If there’s one place to turn to for both inspiration and upcoming trends, it’s Pinterest, and thanks to Pinterest Predicts, we now get a glimpse into the ideas of the future. And to be fair, Pinterest Predicts has a pretty good track record, with 8 out of 10 of their predictions for 2020 coming true.
2020 was a challenging year for most, and with it came a plethora of changes. From corporate offices to make-shift home work stations, stylish suits to multi-purpose loungewear and from heels to flats, fashion trends definitely had to adjust to daily life during the time of a worldwide pandemic. It’s no surprise, therefore, that athflow fashion is predicted to be the next big thing for 2021. But what is athflow fashion? We’re breaking it down for you and sharing our top 10 must-have items to nail the athflow fashion trend – the comfiest fashion trend we’ve seen in a while.
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What is Athflow Fashion?
“ athleisure meets elegance ”
The truth is, the concept of athflow fashion is not something that’s completely new to us. In fact, many of us have probably already incorporated athflow into our wardrobes without even knowing it. According to Pinterest, athflow is the new athleisure. Think comfortable clothing that oozes style, and is far more elegant than your traditional athletic clothing. It’s loungewear redefined – loungewear that is stylish and smart enough for any work engagements (formal Zoom calls), loose enough to hit the yoga mat yet soft and comfortable enough to collapse on the couch after a long, gruelling and sometimes monotonous day.
If one thing is for sure, it’s that athflow fashion is multi-purpose and adaptive, just like we have all had to be in recent months. Athflow clothes are all about super soft and cosy outfits that can be worn without discomfort, cotton jumpsuits that can be styled to flatter anybody shape and house dresses that are far from frumpy. Pinterest sums it up nicely by stating ‘flowy trousers, casual jumpsuits and oversized outfits’ are the staples of what athflow fashion is all about.
Is Athflow Fashion Here to Stay?
While so many of us are itching to get back to normality following the pandemic, it’s fair to say that many are enjoying this more laid back way of life, and are finding a happy medium between smart office wear and relaxed, yet elegant and polished loungewear. So should we expect this to change when life returns back to how it used to be?
Not necessarily – after all, athflow is adaptive and whilst we all want to dress our best when we head back to the office, that does not mean we have to give up this newfound comfort! We like to think athflow is all about effortless and understated glamour – the kind of look that says you care about your appearance, but have effortlessly curated your uber-stylish look.
The 10 Items Every Athflow Fashion Capsule Wardrobe Needs
So how do you create this idea of chic comfort and understated glamour? Here are our top 10 items that could easily slot into any athflow fashion capsule wardrobe and that are a must-have for 2021.
1. Boyfriend Blazers
Don’t let the name mislead you. Sure, boyfriend blazers may take inspiration from a man’s closet and look a little oversized, but are they very much designed with the female physique in mind. The whole concept of ‘boyfriend’ fashion is to embrace androgynous clothing that is a lot less fitted and typically a size too big for the wearer.
The great thing about the boyfriend blazer is that, whilst it may be oversized, it can be styled to look effortlessly chic without losing that comfort factor that you expect from oversized clothing, thanks to its tailored cut. It’s also a staple piece in any athflow fashion capsule wardrobe and a garment that will take your work-from-home outfit to the next level.
The boyfriend blazer is such a versatile piece of clothing, and can be found in a whole range of fabrics and shades. For the most timeless pieces, opt for neutral shades like black, navy, nude and grey – but there is nothing stopping you from experimenting with pretty pastel shades to suit the season. Style with matching wide-leg trousers to create an athflow-style suit, smart black leggings and a pretty camisole top or with a house dress and cinch it in at the waist to accentuate an hourglass shape.
2. House Dresses
Admittedly, the name doesn’t do it that many favours but you’re gonna want to invest in a few. Put simply, a house dress is a comfortable dress that was initially coined to describe dresses worn at home for household chores or to run everyday errands. Well, they have come a long way since then. Modern-day house dresses have retained their sense of comfort and the use of easily washable fabrics, but they are no longer dreary rag-like designs that many daren’t leave the house in. House dresses fit perfectly into any athflow capsule wardrobe and can be styled up for work Zoom calls or down for just lounging on your couch.
3. Oversized Shirts
Some items on this list could easily form part of any capsule wardrobe, and a classic oversized shirt is definitely one of them, especially if it’s made of soft white linen. It’s the definition of comfort meets elegance. The oversized shirt can be worn and styled in so many ways. Consider tucking the front of the shirt into jeans or high-waisted trousers for that half-tucked model look, under a short sleeved house dress or fully tucked into a long skirt and accessorised with chunky gold jewellery.
