Blame it on Casual Friday or Silicon Valley’s increasingly lax dress codes, but menswear is putting a special emphasis on the “sport” in sportswear — the It item of fall was the sweatshirt.
Once considered only appropriate for the gym or a lazy afternoon at home, the humble sweatshirt was a runway essential in the men’s shows, notably at Givenchy, Dolce & Gabbana, Richard Chai, Rick Owens, Richard Nicoll and Dries Van Noten.
But the award for the season’s ultimate standout sweatshirt goes to Calvin Klein Collection. Creative director Italo Zucchelli sent models out wearing boxy sweatshirts in neutral tones emblazoned with retro logos lifted from the iconic brand’s most famous fragrances: Obsession, Eternity and Escape.
I wanted to create clothes that are right for the city in the winter and have an understated elegance to them.
- Italo Zucchelli
“In the last five years, we’ve been placing more emphasis on the athletic element,” Zucchelli says. “This collection was a celebration of American sportswear but with updated proportions and a luxurious feel. I wanted to create clothes that are right for the city in the winter and have an understated elegance to them.”
Before they had even hit stores, One Direction’s Harry Styles and Drake had been seen sporting the statement pieces, solidifying their status as a seasonal must-have. The Calvin Klein Collection sweatshirts have also crossed the gender divide — a host of women’s fashion editors inundated the p.r. trying to get their hands on one.
Sam Lobban, senior buyer at the online retailer MrPorter.com, has noticed the mainstreaming of traditionally athletic garments. “I think it stems from Riccardo Tisci’s work at Givenchy — that was the real start of the crossover,” he says. Customers have been responsive to the trend.
“It’s something we really saw a lot of traction on last summer, and it hasn’t abated,” Lobban says. “It’s a staple now.” The key to making it from the treadmill to the sidewalk is in the details.
“The sweatshirt is part of what people wear in their day-to-day lives,” says Zucchelli, who also offered luxe leather sweatshirts, and in the past has even used crocodile. “The key for me was to approach it with a sophisticated eye and hand.”