Men’s athleisure wear has taken the fashion world by storm. With more brands jumping on the bandwagon of this stylish fashion trend, more athleisure apparel is available than ever before. Not all gear is created equal. If that were the case, it’d be easy to simply search out and find the perfect piece.
Daniel Patrick knows what makes a great article of clothing. The best men’s athleisure gear all share some common ground. Each piece should be perfectly chosen for its special construction and design elements. Choosing the ideal clothing is easy when you consider the following essential factors which make high-performance apparel what it is.
The Function
The first question to ask yourself when purchasing athleisure wear is: What will I use it for? Athleisure comes from a fusion of the words athletic and leisure, being somewhere between the two. This collaboration sort of gear blends performance and comfort in a way that makes it ideal for any casual situation.
At the gym, a full range of motion ensures you’ll get the most out of your workout. At-home materials chosen for comfort help you relax in style and comfort. When going out, attention to style lets you look your best with a carefully curated look of the perfect casual clothes. Athleisure apparel bridges the gap between fashion and function to create well-wearing wardrobe staples for daily use.
This type of clothing is separated from traditional sportswear by its specificity. Sportswear, as its name suggests, is designed for improved performance for athletes. Track pants and basketball shorts are just two general articles that fall under sportswear. Yoga pants, sweats, and hoodies all fall under more free-form use and are considered athleisure outfits.
You can also tell athleisure apparel from the way articles are designed. Synthetic fabrics are sleek, but without high-quality embellishments are not known for their comfort.
Athleisure apparel will use high-grade comfortable performance fabrics like cotton, or else use a layer on lining in synthetic offerings. Blended fabrics also offer a way to meld comfort, moisture-wicking capabilities, and elastic function in one single garment.
The Parachute Track Pant 2.5 highlights the triple threat that athleisure wear presents. Lined microfiber polyester enhances the feel of the material while offering athletic performance. Contrast stripes along the outseam and shin of the pant legs cut a distinct visual appearance. A blackout sports label and zipper along the ankle both serve to add a final highlight to this all-day-every-day pant.
The Fit
The way a garment drapes impacts both how it looks and how you feel wearing it. Skintight clothing and oversized articles both have their place in fashion, with the latter being popular for athleisure apparel.
The baggy fit in some ways traces its modern origins from hip hop culture. Tight-fitting clothing disallowed the free range of motion needed for athletic dancing, so sportswear filled that need. Tracksuits, in particular, earned their eternal place in streetwear thanks to their use in dance.
The skinny jean craze peaked about a decade ago. As we enter 2021 the relaxed fit has slowly become the norm for a variety of reasons; skinny jeans are out. The first of these reasons is comfort: There are a few reasons a person would actively choose to wear a garment that’s physically uncomfortable.
The average person's weight fluctuates between five and six pounds over the course of a day. This adjustment is based on liquid and food intake as well as energy consumption. If a person forces themselves to squeeze into a pair of pants, odds are they will only get more uncomfortable. The subtly elasticity of many athleisure pieces, like sweatpants or joggers, makes them easy to wear even through natural changes in size.
The Summit Tee presents just one way that apparel is designed with an oversized fit in mind. The pink-and-blue summit graphic of the t-shirt is distressed for a vintage look, while heavyweight jersey material offers supreme softness. A slightly oversized fit lends itself to the overall comfort of the piece and causal nature of the silhouette. If a more regular fit is desired, this can easily be achieved by wearing a size down from your usual.
Oversized and true to size fits are both aspects to consider when deciding what type of clothing is best for you.
The Color
Everyone has their own special preferences when it comes to color, and some notions of the basics of color psychology. The color of the gear you wear actually has a significant impact on how you perform and are perceived.
- Green represents lushness in all forms. Its nature associations make it pleasing to look at and also brings to mind wealth and the “go” sign. On a physical level, it is the least taxing color to look at, significantly reducing eye strain. Green is a great color to wear when embarking on something new.
- Blue, for a good reason, is the most popular “favorite color” around the globe. It symbolizes intelligence and has a calming effect on the wearer. This makes it an ideal color when trying to bring ease into a tense environment or to highlight your trustworthiness.
- Purple is the color of kings. Ancient purple dyes had to be made from countless crushed seashells, imparting value and rarity to Tyrian purple. This color makes the wearer stand out as someone unique.
- Yellow is an attention-grabbing color that screams joy. When you want to be the center of attention and be thoroughly positive, choose yellow.
- Red is the color of power. It increases perceived dominance and can improve athletic performance when worn. If you need to stand out on a date or at a game, go with red.
- Orange is a bold color that showcases happiness and can champion an outgoing nature. Put on your orange the next time you want to make a statement about your presence.
- Black is classic, mysterious, and flattering. Black is the color for when you want to be both bold and subtle.
- White has many meanings, including purity, perfection, and cleanliness. It’s the ideal color for when you want to convey a clean figure.
