With jeggings now entrenched in the mainstream, fashion-forward consumers are embracing apparel that looks good and feels comfortable. So it’s hardly surprising that common sweatpants are emerging as the latest must-have wardrobe staple, with $1,000 versions from the collections of such designers as Michael Kors and Jean Paul Gaultier. Regardless, it’s clear that sweatpants are no longer reserved for lazy Saturdays spent channel surfing or dressing down to try out the latest workout craze.

Tailored: More than a few fashion designers and upscale brands have created atypically figure-hugging versions of sweats for those who want to be stylish while still maintaining an element of comfort. Opening Ceremony‘s boucle knit sweatpants look more like formfitting dress slacks with a drawstring than loungewear. Mega-designer Alexander Wang’s version of sweatpants, from his T Collection, clings to the hips and gathers at the ankle for an on-trend look. Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs and Rag and Bone are among other designers who have sent well cut sweats down the runway. As more women pair sweatpants with sky-high heels and blazers, one can only imagine the nightmare this trend is causing HR execs whose job descriptions include policing dress code violations at the office.

Unisex: In the past, women have been quick to grab a pair of men’s sweats, but  that eagerness probably wasn’t reciprocated by men unwilling to broadcast suggestive phrases printed across their backsides. Enter Canadian brand Muttonhead Collective, which has designed a set of sweats as part of its Fall/Winter 2010 collection that fits and looks equally good on guys and girls. Locally-made, handcrafted and constructed from socially responsible materials (including bamboo, hemp and recycled fabrics), Muttonhead has managed to update the classic version of sweatpants in the context of contemporary environmental and gender politics. Now, when it comes to modish loungewear, one size really does fit all (as long as a drawstring is included).

What do you think? What’s your favorite brand of sweats?

(via TrendCentral)

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• Shopping
• women
• Pretty Chic
• cashmere
• loungewear
• michael kors
• sweats

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