When I lived in Lyon, France, I made a bee-line for the ridiculously overpriced and underwhelming “gym” (yes, that word should live in a serious set of air quotes, because it essentially consisted of a poorly ventilated room with a couple of old, rusty cardio machines adjacent to a dance studio with horrible overhead lighting and a noticeable B.O. problem) in an effort to stave off my homesickness…and any potential weight gain from the fantastic French fare. Initially, I would slip into my gym gear at home and walk to the two blocks to the gym, but I resolved to pack my clothes after more than my fair share of eyebrow raised looks of confusion {based on the reception my get-up received, I would guess that wearing gym clothes outside of the home was tantamount to wearing your pajamas to Church or something, according to les lyonnais} and one particularly strange incident that I have puzzled over for years. As I was walking down the street in my Nike spandex and windbreaker, a man leaned out of the window of his car and yelled, “Tu es sportive!” He didn’t look particularly menacing or lewd; his delivery instead suggested that he was saying something along the lines of “Hey, you dropped your keys” or something of comparable neighborly kindness. And “tu es sportive” translates to: “You look athletic”/”you are sporty.” ?! What was that?! A cat-call? Most random pick-up line ever — sorta like yelling, “You have red hair!” or “You’re wearing a green shirt!” Strange. Now Mr. Magpie and I will exchange faux “cat calls” along these lines every now and then — “you have really brown hair”; “you look sporty“; “you’re wearing running shoes!” You know, things that sound like they might be compliments but actually achieve nothing.
All of this is a long wind-up to justify the title of this post, which came to mind after thinking about how much I’ve loved the slightly athletic/sport-inspired looks I’ve seen all over the runway. I’m not into anything that’s literally akin to athletic gear {I don’t think I’ll ever get into the surfer girl styles — sorry, Proenza Schouler}, but certain color combinations (black and orangey-red) and smart cuts achieve the overall aesthetic.
For example, love this combo dress in the perfect racing colors (Sandro, $320, Net-A-Porter) alongside that fab J. Crew bubble necklace ($150, Net-A-Porter):
Ideal paired with these funky shoes (Vionnet, $925, The Corner):
And this perforated Givenchy tote ($1,445, Barney’s):
Or, how about this chevron-print button-front dress (Tucker, $380, Net-A-Porter), which lives in the same sporty color family, with a tasseled necklace (on sale for $319, Ten Over Six):
Oh-so-chic with some funky booties (Maison Martin Margiela, $895, Net-A-Porter):
Or, check out this perforated leather tote (affordable! — $89, Truvow):
Alternately, a boyfriend blazer ($78, Urban Outfitters) with a statement necklace ($88, Max & Chloe), black skinnies, some mah-jor boots ($605, Antik Batik):
Perfection with this geometric tote ($89, Rachel Roy):
Or, consider this silken muscle tee (3.1 Phillip Lim, $195, Otte) with a simple beaded necklace ($130, Ben-Amun) and black leather trim skirt (on sale for $180, Oxygene):
I’d wear it with this bucket bag (~$115, Mango) —
Or, a maxi dress (A.L.C., $795, Shopbop) with a lariat necklace ($88, Max and Chloe):
with some wedges (MyMu, on sale for $178, Les Nouvelles) and a tasseled clutchski ($128, Lulu Clutches):
And, in closing — a special treat for y’all: a giveaway for the most fab statement necklace…ever! Get ready: Dawn Biddlecomb, an independent stylist for Stella & Dot, is treating one lucky reader to the Marrakesh Bib necklace seen below! All you have to do is like Dawn on Facebook and leave a comment on this post telling me what the best or worst cat-call you’ve ever received is! A winner will be announced this Thursday!
