If you spend many hours in the Gym, using a CrossFit Box, pushing yourself to excel in fitness for a healthier lifestyle, working on enhanced sports performance, focusing on your longevity, or striving for an improved appearance, you will empathize with the struggle of finding clothes that truly fit you correctly.
In this extensive guide we will explore the problems you face and provide the answers you need. Our aim is to ensure that your athletic build is an asset, not a liability, when it comes to your sartorial decisions.
The short answer is that you need high quality clothes that are designed for people that lift.
State & Liberty design their threads exclusively for people that train, and look like they train.
Buy Better, Buy Less: A New Minimalist Attitude to Clothing
So how can a minimalist approach help? The basic principle is to buy fewer items, and choose quality over quantity every time.
Let’s be honest, with your athletic physique, when you walk into an average shop and try on clothes designed for average joes, they fit terribly. Pants are too tight on the thighs and quads. Shirts must be upsized to accommodate for your bigger back, broader shoulders and pecs, which ultimately makes the shirt look stupid and overly baggy. Blazers are always too tight across your V-shaped torso, or too long when you try on the size that fits your chest properly.
The perfect solution is to buy the exact clothes you need, specially designed to fit your athletic build. Invest in great fitting clothes that look great and will stand the test of time.
It is pointless to search through lots of cheaper, inferior quality items, hoping to eventually find something that finally fits properly. Buy less, buy better.
These minimalist principles, of buying fewer items but choosing higher quality, longer lasting clothing are also more ecological in the long run. As each item is much higher quality, it is more durable and continues to look great for many years to come.
This is better for you, and better for the environment.
Best Clothes for Athletic Builds: The Capsule Wardrobe
The concept of a capsule wardrobe is a natural extension of the concepts that we discussed above.
It describes a minimalist way of thinking about the clothes that you choose to buy. The focus rests on a limited number of important items that can be curated together in many ways so that multiple attractive looking outfits can be created from less overall clothing.
This removes clutter, takes time away from decision paralysis, and makes creating great looking outfits simple and effective every single day, for each individual occasion.
So, what does this look like?
Well, in essence, it involves a limited colour palette, with a few flashes of your favourite colours, paired with blacks, whites, charcoals and patterns. In terms of colour and style, every item fits with everything else.
Continue readings to uncover 5 of the first essential clothing items you should consider when building your new capsule wardrobe from the ground up.
Key Characteristics of a Capsule Wardrobe:
Essential Items
A capsule wardrobe concentrates itself with the essentials: Shirts, pants, jackets, jumpers, t-shirts, shorts and shoes.
Choosing Quality over Quantity
No fast fashion. No bad quality fabrics, poor stitching or lazy design. Quality is chosen over quantity every time.
Versatility
Each piece of clothing is selected to fit with everything else in the capsule wardrobe. Colours and styles work well together. Everything will match with everything else when you put together an outfit.
Coherence
Every item is selected purposefully to fit well, look great and match with the rest of the capsule wardrobe.
Colours
Often muted colours and blacks, whites and greys are popular here, but there is no reason not to choose items that express your personal style. The overall concept is that all the selected colours work well together.
Concentration of Timeless Style, Not Short-Term Fashion Trends
Fashion cycles are other people’s ways of telling you what to wear. Don’t be a sheep because the man who walks with the crowd usually gets no further than the crowd, while the man that walks alone finds himself in places never before experienced.
Classic style is timeless. A well fitted suit. Blue jeans, boots and a white t-shirt. The perfect leather jacket. From James Bond to Steve McQueen, classic items of clothing looked stylish then, look great now, and they will continue to look exceptional as we move into the future.
Every fashion trend fades, then when the next one comes around it looks stupid. Don’t buy into short term fashion trends, they are simply designed to make you buy more clothes that you didn’t want, to impress people you don’t like.
Stay classic, stay timeless.
Best Clothes for Athletic Builds: Where to Buy?
State & Liberty specialize in crafting performance dress shirts, suits, blazers, polo shirts, pants and more for athletic and muscular builds.
Their products provide a comfortable and stylish fit for individuals with broader shoulders, a more developed chest, bigger legs, and a narrower waist. These clothes are designed to address the exact challenges that people with athletic builds, like you, face when it comes to finding great quality clothes that actually fit well.
