn’t my style and I don’t think I could pull it off. And most men’s workout clothes look a bit careless to me. So I’ve been doing all my workouts in t-shirts from the runs I’ve done and women’s running tights. This gets the job done, but I’m at a loss for how to add some personality to it. (Though I do have a fabulous pair of Lululemon run tights in herringbone print.) I do have one pair of cute vintage Fred Perry track pants but if you’re not a long-distance runner, you might not know that track pants chafe after about 10 miles or so! Any ideas for injecting some excitement into my workout wear?”

You cannot begin to imagine the joy your question brings to me and my fiancé. You see, my gal is a sports/gym fanatic and is always asking me to write something about how to dapper gym wear. No one else has ever asked, so I never got around to it. But it seems that now you have forced my hand. So, let’s take a peek at some of GQ’s recommendations for stylish gym wear. I’ll break them down and tell you the key to achieving each of the looks:

Look #1

GQ Gym1

Blazer by Bottega Veneta. Hoodie and bag by American Apparel. T-shirt by Todd Snyder. Pants and sneakers by Nike. Headphones by Aerial7. Sunglasses by Salt Optics. Watch by IWC.

Key ingredients: Running tights and sneakers are an obvious choice for working up a sweat. (You mentioned you already owned a pair of Lululemon tights.) But, layers, accessories (gym bag, watch, etc.) and bold colors make this outfit a winner. The blazer is a clever addition; you can invest in an affordable blazer (try thrift stores or Target) that you can wear to and from your activities. And, I especially like the bright yellow hoodie, which breaks up what would be a rather ordinary gray on black color combo.

ADD DAPPER LAYERS WITH HOODIES/PULLOVERS IN BOLD COLORS & PATTERNS

Check out our Polyvore set for pricing and availability

Look #2

Jacket and T-shirt by A|X Armani Exchange. Pants and wristband by Nike. Sneakers by New Balance. Headphones by Beats by Dr. Dre.

Key ingredients: Here we have a fairly simple black and gray color scheme again. Notice that splashes of brighter colors (blue-ish sneakers and red details in the jacket zipper, headphones, and wristband) give the ensemble that certain somethin’-somethin’. But, the pièce de résistance are the tapered sweats, which are SO in style right now that New Yorkers are pairing them with everything from blazers and button downs to stilettos and pearls. For example:

See what I mean? Best part is that you can invest in some tapered sweats and wear them to the gym and to brunch!

TAPERED SWEAT PANTS

ASOS and Topman have a wide variety of tapered sweats in both their “men’s” and “women’s” departments.

Look #3

no-sweats-09

T-shirt by A|X Armani Exchange. Shorts by Vince. Sneakers by Pierre Hardy. Socks by American Apparel. Hat by Coal. Headphones by Apple. Gloves by Everlast.

Key ingredients: This outfit seems pretty straight forward, right? Then, why is it that we’re all guilty of wearing old t-shirts with logos on them paired with oversized basketball shorts to the gym? This outfit is sleek, simple, and fun. Cool high tops, striped socks that peek over the shoe, a pop of color in the t-shirt are effortlessly dapper. And, the shirt and shorts actually fit; they’re not potato sack baggy.

SWITCH OUT THE OVERSIZED BASKETBALL SHORTS FOR MORE FITTED SHORTS

Check out our Polyvore set for pricing and availability.

If these recommendations do not suit your tastes, check out our posts on making sweats dapper here. But, whatever you do, don’t forget the small details, like hip kicks and a decent gym bag: