Hi, welcome back to a new course. Yes, yes, yes, I’ve been trying to keep up with my own deadlines and still manage to survive (literally on the edge). The Roman lifestyle has grown on me, and I have to admit that the dolce vita is not something you decide, it is something you fall into. Life goes fast, but the mindset is slowing it down. Anyway, in all of that, I wanted to do a class on vintage activewear. It has been booming since summer, and I’m obsessed with thrifting some cool athleisure pieces for my yoga sessions.
Even though I qualified myself as a yogi for 2-3 years, it was only last year that I started to take working out more seriously. To motivate myself, I thought nice outfits would help. But you know me, checking every label to make sure no microplastics would enter my body (or the water of my washing machine). It was hard to find any proper brand that did not attempt to kill my metabolism, the planet, and eventually the lives of thousands of little workers. Therefore, I am deeply happy that a new aspect of the Y2K aesthetics is trending (I know it is a trend but I’m pretty sure I was a yoga teacher in LA in another life).
Why happy? Well, most people would think that it is easier to buy a set from a random fast fashion brand. However, in my opinion, it is rather easier to go into my mom’s closet (and if you don’t have an iconic mom that kept everything since the 80s, I suggest thrift stores or Vinted of course). I’m not the only one, 40% of Gen Z is turning itself toward second-hand on an everyday basis (which makes me happier than a 6-7 meme). On top of that, where is the fun in having a predefined set that costs a bladder? The gym is already expensive enough, if I might say. I found the active vintagewear more fun, mix matching and color blocking really help on the mindset as well. Never underestimate the power of colors on your mind. When you are craving a color, you should surround yourself with it (gonna give the source for that one, or no one would believe me: JG Causse, 2023). Lately, I’ve been loving turquoise, sage green, and lilacs, light pastel colors from the early 2000s.
Talking about the early 2000s, let’s talk about our icons where we take our inspirations. I personally love Gabrielle Solis from « Desperate Housewives » and Summer from « The OC » as well as Paris Hilton (of course). If you want more contemporary ones, my favs are Ruby Lyn and Natalia Spotts (literally the girl that open the Pandora box). In terms of accessories, the aim is to be free of them but I have to say that I love headbands. I recently purchased one with my roommate in a random hippie store in our hometown, been obsessed with it ever since. You can probably find them everywhere though. It is kinda nice when you are like me and you hate to tie your hair up but still wanna see something while doing mountain climbers.
I truly believe that this trend is for us to get even more away from the « clean girl aesthetic » and let our own personality talk. I am happy that the clean girl era is going away, it used to pressure us even more into fitting the beauty standards. I like this era more, where you exercise not to have Bella Hadid’s body but to actually feel good. Being kind to yourself and accepting that missing one workout won’t ruin the day. Exercising should be to free your mind and not to overwhelm it.
I hope you feel motivated to go to the gym, run in the park, or hop onto your mat these holidays. Personally, exams are coming and the thesis deadline is triggering me, thus, I will need to find balance during this Easter break.
Spring is blooming, sun is shining and I definitely need to start focusing.
See you next class,
Fanny ;))