The Fabric
The fabric your athleisure wear is made from may arguably be the most important factor on this list. Fabric affects the appearance and texture of the piece, as well as how it performs under a variety of conditions. We discussed the function of apparel and how it should impact your choice above. Many of these same concerns come into play when considering the fabric of your apparel.
Fabrics can be broken up into two primary categories: synthetic and natural. Natural fabrics can be taken directly from the environment for processing, like cotton and wool. Synthetic fabrics like nylon, polyester, and spandex must be chemically manufactured before they are used in garments. Each specific type of fabric is best in its own unique set of circumstances.
Cotton fabrics offer the best when it comes to comfort and warmth. Wool offers unique thermoregulating properties that make it a good all-season material. Many synthetics have subtle elastic or quick-drying properties, which make them the gold standard in athletic performance.
Winter is about to arrive. For cold weather, there are a variety of options available. Lined synthetic garments and acrylic pieces act to preserve your natural warmth. Wool and special types of cotton fabric also help maintain body temperature while maximizing comfort. One version of the latter can be found in our Thermal Standard Tee.
Daniel Patrick’s Thermal Standard Tee uses a cotton waffle weave to create a distinct appearance and practical cold-weather functionality. The piece uses the same oversized fit and center seam, which gives all our standard tees their iconic silhouette.
The waffle weave fabric gives a square latticed appearance as well as a layered structure which aids in heat retention. These properties make it a stylish base or a highly functional winter piece under multiple layers.
Layering
Consider the ability to layer your gear when you purchase it. One of the best ways to dress up or down your apparel is by paying close attention to layers. This lets you wear a color palette as diverse or uniform as you want and dress for warmth as needed. Especially as temperatures fluctuate throughout the day, layering lets you balance style and comfort with ease.
Understanding how to layer is essential when pairing your gear, though. This can be done by modulating the color or thickness of the garments you wear. Traditionally your outerwear should be thickest while your base layer remains the thinnest. Layering color is more up to personal taste, but you should give the impression that your palette was consciously chosen.
For your base layer, you should wear a comfortable tee shirt. If your midlayers reveal the chest, then a graphic tee can also give complexity to your figure. Outer layers like heavy hoodies and winter jackets are great for the ease with which they can be added or removed.
The Roaming Cloak is one great example of a layering piece. The cloak is available in neutral, cool, and warm colorways to situate any outfit. The rib knit cuffs and shawl collar give the piece extra comfort and a fit that’s tailored where it counts. Heavyweight garment dyed fleece gives the cloak a hefty, luxurious feel that’s perfect for dipping temperatures.
The piece fits oversized, making it a great companion no matter how your base layer fits you. Going down a size is an easy way to turn an oversized fit into a regular fit. Pairing this piece with a standard tee shirt can create a subtle silhouette. Meanwhile, layering it over a graphic tee gives a glimpse at the design of your base layer.
The Special Details
Quality apparel stands out from the rest of the pack. Part of this comes from the luxury materials and attention to detail a line receives. Part of this comes from unique detailing in a garment. Going the extra mile in terms of practical or aesthetic design is the hallmark of quality athleisure wear.
If you want to run in your apparel, zipper and velcro pockets maximize the protection your accessories receive. Specialized fabric blends subtly impart functional, visual, and textural differences to articles made from them.
Accents like sport label appliques and adjustable bungee cords along the figure of garments allow for truly individualized gear. Daniel Patrick marks many of our designs with a center seam to create an instantly recognizable line of apparel.
Small details matter. Minutia is what separates the mediocre from the quality and the quality from the exceptional.
The Style
One last factor to consider when choosing your athleisure: Is this right for me? Every brand has its own particular image and set of core values that makes it unique. This can be seen in the visuals of the product line and the way a brand speaks about itself. This can be seen in every step of production, from the concept to the clothing rack.
Our style is streetwear, leaning heavily towards the athletic side of the culture. We aspire to quality athleisure for the wide realm of daily possibilities it opens up. We also hold a sense of place close to our heart.
The vast majority of our garments are assembled by hand in Los Angeles, a city that continues to inspire us. Our collections feature high-performing essential items as well as aesthetic pieces that take visual cues from the landscape around us.
A brand speaks to your aesthetics and values. Choose wisely.
Athleisure: All Factors Considered
Athleisure is more than just a multi-purpose fashion trend. It allows us to blur the lines between clothing styles that are only applicable in a few contexts. The versatility of the garment lets it see casual or high-performance use as needed. The aesthetic choices that the best athleisure wear sees has it showcasing the wearer's sense of style as well.
The size, shape, appearance, and style of a piece all come together to make a piece unique. As this trend maintains its rightful place in popular culture, it will take more for a brand to distinguish itself. With personalized care given to every garment, we are dedicated to placing ourselves at the apex of the movement.
Sources:
Weight Fluctuation I Healthline