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Saturday 22 November 2008

The skinny on sportswear

James Sherwood seeks suitable jogging attire

There are few things more sanctimonious or self-deluding than a lifelong devotee of Marlboro reds and gin martinis like me extolling the virtues of a newfound exercise routine such as running. All those delicious addictions may be redirected along the South Bank at 7 a.m., but sure as aspirin follows Scotch one still buys a sneaky ten-pack on the home stretch and persistently loads the bottle bank with empties like a dead-eyed tourist feeding the slots in Vegas.

The struggle is secondary to the fundamental style dilemma: how to dress appropriately for sport. An ill-informed friend who coaxed me into running said, loftily, that the minute you don exercise clothing you become invisible. This is nonsense. Running in central London is more of a fashion parade than high noon on the Via della Spiga.

Olympian bodies sprint past clad in little more than Lycra sheaths that even Michael Phelps would consider immodest. Pleasing as these sights may be, there soon comes the time to sink to the knees and ululate with despair that you will ever compare. It is a universal if depressing truth for strangers to exercise that, once past 30, your body decides it wants a life of its own. The question is how to dress a work-in-progress with style and grace until your physique rivals the Elgin marbles.

‘I am sorry to report that there’s not much out there,’ says Savile Row new establishment tailor Richard James, ‘even though I do find it rather thrilling that Niketown on Oxford Street offers a bespoke trainer service. Running is an insular exercise. You do it for yourself and do not necessarily want to stand out. So I avoid colour or pattern and tend to wear navy. My running shorts are loose-fitting Nike navy shorts and I tend to wear Richard James T-shirts because they are a nicer shape than the ones you find in the sport shops. I would love to design a collection of sports clothes that flatter: a before, interim and after that become more fitted as your body gets fitter.’

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