Anatomy Of A Trend

by --By Tony Karon Time Magazine (Feb 06, 09:28 AM)


Time was, a fashion-conscious body would dare don a sweat suit only
while curled up in first class. No longer. Sweats are in for the
fashion cognoscenti, from smart, casual moms to partying celebrities.
And for boldface types, they're not just to own. There's hardly a
hip-hop star without an eponymous line of hoodies and pants. So who's
responsible for breathing new life into the long- reviled ensemble?
The answer depends on how far back you want to go.

Like its cousin the sneaker, the tracksuit came into the fashion
mainstream via the street, through hip-hop and rave culture. The sweat
suit became a B-boy uniform partly because disco gear did not lend
itself to the gymnastics of break dancing. Another influence: music
legends like Bob Marley, who adopted sweats as a uniform (and may have
been drawing on the much iconized image of tracksuit-clad John Carlos
and Tommie Smith giving black-power salutes at the 1968 Mexico City
Olympics).

But the tipping point, as with almost any fashion, was its adoption by
high-profile stylish women--in the fall of 2001. Fashion is a game in
which alpha-dog celebrities stay ahead of middle-class consumers,
often by mimicking inner-city teenagers and other transgressive
subcultures. Madonna's bold use of classic Adidas roused a posse of
A-list imitators ranging from Gwyneth Paltrow and Cameron Diaz to
Pink. J. Lo made the pastel Juicy Couture velour sweat suit a
must-have item, then started producing her own.

And apres J. Lo, le deluge: there were sweats-inspired looks on the
runway at Ralph Lauren, Prada and Valentino. The wheel has come full
circle. At the most recent haute couture shows, the folks from Juicy
Couture announced they would soon release a tracksuit for (gasp!) men.


Keywords: fashion,time,hip-hop,casual,hoodies,boldface,tracksuit,gymnastics