For the more daring, consider leaving the top buttons open to reveal a small glimpse of beautiful lace lingerie (you may also want to check out our recent article on all the different types of lingerie available on the market today!).
4. Smart Leggings
You wouldn’t typically associate leggings with work-wear, but we’re not living under normal circumstances. After all, there is nothing typical about the fashion trends that have been introduced over the last year – and we’re here for it! With so many of us now working from home, designers have put their creative caps on and breathed new life into what were traditionally garments for the gym or for lounging at home. The leggings are a perfect example of this, and we’ve seen them transform from the humble legging to every fashionista’s wardrobe staple.
We absolutely adore the Always On Legging from Perff Studios, who have transformed sports leggings into items that could easily be worn to the office, thanks to the wonderfully soft fabric, gold zip detailing and internal structural layer. From the desk, straight to the yoga mat or sofa, whilst remaining confidently luxe throughout. Style with your favourite boyfriend blazer, oversized shirt and slides for the perfect work from home attire.
5. Oversized Jump Suits
Many often shy away from the super comfortable jumpsuit for fear of looking like a mechanic, but just like house dresses, they have come a very long way. In fact, oversized jumpsuits, playsuit, rompers and dungarees slot nicely into any athflow capsule wardrobe thanks to their versatility and comfort, and can easily look more fashion editor than boilerman next door. All it takes is a few simple styling tricks, such as changing the standard buttons for custom gold ones, cinching in the waist with a drawstring or contrasting belt and swapping out day-time slides for evening stilettos.
6. Matching Loungewear Sets
We all love a matching set, especially if it is made of high-quality tweed and designed by Chanel – but we’re talking athflow here, and whilst a matching tweed suit is every fashion lover’s dream, it doesn’t quite fit into the whole ‘work to yoga studio to casual cocktails on the terrace’ vibe that athflow is all about. Enter the matching loungewear set. Loungewear is easy, loose, often wide-legged and most importantly, comfortable. It’s also super easy to pull off that effortless chic look, despite wearing garments that almost feel like pyjamas.
To ensure your loungewear set exudes glamour without much effort, select a matching loungewear set in neutral tones like beige, white or khaki.
7. High Waisted Jogger Pants
Rewind back a couple of years, and never would we have dreamt that high waisted jogger pants were desirable in any shape or form – literally. Fast forward to 2021, and they have become a wardrobe staple, partly thanks to their comfort, but also their adaptability to modern-day life. Jogger pants do not need to be sportswear, but they can easily transition from desk to evening jog to movie night.
Style your jogger pants with a body and boyfriend blazer for the day, swap from slides to trainers for an evening jog or walk and then on to slippers and a comfy knit for that glass of wine on the sofa whilst watching a movie. Comfortable, versatile and chic depending on how they are styled!
8. Soft, Cosy, Chunky Knits
Because who could debate the comfort that a soft, cosy and chunky knit offers wearers, especially if made in a luscious fabric like cashmere or vicuna wool. Invest in good quality knits that feel luxuriously soft, in colours that will stand the test of time.
9. Wide Leg Pants
Whilst it doesn’t seem so long ago that skinny jeans were all about the rage, we’ve gone back in time to previous decades of the 30s, 60s, 70s and 90s. Each of these decades have something in common, and that was the love for wide leg pants. They have certainly made a return to the runway for spring/summer 2021, with wide leg pants slotting perfectly into a carefully curated athflow capsule. Wide leg pants can look incredibly stylish, especially if tailored to be high-waisted and made from a beautiful silken fabric. And if they are part of a matching loungewear set, even better!
10. Smart Slides
An outfit is not complete without the perfect pair of shoes to finish the look, and as expected, when it comes to athflow fashion, heels are not the first shoes that come to mind. After all, athflow is all about that easy, breezy, chic but comfortable style that can be worn in numerous situations – whether at home, at the office or at the yoga studio. Whilst much of athflow fashion can very well be worn with your favourite pair of strappy stilettos, you’re hardly going to wear stilettos around the house whilst working from home. This is wear sliders come in.
Sliders are backless, open-toed mules that typically have a narrow strap or two across the front and that, as the name suggests, slide onto your feet with ease. Think of them as the new(ish) and more stylish version of the flip flop and fortunately for us, the world’s largest fashion houses have come up with some beautiful creations that are hard to resist. Here are some of our favourites.
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Sarah is a syndicated freelance writer and editor of Dukes Avenue. She founded Dukes Avenue in 2018 as a creative outlet while working at a London hedge fund. What initially started as a small blog has become a widely read luxury lifestyle online publication targeted at the modern woman, with content curated to inspire readers to live their best and most fulfilled lives. Sarah has lived in London, Malta, and, most recently, the United Arab Emirates and uses her travels and experiences to inspire much of the content.
