Sweatpants: The One Item I Didn’t Wear Until Now

Sweatpants: How to Style Sweatpants

Shop other black sweatpants here.

I’m sure you think I’m crazy, I never wear sweatpants and I think the last time I did was in gym class in high school.  But honestly I don’t even think I wore traditional Champion sweatpants, I wore my cheerleading skinny white sweatpants (with our colors of red and gold striped on the side) back then. This was required on certain days, but I also didn’t rock them on my days off.  Ironically they look like these seen below, but they were white. I’m sincerely saying, sweatpants make me feel uncomfortable. Being casual in an I just woke up way, makes me feel not myself.

I was raised to always be put together. That clothes were an extension of ourselves and what people see is how we present ourselves.  Of course, I still needed to be smart, kind, a hard worker, but how I am dressed impacts first impressions.

Sweatpants  – let’s think about these words . . .sweat . . pants. Who really thinks pants you sweat in are actual apparel for lunch or dinner or any outing out except an activity you do to sweat.  Ladies, I feel the same way about leggings and I’m sure you will argue with me all day long but leggings are not apparel either unless you are working out or preganant.

This is how I see it, as style has evolved, I also think that comfort has exceeded individual style. Sure there are some gorgeous leggings out there that look like leather, sweatpants (like the ones I have on) can now be worn as pants, but the majority of what I’ve seen are regular leggings and sweatpants that are now worn 24-7.  For a fashion lover like me, it’s painful to see. So I swore off leggings/sweatpants as a protest to comfort taking over style.

Now I’ve settled into these sweatpants, I found that comfort and fashion are much more available now, but still at a more expensive price. The fit is AMAZING and as a fashionista that swore off sweatpants, they felt like MAGIC. It took me 20+ years to find these sweatpants. LOL. But for items I know I won’t buy a ton in I’ll invest a little more. And I challenged myself to make these more like pants and I wore this out.

Ladies – go ahead and wear the leggings and sweatpants, do what makes YOU feel good, but don’t forget about yourself. Dressing up for date night or a girls night out can also make you feel GOOD.  So I’m not telling you not to wear sweatpants, but I would love for everyone to step out of their comfort zone and put on a little black dress and just feel the difference in dressing up.

My personal preference, kill two birds with one stone, look for the perfect sweatpants that I can wear out, that fit my style and are super comfy and yes, I’ve worn with both heels and sneakers. I would NEVER tell you what to wear or not to wear, but I wanted to explain my reasoning for not wearing them for years.

Obsessed with these affordable jackets that would also look good with my sweatpants.

Things about me that I believe about style:

1. I choose style over comfort
2. Personal style is as important as personality
3. First impressions will always be important, I’m not talking about weight, height or looks, more or less how we present ourselves. A well put together individual shows that you care about yourself.
4. It’s always better to be overdressed than underdressed
5. Anything can be stylish, sneakers, sweatpants, tank top, as long as the pairings are thought out
6. Teach your kids to make choices, but also how to pair things together.
7. Labels will never take place of personal style
8. When all else fails, wear all black (black pants, black top, and black leather jacket looks fab)
9. Style takes practice; if you are nervous, don’t be afraid to use free stylish services and try EVERYTHING on.  Just as cooking, playing sports, or any talent takes practice, style is the same. I’m always changing, I’m always trying stuff on, and I’ve been this way for years, so I know my own style and what looks good on me as I’ve been doing it since I was young.
10. Don’t label yourself or others. Just cause I’m a mom doesn’t mean I need to dress like a mom. An age group doesn’t mean you can’t wear certain things. I don’t believe in that. I mean look at Jennifer Lopez, I love her style and it doesn’t matter what age she is, she kills it.

These days I’m exploring into being more casual and comfortable however in my own way.  As long as I feel happy, it shows. Oh yes, the question I got the most when I have told others I didn’t own sweatpants. What do you wear at home than? I wear jeans during the day and after my kids go to bed, my pajamas. Now I have a perfect excuse to wear these fab sweatpants!

I got these perfect sweatpants from Lepa Boutique and I can’t rave enough about Sonja the owner.  She has two locations (Hinsdale and Burr Ridge) and her store and style perfectly match with mine. I might as well give her my credit card to cut up when I head into her store as I want it all.  If you are near Chicago or in the suburbs, support Sonja, take the trip to one of her stores.