No Sweats : ‘Menswear With a Sexy, Feminine’ Edge Bursts Into Workout Spotlight

Like the rest of a woman’s wardrobe, workout wear changes with the seasons. In fact, some mirrors ready-to-wear (are you ready for menswear plaids and animal prints?) and black is the perennial favorite.

“From the very start, the first leotard back in the 19th Century was black--which isn’t surprising, since it makes women feel slimmer,” says New York bodywear designer Bonnie August.

For that hard-earned body though, August has worked up buffalo plaids, stripes and houndstooth separates for fall. A cotton and polyester bustier, leggings and bike shorts in black and white houndstooth are about $25 each.

“It’s a combination of menswear with a sexy, feminine edge,” August says.

For urban animals there’s a leopard print group in black with gray or brown. Available in August, there will be a unitard, bustier, thong leotard, tie-front T-shirt and bike shorts, each about $25, in a sueded fabric blend of cotton, polyester and spandex.

“It makes you feel feline and catwomanish on the gym floor,” August says.

Bonnie August is sold at Nordstrom.

For a lingerie look, Jacques Moret has a leotard, bike tights, bra top and unitard, all in black with sheer insets, $17 to $26 in a cotton blend. The line is sold at selected JC Penney stores.

For those with a less than perfect body, there’s workout wear with a fashion focus on the back.

“Back treatments are very hot right now--whether cut-out, racer style or criss-cross,” says Leslie Sexer publicity director for Jacques Moret exercise wear in New York. Cotton blend leotards are about $17 in black, gray, blue, pink, purple or turquoise at selected JC Penney stores.

“Back details are hugely important,” says Karen Dreifuss, San Diego-based design director for Baryshnikov and Marika exercise wear. “Customers tend to like them because they don’t impede the function of the garment--plus it’s a part of a woman’s body that she’s not normally self-conscious about.”

Baryshnikov’s cotton and spandex bike-length unitard with low-cut racing back is about $36 in nine colors.

Emphasis is up front, too. Bustiers with lined cups are a best-seller at Marika.

“It’s a support item and also reflects the trend in ready-to-wear,” Dreifuss says.

The bustier style, stretched into a bike unitard in cotton, polyester and spandex is about $35 in seven colors. A bustier bra top is about $20.

Both Baryshnikov and Marika are sold at The Broadway, Nordstrom and Capezio stores.

For the perfectly chiseled, short shorts have crossed from the runway to the workout room.

“For our exercise classes, they’re the most popular look--if you’ve got the legs,” says Cathe Thompson, program director at Molly Fox Exercise Studio in New York. “The best option is bare-legged; otherwise, you can wear them with tights underneath.”

Marika has cotton jersey hot pants in black or white, about $18.

Among women on a serious quest to redesign their body, the thong is still the thing.

“With really fit role models like Madonna, Cher and Linda Hamilton, more and more women are striving for and attaining that great body,” says Sexer of Jacques Moret. “And we’re designing with them in mind.”

Sexer suggests a thong with matching tights for a longer leg look. Besides, she says, “when you go monotone, the look doesn’t scream out ‘Look, everybody, I’m wearing a thong.’ ”

A Jacques Moret basic black thong trunk is about $10, a leotard about $15, at selected JC Penney stores.

For many women--in fact, some of the world’s most beautiful women--a heavy-duty workout merits no-frills bodywear.

“My clients tend to stick to the basics--black drawstring shorts, cotton-spandex bike shorts and bra tops,” says Valerie Waters, personal trainer to Cindy Crawford and other models in Los Angeles.

“For my clients it’s nothing flashy, no neon colors,” she says. “For a serious session, my clients come dressed to work out, not to be seen.”