A divisive look, this nostalgic trend has been spotted on women in Paris, New York and Copenhagen, as well as A-list celebrities such as Zoë Kravitz and Bella Hadid …
Perhaps one of the most unlikely trends of the summer (or not, seeing as how we’re obsessed with nostalgia), one of Carrie Bradshaw’s most iconic outfits from Sex and the City has seen a revival at the hands of the style set. Enter: the athletic shorts trend. This look isn’t so much about a celebration of athleisure, rather it’s about that very 2025 way of dressing that includes choosing one item that seems off, then building your outfit around it.
Carrie Bradshaw wears athletic shorts and a peasant top in season three, episode ten of Sex and the City.
Fittingly, Bradshaw wore her tiny blue gym shorts with a peasant top and red heels (and plenty of chutzpah), a look that, undoubtedly, was a reference for A-list actress Zoë Kravitz, who was spotted on the streets of New York City recently wearing Adidas three-stripe sprinter shorts, towering heels and sporting the latest It bag from Saint Laurent, the quilted Baby Icare Hobo bag. If the premise of the look is, it’s-so-wrong-it’s-right, then these two women score top marks. Elsewhere, Bella Hadid has been spotted in micro-sized bright blue gym shorts, while Harry Styles has made them a part of his often-papped off-duty look.
Meanwhile, on the street style circuit, the Instagram set is taking notice. At Copenhagen Fashion Week, style influencers in the Danish capital imbued the athletic look with a sprinkling of the casual, although it still maintained a sense of polish. See Sidsel Alling, below, who teamed a pair of thrifted Asics shorts with Dolce & Gabbana leopard print flats and a simple COS T-shirt.
Instagram @sidselalling.
Meanwhile, Parisienne Anne-Laure Mais wore hers with leather block heels and a minimal handbag – a suitably classic take on the look, if such a thing exists. While cool girls in New York are updating the look with corsages and point-toe kitten heels.
The rules of engagement? Should you wish to trial the trend, getting the look is all about a dressy top – think a perfectly summery blouse or something structured, like a great blazer – and a suitably polished choice of footwear. This can be anything from a kitten heel, or a towering heel, a polished pair of flip-flops or a great pair of ballet flats. Just steer clear of trainers, to avoid the look verging too much into gym territory. (As for shorts, these three-stripe sprinter shorts in maroon by Adidas are just right: the length should be brief enough so that they look like running shorts, not basketball ones.) Finish the outfit with a trophy bag, and the aforementioned Bradshaw chutzpah.
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