Image via Complex Original
Sweatpants are made for lounging out on the weekends. They're usually not what people wear to work, unless you happen to be a gym teacher or personal trainer. But things have started to change. The past few years have seen a rise in stylish sweatpants thanks to the cozy boy movement and the athleisure trend. Sweats are now more suited than ever to venture out of your apartment and into the real world.
They can even be worn to work, provided you have a pretty lax dress code. But considering the bar set by guys like Mark Zuckerberg, we know office dress codes are going the way of the dodo. Still, it's definitely possible to look put together in sweats. You just have to do it the right way. Find out How to Wear Sweatpants to Work (and Get Away With It).
Consider the office's dress code.
In today's day and age of dressed-down work environments, it's conceivable to get away with wearing sweats from 9-5. Unless you work in a super-corporate setting, there's a lot of wiggle room in what's acceptable to wear. With that said, a lot of offices have a perceived norm of what's OK to wear.
If no one else in the office has ever successfully pulled off sweats, it might not be the strongest move. But if you notice that there are cozy boys in their cubicles, then, by all means, go for it.
Make sure they’re slim.
Sweatpants have an undeniable connection with lounging about and being comfortable. They’re soft, cozy, and usually loose-fitting. These same attributes are also what make them better suited for wearing on the weekends or going on a 5K jog in the morning. This sloppy connotation can easily be rectified by wearing slim sweats—the ones that have been seen on sneaker guys and those across the fashion industry for the past few seasons.
Not only do they fit better, but their appearance is radically different from what someone wear when they're sick or throw back a few slices of pizza and light beers on the weekend. By looking for something slim, it's the first step into integrating sweats into the workplace.
Grey sweats might look better, but....
In the world of sweats, grey is the standard. The color not only shows better heathering in the fleece, but it also speaks to how informal sweats are. (Just check how awesome grey Nike Tech Fleece pants look.) But these aren't the ones that should be worn to the office. As much as it pains you to buy black or navy or charcoal sweats over heather grey ones, it's the better move for wearing them to work. At first glance, non-grey sweats might even pass for real pants, and that's the goal.
It's just as much about the top as it is the sweats.
Wearing a dressier shirt balances out the casual nature of sweatpants. Button-down shirts easily give sweats a high-low feel, and they distract from the fact that you're in fleece and not denim or chinos. You'll want to avoid wearing a complete sweatsuit while at work. It not only looks out of place, but it also screams, "I don't give a fuck." The same can be said for pairing a simple T-shirt with the sweats, too. Throwing a crewneck sweater or a dark sweatshirt over a button-down automatically makes your entire outfit a little more professional. Bonus points for topping it all off with a camel or navy topcoat.
Wash your sweatpants. They're not raw denim.
Anyone with an interest in men's style has been told the mantra of "the less you wash your clothes, the better." This might have started around the time when everyone got into raw denim, but obviously your sweats are not that. So wash them.
Putting your sweats through the spin cycle after every two wears or so will keep them from sagging around the knees and in other spots. Higher-quality fabrics like Nike Tech Fleece are made from a different composite and don't give as easy. There are also sweats from brands such as John Elliott + Co. and Ronnie Fieg's Kith that have reinforced knees, which keeps the proportions consistent for longer.
Keep it simple, stupid.
There are grey sweatpants, black sweatpants, navy sweatpants, and ones with paneled designs and prints. The latter should be the ones that are best reserved for wearing off-duty or not at all. Simple, mono-colored sweats are typically the best for the office space, and will certainly draw the least attention to what's on your lower half.
There are, of course, exceptions to this rule—so it's best to use your own discretion. But if you're not trying to get flack for wearing sweats: the plainer the pants, the better.
Understated sneakers help you pull off the whole look.
Sneakers and sweatpants have always gone together, and sneaker culture has aided in the revival of the sweatpant in men's style. Although shirt choice can transform a pair of sweats into something more put together, the footwear choice can do that, too.
Now, that doesn't mean that someone has to wear a pair of hardbottom shoes to sport a pair of sweats at work, but a simple pair of Common Projects Achilles or an Air Max 1, or any other retro runner with clean lines, might be a more suitable look than throwing on a pair of extra-high basketball sneakers from the '90s. You're at work after all, not Sneakercon. Plus, runners and sweats just look cooler.
Don't make it a habit.
Sometimes it feels great to wear a pair of sweats, especially to work, but don't get in the habit of it. The thing about wearing sweats to work is making sure that no one really pays them too much attention. If you put them on five days a week, though, it makes it a lot more known that you're clearly not the type of person who wears the pants.
Save the day that you're wearing sweats for the time you're breaking out a new pair of sneakers, have the perfect outfit, or for the times that you down too many drinks at an open bar the night before. Just don't look like the guy who always turned up the night before, and that's why he's always clad in sweats.
Avoid looking like a college freshman.
If you stare in the mirror and look more like you're going to an 8 a.m. psychology course than the place that gives you a paycheck, it's time to reevaluate your outfit. When all is said and done, you're still a professional that's going some place to do a job. No one wants to look like this guy.