Is it time to end the obsession with skimpy gym gear?
Hannah Betts (pictured) said the athleisure trend is an affectation to show a busy and complex life  YES  By Hannah Betts  As the rest of us feel hot and bothered merely confronting a British summer, Ivanka Trump has been photographed toughing it out in a 31-degree Miami swelter, squeezed into sausage-skin-like athleisurewear. Not only this, but said outfit, worn as she walked her dog, was actually sausage-like in colour, meaning that  from a few steps away  the former First Daughter would have appeared naked in her leggings and crop top. With her imposing bosom and slim frame, the look (top) was power Barbie goes to the gym without breaking a sweat. Had her locks not been concealed by a cap, you can bet there would have been a hair toss. We all know why women like Ivanka don high-performance sportswear to do something resolutely unsporty. Its a Yummy Mummy affectation to show their lives are so busy and complex that they are forced to multi-task at all times. Where, in 2001, they would have indicated this by clasping a Starbucks cup, now they opt for a permanent bum-sculpting, thigh-compressing, super-sweat-wicking, four-way stretch polyamide and elastane casing. I cant possibly do something as basic as getting changed for the days activities, it tells us. I have to drop Algie and Allegra off at school, then power-walk to my interior design studio, while issuing directions to my domestic staff and home-brewing kombucha.  Its virtue-signalling meets the humblebrag meets school gates one-upwomanship. And, if their devotion to Lulu (Lululemon) and Bets (Sweaty Betty) means we get to check out their hot bods, then so much the better. However, just because you can carry something off, doesnt mean you should. Ivanka Trump (pictured) was photographed toughing it out in a 31-degree Miami swelter  It is an irony that posh PE kits have become all-day, everyday affairs just when we have never been less active. The nearest thing to physical exertion our Lulu Lovely is likely to achieve is lobbing a phone at the nanny while clambering into her SUV. And if our heroine were more ath than leisure, and did lunges between Zoom meetings, then, urgh  have a wash, lady! No one wants to get near man-made fibres that have been festering for several hours. This VIP sausage-skin look is an affectation  These looks are intended to pass for casual, but one only has to glance at Ivankas peach and lavender ensemble  socks matched to dog lead, hat to dog itself  to see through this piece of fake news. These Lycra-ed ladies who lunch are trying so hard to look effortless that they might as well be dressed head-to-toe in Chanel. Although, obviously, theyd look a damn sight better if they were. I say outside because you have to wear something to get to the gym, and as changing rooms are still Covid-restricted  dont get me started  perforce you have to wear it on the way to your workout/yoga practice as well as during it. Fine. I am both an exercise bully and a fattist, as my husband will confirm, and the more people I see in sweaty Lycra, the better. This is why I feasted my eyes on the photos of the toned and dewy Ivanka Trump in a pair of tie-dye peach leggings and crop top on a walk, or as the Americans insist, a hike, in Miami. My answer to that is: hell yeah! I like to think I was an early adopter of the unstoppable athleisure trend (I have five pairs of Me+Ems luxe track pants that transition from workout to evening bash) and would wear my Sweaty Betty leggings even more than I do already, were it not for the fact that my bottom is no longer a sticky-out booty. Better tight Lycra than a slobs trackie bottoms  It is a truth universally acknowledged that unless your derriere looks like two boiled eggs wrapped in a hanky, leggings are not your friend (as any three-way mirror will tell you). But hugging Lycra is still far more attractive than tracksuit bottoms, and has the advantage of making you look purposeful and active (you have either worked out or are about to, and therefore you havent given up) unlike trackie bums, which have a box-set-and-takeout-slob vibe. But Im not sure Id wear eye-catching statement leggings into work. My favoured office-wear as a trainee was some unsporty, sober black leggings, clompy shoes and a jacket, which I thought hovered just on the right side of formality. However, one day I was quietly taken to one side by my news editor (male, needless to say) and told I couldnt wear leggings at the Financial Times. I feel certain the athleisure version would be given similar short shrift amid shudders from the male powers that be. On that note, we havent got space to talk about the intimate horror of men in Lycra, but luckily I can dispense with that in one word. No!