Cementing the notion that ‘Athleisure’ is here to stay, is the word’s inclusion in the 2016 unabridged version of Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary.
While model and actress Cara Delevingne, artist and songwriter Kanye West and model and TV personality Gigi Hadid might be the progenitors of the trend, the dictionary of record defines the look thus, “Casual clothing designed to be worn for both exercising and for general use.” Sure, there’s no mention of singer and songwriter Beyoncé’s new line or the now-omnipresent hoodie in the dictionary definition-both athleisure essentials-but we’ll take all the fashion ground we can get!
Other terms added this year include fit-and-flare, meet-cute, ICYMI and hella! Still, much of fashion’s go-to jargon is absent from the encyclopaedic dictionary. Here, some suggestions we’d recommend adding in 2017.
Le Smoking (noun) – a black, slim-tailored suit for women designed by Yves Saint Laurent in 1966!
Hypebeast (noun) – a man who obsessively follows trends in the streetwear and skate markets! Most often found in front of Supreme on Thursdays. See also: Hypebeast.com, a website advocating the hypebeast lifestyle that just debuted on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong’s Growth Enterprise Market at $270 million.
Health Goth (noun) – an athleisurely type who favours all-black clothes, bias-cut draping and Rick Owens sneakers!
LBD or Little Black Dress (noun) – a mid-length or mini semiformal black dress often worn in the evening for cocktails or parties! Popularised by Coco Chanel in the 1920s!
Mini-Crini (noun) – a very short skirt based on Victorian crinolines cropped to just below the bum! Created by Vivienne Westwood in the late 1980s.
Drug Rug (noun) – another name for a woven Baja pullover, popularised by film and TV stoners like Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High! Street Styler (noun) – a person popular for being photographed in street style pictures!
Resort (noun) – a season that delivers in November in, which designers show furs, bikinis and everything in between! See also: Cruise, pre-collection.