Fitness Fashion - A retrospective
Fear not I have no intention of being serious!
I watched the Zumba DVD with fascination, I tried to dance but was mesmerised by the energetic latin moves, the outfits and the accessories. I was overtaken with a longing to buy a mid drift top and low ride flared tights but also distracting me was my vivid flash back to my youth (not a flash dance unfortunately). I was in the lounge room watching my mum tighten her pelvis in time to her Denise Austin fitness video and tried to remember what Denise's outfit looked like. All I could visualise was Denise's really white teeth and then my mind kept playing a recurring image of Olivia Newton-John in the lets get physical music video.
Accessories
Sweat bands and Leg Warmers these quite rightly crossed over to main stream fashion. For to long tennis players got all the sweat bands, it was time for this essential fitness clothing to stop sweat on our brows and wrists wherever we where. Leg Warmers not only warmed our legs they also detracted from the size of our thighs and provided some bursts of serious florescent colour.
Track Suits and Track Pants
Tracksuits in shiny material, was it called parachute material or did someone around me just make that up? Are they made from the same material as parachutes? My other theory is that the noise you made when you walked was the same noise that a parachute made as the wind caught at it in full flight. The beauty of a track suit, it was all matching, not a lot of thought needed you where good to go as soon as you put it on.
After fashion broke up the track suit we evolve into separates the hoodie and the track pants. Track pants...mmmm, how did we ever live through winter before them? A big thank you to the track fitness athletes for inventing and sharing the PJ bottoms you can wear when you have visitors – the track pant.
Tights
After track pants came tights. Tights in various lengths and colours and patterns. Men wearing tights on bikes, women wearing tights for Aerobics, boxing, dancing and yoga. Tights are the new track pants. Many women and girls prefer them to stockings as your crotch is not being pulled down constantly by your feet.
Crop tops, bra tops, muscle tops and baggy tops
What about 'hit me one more time' Brittany or her predecessor 'hey mickey your so fine' gym tops? I find that I need to wear at least 3 of these tops at the same time now depending on the level of bouncing required. Remember when men in gyms wore net work out tops? If they didn't wax their chest hairs would poke through, sweet of them to lighten the sweaty gym atmosphere.
Swimmers
Historically there has been a huge diversity in women's swimmers; the teeny weeny polka dot bikini, the olympic swimmer style body suit, the chin to ankle women's number from pioneering days and Nigella Lawson's visit to Australia and for all modern women that have had a baby (except a few, you know who you are) the essential tummy covering tankini. For men my mind lingers on the the ultimate male swimmer as modelled by the iconic 1950's Bondi life guard. I am sorry to say that the male speedo also makes an appearance in my mind, once sited this piece of fitness clothingis impossible to erase.
T- Shirts with Logos
I believe these peaked in the eighties – World Gym, Reebook cant remember the rest but I feel almost certain something had to be emblazoned across men and women's chests. Not something cheap like Franklins – No Frills no something expensive like Nike- Just do it.
High Tech shoes, tops and trousers
Which brings us to now, we have technology. We have shoes with air pockets and shirts with under arm smell reducing weaving, we have lycra. Some clothes reduce your footprint on the air so you can go faster. Who knows in the not to distant future athletes and their designers may find a way of incorporating a solar panel so the suns energy can be harnessed for shoes, they will need an alternative for ice skates, tiny windmills?
I watched the Zumba DVD with fascination, I tried to dance but was mesmerised by the energetic latin moves, the outfits and the accessories. I was overtaken with a longing to buy a mid drift top and low ride flared tights but also distracting me was my vivid flash back to my youth (not a flash dance unfortunately). I was in the lounge room watching my mum tighten her pelvis in time to her Denise Austin fitness video and tried to remember what Denise's outfit looked like. All I could visualise was Denise's really white teeth and then my mind kept playing a recurring image of Olivia Newton-John in the lets get physical music video.
Accessories
Sweat bands and Leg Warmers these quite rightly crossed over to main stream fashion. For to long tennis players got all the sweat bands, it was time for this essential fitness clothing to stop sweat on our brows and wrists wherever we where. Leg Warmers not only warmed our legs they also detracted from the size of our thighs and provided some bursts of serious florescent colour.
Track Suits and Track Pants
Tracksuits in shiny material, was it called parachute material or did someone around me just make that up? Are they made from the same material as parachutes? My other theory is that the noise you made when you walked was the same noise that a parachute made as the wind caught at it in full flight. The beauty of a track suit, it was all matching, not a lot of thought needed you where good to go as soon as you put it on.
After fashion broke up the track suit we evolve into separates the hoodie and the track pants. Track pants...mmmm, how did we ever live through winter before them? A big thank you to the track fitness athletes for inventing and sharing the PJ bottoms you can wear when you have visitors – the track pant.
Tights
After track pants came tights. Tights in various lengths and colours and patterns. Men wearing tights on bikes, women wearing tights for Aerobics, boxing, dancing and yoga. Tights are the new track pants. Many women and girls prefer them to stockings as your crotch is not being pulled down constantly by your feet.
Crop tops, bra tops, muscle tops and baggy tops
What about 'hit me one more time' Brittany or her predecessor 'hey mickey your so fine' gym tops? I find that I need to wear at least 3 of these tops at the same time now depending on the level of bouncing required. Remember when men in gyms wore net work out tops? If they didn't wax their chest hairs would poke through, sweet of them to lighten the sweaty gym atmosphere.
Swimmers
Historically there has been a huge diversity in women's swimmers; the teeny weeny polka dot bikini, the olympic swimmer style body suit, the chin to ankle women's number from pioneering days and Nigella Lawson's visit to Australia and for all modern women that have had a baby (except a few, you know who you are) the essential tummy covering tankini. For men my mind lingers on the the ultimate male swimmer as modelled by the iconic 1950's Bondi life guard. I am sorry to say that the male speedo also makes an appearance in my mind, once sited this piece of fitness clothingis impossible to erase.
T- Shirts with Logos
I believe these peaked in the eighties – World Gym, Reebook cant remember the rest but I feel almost certain something had to be emblazoned across men and women's chests. Not something cheap like Franklins – No Frills no something expensive like Nike- Just do it.
High Tech shoes, tops and trousers
Which brings us to now, we have technology. We have shoes with air pockets and shirts with under arm smell reducing weaving, we have lycra. Some clothes reduce your footprint on the air so you can go faster. Who knows in the not to distant future athletes and their designers may find a way of incorporating a solar panel so the suns energy can be harnessed for shoes, they will need an alternative for ice skates, tiny windmills?
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