Monday 29 September 2014

Olympian Denise Lewis models Sportswear that’s fit for every day!

As gymwear sales soar, designs are becoming ever more sophisticated. Here, Olympian Denise Lewis tries...Sportswear that’s fit for every day!

  • Tracksuits are unflattering and Denise still wants to look presentable
  • She always keeps an eye out for functional, transitional sportswear 
  • There is a sportswear explosion on the High Street 
  • Luxury website Net-a-porter launched Net-a-sporter this year 
  • The trick is to buy items that don’t look like PE kit  
By ELIZA SCARBOROUGH FOR THE DAILY MAIL
PUBLISHED: 22:00, 28 September 2014 | UPDATED: 22:00, 28 September 2014

Despite being an Olympic gold medalist, TV presenter and fitness fan, I don’t want to always look like I’ve just jumped off the cross trainer (even if I have). Tracksuits are far from flattering and, as a busy mother-of-three, I still want to look presentable as I dash from workouts to the school run, a meeting, or the supermarket.
For years, I carried bulky bags full of training kit but, nowadays, I like to travel light, so I always keep an eye out for functional, transitional sportswear that looks stylish at both a ‘body pump’ class and the school gates.
Luckily, we’re seeing something of a sportswear explosion on the High Street. Fuelled by the popularity of yoga and Pilates, gym kits are having a major makeover. Never before has workout gear looked so unlike the scratchy tracksuits I wore as a young athlete in the early Nineties.
Luxury website Net-a-porter launched Net-a-sporter this year, selling designer tank tops, leotards and even tennis skirts. And since sportswear makes up 27 per cent of the £26 billion British fashion industry, jogging bottoms have never been hotter.
But the trick is to buy items that don’t look like PE kit, so they can be worn to the gym and out for dinner. To prove how easily it can be done, I put some of the most versatile sportswear available through its paces.
PRINT LEGGINGS
I was looking forward to getting these on as I love the quirky print. Once I did, I was less impressed. Too baggy for workouts but not tapered enough to make them flattering, they hover in no man’s land. I personally wouldn’t buy them. 2/5
Floral luxe trousers, £95, sweatybetty.com
Sleeveless jacket, £49.99, zara.com
Preen Edition shirt, £35, debenhams.com
Grey suede court shoe, £69, houseoffraser.co.uk

    SPORTS JUMPER 
    Gap does a brilliant, affordable sports range called GapFit that I buy loads from and mix with everyday staples like jeans. I’d live in this jumper. It’s made from light fabric, so you can pull it on after a gym session without overheating. It’s not branded so it would work for formal events, glammed up with heels and smart trousers. 5/5
    Ribbed gym sweater, £29.95, gap.co.uk
    Red trousers, £49, jaeger.co.uk
    Leopard print court shoes, £130, and clutch bag, £85, duoboots.com
    BALLET LEOTARD
    There’s not much room to hide in this leotard. I preferred to pin the low V-neck, but for the ladies who dare, I say go for it, though you could wear a vest underneath for modesty. You have to be quite self-assured to wear something this skintight. Shoulder ruching adds structure and the shape is elegant and glamorous. No one would have a clue it’s sportswear — it’s certainly more for parties than Pilates. 3/5
    Ballet bodysuit, £55, asos.com
    Floral pencil skirt, £45, marksand spencer.com
    Navy sandals, £110, ninewest.co.uk
    YOGA BOTTOMS 
    I tend to do high-intensity workouts where I push myself and sweat a lot. These might be problematic as the fabric is far from breathable — I’d have to stick to gentler yoga. Having said that, I love the shape. They are form-fitting, but not tight, and well-tapered, so show off my ankles. The fabric’s sheen elevates them from traditional jogging bottoms and, worn with a sparkly jacket, they look like tuxedo-style trousers. I’d wear these to a formal event. 3.5/5
    Joggers, £28, asos.com
    Somerset by Alice Temperley sequin jacket, £199, johnlewis.com
    Silk top, £29.50, marks andspencer.com
    Shoes, £24.99, newlook.com
    SLEEVELESS TANK TOP
    I love this pattern, it’s vampy, fits like a dream and I could wear it with jeans or running leggings. The high, wide back means you can wear a bra without the straps showing. As an athlete sponsored by Adidas, I was often sent lovely things — and Stella McCartney for Adidas is a match made in heaven. 4/5
    Stella McCartney for Adidas top, £40, harrods.com
    Leather skirt, £189, reiss.com
    Shoe boots, £38, next.co.uk
    HAREM TROUSERS
    At first I was sceptical. The baggy crotch and three-quarter length gave a strange shape and the colours looked too psychedelic to carry off anywhere but a dance studio. How wrong I was. Teamed with a tailored blazer and plain white top the trousers were transformed. Modern, elegant and fun. 3.5/5
    Trousers, £65, sweatybetty.com
    Blouse, £35, marksandspencer.com 
    Blazer, £79.99, zara.com
    Courts, £70, johnlewis.com




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