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In years past, a Sunday ‘fit with salsa stains all over it could be somewhat charming. After all: life is short, weekends are shorter, and getting comfy at the house when nobody is watching is one of life’s great pleasures.
But with the rest of this year — for most of us, at least — taking place largely at home, colder days fast approaching and coworkers getting eyeballs on your duds via Zoom, it’s time to invest in a better around-the-house fit. That doesn’t mean you have to start buying “WFH dress shirts” or whatever trend your Instagram ads are selling you these days. You can (and should) still wear sweats, and even an all-grey ensemble. Just church it up a bit.
Thankfully, there are a ton of elevated sweatsuits out there, not just in their aesthetic appeal, but in the materials used and their technical specs. I’ve taken the liberty of reviewing kits from a variety of brands, including favorites Mack Weldon, Reigning Champ and Taylor Stitch. Each puts its own unique spin on the comfiest of outfits available to us, without compromising your ability to buckle down and get things done.
Reigning Champ
The Vancouver activewear brand has long taken design inspiration from corner boxing gyms: think athletic-cut crewnecks in subtle colorways. I figured a simple sweatsuit would be a layup as far as they’re concerned, and I was happy to be proven right. Reigning Champ’s Pullover Hoodie and Slim Sweatpant are both made from 100% cotton and feature ribbed cuffs at the sleeves, waist and ankles to provide shape. The pairing is technical without losing any comfy points, and the sweatshirt is high-class enough (even with those woven drawcords) to wear out with a pair of jeans.
Flint and Tinder
Huckberry’s premier in-house brand is all about hard-wearing field gear (the label makes the famous Flannel-Lined Waxed Trucker Jacket, for crying out loud) but when they go soft, they go really soft. The 10-Year Pullover — which passes through the hands of 20 American workers — is a perfect take on the quintessential, beefy hoodie, and it’s built so that it will wear in over the next decade. Their French Terry Sweat Shorts, meanwhile, are perfect for the next month or so, as the weather continues to make up its mind. I wore them “to work” three days in a row last week and I’m not ashamed.
Tracksmith
Given a couple hundred dollars to spend at heritage running brand Tracksmith, most runners would gun it straight for their Session Shorts. Nothing wrong with that. But remember — Tracksmith is Boston-based, and regularly holds “camp” up in New England. The post-run, coziness-ASAP sweatsuit is an absolute staple in the running community, and Tracksmith of course knows how to make one, without sacrificing its stately style. Set in a reverse-weave cotton blend, choose from four different colors to pair up on the sweatsuit, or just mix and match. I’m a huge fan of the “Mulberry” shade for the Trackhouse Sweatshirt.
Mack Weldon
I’ve invoked extremely-satisfied customer Jeffrey H. for a Mack Weldon review in the past, and I’ll continue to do so as long as it’s relevant: “LOVE MY MACKS.” Mack Weldon regularly wins softest-of-them-all superlatives from us because the eight-year-old brand does uncommon things like “micro-sand” French Terry fabric, or lace its boxer trunks with literal silver. The Ace Hooded Sweatshirt and Ace Sweatpant live up to that pedigree, featuring a buttery fabric blend, a tailored fit, and tactical inclusions like welt zip pockets, which makes the sweatsuit a great candidate for travel days — whenever those start up again.
Taylor Stitch
Leave it to Taylor Stitch to make a sweatsuit that’d look appropriate on a first date at a wine bar. The SF menswear brand champions hearty materials and attention to detail above all, so The Apres Hoodie and The Apres Pant got the usual treatment. Expect double cloth waffle fabric, drawcords with brass tips, and a sustainable fabric blend you might not be used to (the sweatshirt, for instance, is 55% hemp, 45% organic cotton). Bonus: the interior detailing of both the hoodie and pant showcases an old street map of San Francisco.
Relwen
All the options here are equipped for WFH. But Relwen’s sweatsuit is best equipped for taking daily WFH constitutionals as the colder fronts roll in. A Columbus, Ohio label that specializes in keeping people warm and comfortable during entire days spent out in the woods, the brand’s Thermal Crew and Stretch Windpant are heavily garment-washed to avoid shrinkage, tout reinforced pockets, and are lined with lightweight jersey fabrics. The pant might be a tad high-tech for your afternoon meeting (you could probably go skiing in them), but I can already see them coming in handy later on this year.
Vuori
Vuori is an athleisure brand based in Encinitas, California, where the average temperature is 72 °F, so it’s reasonable to suggest they don’t know their sweatsuits from dinner suits. But alongside all those active tees, shorts and tanks, Vuori has mastered beach sweatshirts and Sunday loungewear. I will happily go on record and say Vuori makes the softest “stretchy” pant known to man. I don’t know what they’re stitching these things with (I do, actually, it’s a polyester-elastane blend) but it’s working. Get started with everyday pieces like the Ponto Performance Crew and the Sunday Performance Jogger.
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