State & Liberty utilize performance fabrics that offer stretch and moisture-wicking properties, making their shirts perfect for active individuals that love to train, play sports, and have the body that reflects it.
How to Create a Capsule Wardrobe
So now you know why a capsule wardrobe is a great idea, and where to go to get started, what things should you buy first?
We believe that a great first place to begin is with the following 5 items:
- Shirt
- Polo shirt
- Blazer
- Chinos
- Suit pants
With these 5 pieces of clothing, you can dress up and down, go smart or casual, and combine them into other combinations for general purpose use.
For example, the chinos are exceptionally versatile. Pair them with the polo shirt and a pair of classic minimal white trainers and you’ve got a great looking casual outfit. Or dress them up with loafers, the shirt and blazer for a much smarter style.
Best Clothes for Athletic Builds: 5 Must Have Staples
Add the following 5 items into your capsule wardrobe.
1. Casual Button-Down Sport Shirt
This shirt is created in an athletic fit that features a print finish over a smart navy or light blue colouring. It is soft and flexible, providing comfort and movement without losing its form and silhouette over time.
Moisture wicking properties and high-quality materials accentuate the quality level
2. Polo Shirt
This smart looking performance fabric polo shirt is stretchy, soft, and exceptionally comfortable.
Known as “The Felix”, the contrasting blue collar pops and commands a bold and unique appearance. The structured collar ensures that it always stays crisp and sharp.
3. Athletic Fit Stretch Blazer
This classic black blazer is forged from a high-quality performance fabric blend, allowing for extensive movement alongside a professional and stylish aesthetic.
The cut is specially designed for athletic physiques, offering more room for broader chest, shoulders and backs whilst tapering to the waist to accentuate the V-taper.
A “Springer” white lining finalised the details and augments the professional feel.
4. Athletic Fit Stretch Tech Chino
Probably one of the most perfect items of clothing for anyone that squats, lifts, runs or plays any kind of sports. They are designed with plenty of space for the glutes, hammies and quads, and taper to maintain a clean-cut silhouette.
They are easy to dress up or down, and they provide a tailored look without compromising on comfort.
They contain a media pocket, stretch waistband, snap button and are unlined and highly breathable.
5. Suit Pants
Stretch suit pants offer a sleek and professional look, perfect for any guy that needs more room in the seat, thighs, and quads. State & Liberty designed a perfectly tapered silhouette, allowing you comfort and style at the same time.
They are crafted from a four-way stretch performance blend including 12% rayon, 8% nylon, 74% poly and 6% spandex, and come pre-prepared with excess fabric in the hem in case you need to make any adjustments for shortening or extending the leg.
Best Clothes for Athletic Builds: FAQs
Q: Are slim fit shirts right for people with an athletic build?
A: Yes, for sure. And they can look great as well. Make sure that you select a fit that complements your V-taper, but is not too tight on your chest and shoulders so that the buttons are pulled apart.
Q. What are the best types of fabrics to choose?
A: Always aim for high quality, breathable and stretchy fabrics because these will offer comfort when moving and a smart fit.
Q. Exactly how should a shirt fit on an individual with an athletic build?
A: Any shirt that you wear should always accentuate your best features. It should allow for movement without being too baggy, and fitted enough to show off your chest and shoulders.
Q. Can I wear slim-fit pants if I have an athletic build?
A: Yes, you can, but make sure they are not so tight that they look like leggings. State & Liberty offer an excellent selection that create a fitted silhouette whilst still offering comfort and movement.
Why the Right Clothing Matters
Choosing the right clothing makes a huge difference because a great fit will make you feel confident and look stylish and well put together.
The first rule of dressing well is to select clothing that fits you properly.
This will give you the self-assurance to perform well and feel great at work, on date night, at all social events and in life in general.
Trying to find clothes that fit is close to impossible when you have an athletic build. Pants feel too tight on the thighs, shirts are either too baggy (to fit the back, chest and shoulders) or too tight. Blazers and dress pants are almost intolerable to wear off the rack.
That is why it is always worth investing in excellent quality items that fit and accentuate your build properly.
Follow the tried and tested principles of minimalism and choose fewer, better items, like State & Liberty. Take the ethical route and build a capsule wardrobe to be proud of. Don’t buy into trends and make sure to think long-term, classic and timeless instead.
image sources
- CrossFit Athlete dumbbell snatch: Stevie D Photography
