Figuring out Sweatpants
How I grew to love ‘America’s Most Hated Garment’
Whether through playing sports, running errands, traveling or trying to function during a global pandemic, sweatpants have become one of the most ubiquitous garments in modern times.
And yet, I hated them.
Even though society was making it socially acceptable to wear sweatpants in most circumstances (even pre-pandemic), I found it difficult to shift my ways of traditional thinking and dressing until very recently (read: a month ago). As part of “figuring out fashion”, I’ve come around to enjoy them as a functional layer, and as a thoughtful, intentional choice of garment for life.
Karl Lagerfeld famously said "Sweatpants are a sign of defeat. You lost control of your life so you bought some sweatpants." He wasn’t alone: both writers and individual people painted them as a symbol of sloth or laziness. Hell, The Atlantic branded them as "America's Most Hated Garment".
Even Seinfeld gets in on it! Though as usual, George was ahead of the times.
While defenses for sweatpants also existed (or, at least, spirited debates), I personally ignored these, finding them (and especially sweatsuits) boorish. I wore them when I was young out of necessity, as the elastic waist was useful for someone obese, but I didn’t enjoy wearing them and phased them out of my closet once I could buy my own clothes. I think their association with streetwear and hip-hop culture was a bigger limiting factor to me: in not wanting to perpetuate a stereotype of Blackness OR to claim membership to a group that I wasn’t a part of, I hesitated to wear sweatpants in adulthood for the longest time.
The debate from Esquire perhaps outlines my opinions most succinctly – aren’t they too casual? Aren’t there other better pants? Where are you going to wear them? Aren’t they too immature?
Men’s fashion commentary in the 2010s (and to some extent, present day) was about dressing well to be a “good” or “respectable” man rather than just some man-child. As someone who struggled at the time with being a serious adult - the joys of being a millenial - I internalized that and turned my nose at things like sweat pants or graphic tees.
Even when society loosened up via the pandemic, I was an essential worker (promoted to lower management in a grocery store), and thus felt I needed to be professional in appearance until very recently. I didn’t have a dress code to follow but still maintained a fairly classic way of dressing, thinking that things like sweatpants or the like weren’t a part of my “personal style”.
My personal style in 2023 would go through a major overhaul, as I metaphorically loosened up. My fits became more interesting, my closet more varied, and the line between formal and casual more blurred. The spectrum of an “acceptable” outfit broadened as I dressed more in line with what felt true to me, rather than an idea of what I *should* be wearing.
As the year progressed, I gravitated towards wider, more exaggerated clothing, particularly pants. One of my favorite purchases was a pair of oversized vintage Polo Ralph Lauren Andrew corduroy pants, which tended to pool and drape over my shoes. The visual effect was appealing to me, and it conveyed a nice balance between jocularity and seriousness that I really, especially when paired with tailoring or other structured pieces.
It was around this point that I also began seeing sweatpants in a new light, enjoying the pooling and draping that would form and, in some cases, the mimicking of ‘pleats’ that would occur when a pair of oversized sweatpants were cinched tight on the waist.
Once I bothered to pay attention, I found many examples of people mixing sweatpants in with other garments – Ronald Reagan infamously wore them on Air Force One, Tyler the Creator wore them on the red carpet, and Aimé Leon Dore profits tremendously from this in recent years, combining sweatpants with tailoring, jackets, loafers, dress shirts and ties.
I found plenty of other inspiration on the Internet as well, which did a lot to did a lot to reduce the stigma I had cultivated for years. I hasten to say these were “refined” compared to how sweatpants were worn in the past, but they were more aligned with what I’d typically wear.
To my immense gratitude, there existed non-trivial amounts of inspiration of people/brands taking cues from ALD to mix sweatpants with tailoring:
Despite my progressive thinking about dressing for the self vs for others’ expectations, this was a blindspot to clear: there’s no “right” way to dress to be respectable, just whatever allows one to do respectful things. Digging deeper, I recognized some of what I truly wanted out of clothing - ease, comfort, a sense of humor - could come from wearing sweatpants, especially outside of their usual domain.
Despite this, I don’t have much of a roster of sweatpants because I like a variety of pants; the two pair I do have are standouts for different reasons.
The first pair I bought was by complete accident – South2 West8’s Micro Fleece String Pant.
Around Thanksgiving we experienced extreme cold in DC for which I was ill-prepared. I headed home from my local thrift shop (empty handed) and walked past Somewhere, a store I never shopped at, lacking in money and perceived coolness. I waved through the racks of discounted designer clothes grabbing an incredibly soft, thick pile of fabric - a pair of pants by South2 West8 - and instinctively started putting them on over my jeans. I was slightly rebuked but at that point the damage was done: they fit well, felt warm, and were 75% off (around $110). Sold.
This pair is Extra Large; while a Medium would be true to size, I enjoy the XL as it formed a makeshift pleat once I secured the drawstring. The elastic cuff does a good job at blocking wind despite its size, especially as I usually wear them with socks. While I’m not usually a fan of polyester clothing, the high pile is something only really conducive with synthetics, and they’re rather comfortable in spite of this. Because of the high pile, they give the effect of corduroy, which allows them to slot in with more ‘traditional’ outfits, though they fit in equally as well when paired with more conventional streetwear.
The second pair, and one of my favorite pants at present, are Manresa’s Loopback Sweatpants in Light Ash
I bought a pair of the XL in light-ash from a friend and they too are comfortably oversized, particularly in the rise (listing rise measurements in general is thoughtful); buying oversized here yielded a tiny gap at the leg opening but that’s not an issue when wearing socks. I am relieved they are fairly thick and closer to pure white, and utterly soft, so much so I bought the matching hoodie. Like the Micro Fleece sweats, I find their pleating and draping give the effect of oversized chinos, making them a natural fit for me.
The only thing I haven’t attempted yet is wearing either pair with tailoring; given the cold weather lately that shouldn’t be too far away.
Other options:
J.Crew’s Heritage Fleece Sweatpant (men’s, women’s, pictured above)
Document’s Wide Tucket Sweatpants (link)
Magliano’s Provincia Trackpants (link)
Have I suddenly become leisurewear-pilled? Not in the slightest. But through questioning these preconceptions about masculinity I previously held, I’m able to recognize their benefits in function and in aesthetics. While I can’t speak to why every single human being wears sweatpants now, for me at least, it’s a hard-earned expansion of my personal style.
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