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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 1987)
Sweats offer the best of both worlds; style and comfort By |anean Chun Emerald Contributor Ever since the concept of body awareness hit the '80s generation, fitness has become more and more a part of daily life. Leading an active life no longer is equated merely with grunting through Rocky-style workouts in a stench-filled gym. Likewise, the image of athletic wear as torn, faded clothing is passe, and the refin ed sports look is not restricted to athletes on the field of play. “I met a friend of mine for brunch the other day at the (Eugene) Hilton, and he walked in in a sweatsuit,” said David Winchell. owner of Dance City Sweats. "In fact, if you have on an ex pensive pair of sweats, you can walk into the finest restaurants these days in Los Angeles and San Francisco. It's acceptable to go out in.” Winchell said. This fall, the look is more than acceptable; it's downright desirable Active wear has penetrated the pages of top fashion magazines as well as the clothing racks of local athletic stores The style conscious public now is paying attention to both the athletes' performances and their uniforms. One of the most striking looks this fall is the form-fitting body wear inspired by track and cycling. Running tights and bike shorts in modern shapes and styles evoke a sleek, sexy street attitude Lengths are creeping upward, with popular cuts ranging from anywhere between mid-calf and mid thigh. Perhaps this season's most fashionable length falls just above the knee. For a futuristic look, color is of key importance. Color block ing. which plays neon, geometrical shapes such as circles or stripes against a black base, decorates the newest tights. Runners and bikers have been customers of these Lycra shorts and tights for good mason "You don’t feel the material. It's not bulky. It's supportive, like pan tyhose It actually sup ports the muscles, and it's good for circulation." said Nancy Hull of the F.ugene Athletic sales department. Cropped, midriff revealing tops for women and wide-back tanks for men complete the snug silhouette However, top-, ping tights with an over sized T-shirt for the in verted triangle effect is just as fashionable To day's T-shirts emphasize unexpected graphics or txild messages. Brand name T-shirts such as Swatch. Vision Sports and Adidas satisfy the label hungry. The football letterman jacket is another hot item this fall. Ed die Murphy sported a Detroit L.ions jacket in "Beverly Mills Cop II." and many football fans are following suit. With the NFL players' strike still in pro gress. shirts and sweatshirts splashed with pro-team logos are doing a lot better than the games themselves. For fall evening wear, softer, more delicate miniskirts are in. and the influence is definitely (Millet Dance leggings can be worn beneath swingy miniskirts or see-through net skirts are still fashion assets. This season's legging colors include naturals (ecru, taupe), pastels (peach, mint green) and. of course, basic black. With the introduction of the term "fashion fleece," sweats. Photo by Shu Shin* < hrn Ann Gilman stretches in a two-piece l.ycra exercise outfit with crop fted tights and racerhack tops (above). Bold, solid, neon colors are the latest in fashion with ‘ less is more'' styling that gives the most comfort to the activity-oriented student. Racerhack tops also are available in 100 pen:ent cotton (below). (Sportswear courtesy of Dance City Sweats.) too. have become a means of making a fashion statement For fall, white fleece accented with fun colors is a strong seller Still, almost anything goes in this category. Dance City Sweats offers sweat shirts and pants in 23 colors for $10 95 each. Win ched defines sweats as the new staple in the closets of budget conscious students. "They sell almost like jeans used to. Peo ple will come in and buy five colors because they can buy them for about $10 each Jeans now are about $30 a pair," he said. In fact, sweats have become so popular that the Ksslinger equipment room has had dif ficulties keeping sweat shirts stocked. When students check out a flasket, athletic clothing items may be borrowed free of charge for a term. As a result, "last year all girls, especially the petite ones, would ask for extra-large sweat shirts. Then when the big guys who really need extra-large sweta shirts came up. wb had to toll Ilium we didn't have anymore," said liana Fuld. student manager of the <M|uipment room This year, extru-large sweat shirts are off limits to women unless the size actually fits them Unfortunately, such agreeable prices are not the norm. Name brand sweat suits can run up to $85. And the cost of most types of active wear is rising to meet the increased de mand Hut in the long run. these purchases should please the practical fashion-follower. "I think it fits the lifestyle a lot more tiecause even though a lot of the clothes uren't really cheap, they can be worn again and again and again. They're really easy to care for. and they don't have to tie ironed," said Donald Xadoff of Hackstage Da nee wear. "The initial outlay of money might he pretty substantial, but if you figure the cost-per-wear, it ends up being pretty economical." Zadoff added.
