Genuinely, one of the greatest innovations in men’s clothing has to be athleisure. Athleisure is one of those game-changing, paradigm-shifting, ideas that create such an impact. It’s hard to imagine where fashion would be right now if we did not have it. The reasons why I love athleisure personally, are numerous. There is nothing else quite like it. It’s comfortable, it looks good on the street. it is casual clothing that you do not have to wear so casually. In short, it's great! But what if you’re new to athleisure? What if you're reading this, and thinking to yourself? “What the heck is this guy even talking about ?” Well don’t worry, we’ll get you up to speed in no time. Because I’ve created this amazing guide to men’s athleisure, and how you can make it work for your wardrobe!

A Couple Distinctions

First things first, there are a couple of things that I feel are necessary to point out. The first is that the term athleisure is rather broad, and can describe a whole assortment of clothing. This is important because to talk about athleisure we must recognize that there are more and less formal versions of that term. To put it plainly, think of it like this. There are some outfits you could wear to work, and some you sadly can't. More formal athleisure tries to model itself after business casual attire. Whereas casual athleisure can consist of some sweats and a track jacket. What is right for you just depends on what you are looking for from your wardrobe. It’s entirely possible that your job may be something that requires a more casual style of dress. For others, you might need something that looks exactly like slacks, but is way more comfortable; like these everyday joggers mens. Now that we’ve got a basic understanding of the two types of athleisure let's move on to the more practical aspects of how to rock our new closet.

The Casual

For the purposes of this article, I think it is best to split our focus for a second. For our first entry let's talk about how to build an outfit using the more casual style of athleisure. This is a pretty straightforward process, but I’ll clue you into some devilish details that will make your outfit pop! My vision for this outfit is a tracksuit, with a simple t-shirt. When selecting your t-shirt make sure you go for a fit that is tighter than you would normally wear. Then while selecting the tracksuit, pay special attention to how the jacket fits around your t-shirt. An easy rule to remember is that if the t-shirt looks like it’s bunching under the jacket. Then you need a tighter t-shirt. If your jacket looks like it’s getting caught by the shirt. Then you need a bigger jacket. Don’t be afraid to tinker with these fits, the sizing can be a little tricky!

The Formal

Now that we got the deceptively delicate fit of the casual athleisure wearer taken care of. Let's move on to building an outfit for the more formal athleisure advocate. The best and worst part about formal wear is that. There are a lot of rules. This can help or hurt us as there are more examples of what to do right in formal wear. And even more on what to do wrong. My advice is to keep it simple. Go for a dress shirt that compliments your frame, but doesn’t hug it. A common indicator of whether a dress shirt fits you well is the neck. If you feel like the neck of your shirt is too tight, or too loose it is worth it to look for another shirt. Then with your pants, try to get your exact sizing. No oversized or undersized here. With dress pants, you want your exact size, no more no less. Now that you have those sizes figured out you’re ready to go to town!

When one is trying to create a new outfit, in a new style. It’s important to be open to risk-taking. Remember, this is a whole new you, we are talking about. Let's go a little crazy first before we start refining. Maybe you’ve landed on the casual side of the athleisure debate. If that's the case then my advice is to go full bore and get a tracksuit. Trust me, you’ll feel better going too far, and coming back then you will by taking baby steps. If you’re trying to look a little more formal. Then try some nice elastic waist slacks and a dress shirt. What I’m trying to say is. You have options, and if you feel a certain look calling to you. Then heed that call!