THE JOURNAL
There was a time when wearing a technical shell jacket with tailored trousers suggested one of two things: you’d either been caught in unexpectedly bad weather on your way to the office or you were on your way somewhere to do something practical. But today, that is no longer the case.
Performance clothing has spent the past decade muscling its way into everyday wardrobes. GORE-TEX jackets are quotidian, trail shoes double up as fashion shoes and climbing bags spend more time in coffee shops than they do up a mountain.
The lines between outdoor gear, sportswear and smart clothing have become increasingly blurred. And I’m very much here for it. Mostly because performance clothing is comfortable, useful and, importantly, good-looking. But there is a knack to wearing it well. Go fully technical and you can look like you’re about to miss a train to Chamonix. The trick is contrast: take one genuinely functional piece and put it somewhere it doesn’t quite belong.
01. Technical jackets
Of all the performance pieces to introduce into a smarter wardrobe, a technical jacket is probably the easiest. I’ve always liked the juxtaposition of a utilitarian waterproof shell over something more polished underneath. Think GORE-TEX over knitwear and pleated trousers or a lightweight technical jacket worn with a shirt, dark denim and leather shoes. The idea is that the jacket should punctuate the outfit slightly. It adds texture, shape and functionality to clothes that might otherwise feel a bit too neat.
Colour helps, too. Black, charcoal, navy, olive green and muted earth tones are easiest because they sit naturally alongside smarter fabrics, but you don’t necessarily have to play it safe. A bright technical shell can work too, providing everything underneath is relatively restrained. Though I wouldn’t advise matching it with every other piece of outdoor clothing you own. A shell should be the performance part of the outfit, not the start of an expedition.
02. Performance tops
Technical tops can be harder, mostly because they tend to carry a strong sporting association. The easiest route is to think about them in the same way you would a lightweight knit or sweatshirt. A clean technical zip-up beneath a coat, a merino base layer under an overshirt, or a performance T-shirt with a relaxed blazer can all work without feeling too try-hard.
The important thing is to avoid anything that looks too much like you have a race number pinned underneath. Minimal branding helps, as does fabrication. A matte technical fabric will usually sit more comfortably next to wool, cotton or denim than something excessively shiny.
My general rule is – and you can keep this one – if the top looks sporty, everything around it should calm it down. Wear it with tailored trousers, a good coat or something in leather and suddenly the performance element feels intentional rather than accidental.
03. Performance trousers
Technical trousers might be the hardest category to get right, but they’re also one of the most useful. The shape is usually the difference between a pair that works with smarter clothing and one that doesn’t. Anything aggressively tapered, overly pocketed or obviously designed for hiking tends to pull the whole outfit towards pure sportswear.
A straighter or slightly relaxed technical trouser works better. That silhouette goes well with almost anything: a shirt and cardigan; a heavyweight knit; a suede jacket, even a blazer. The contrast between nylon and a traditional fabric is often the interesting part. I particularly like them with leather shoes or loafers – technical trousers with a slightly battered pair of black loafers shouldn’t really work, which is precisely why it does.
Increasingly, a lot of the best trousers don’t even look technical anymore. Stretch fabrics, drawstring waists, water resistance and articulated construction are often hidden inside shapes that feel much closer to traditional menswear.
04. Footwear
The clean, minimalist sneaker has become one of the safest shoes you can wear, which is also why I find it boring. Performance footwear gives you more to play with. Trail shoes and technical runners bring unusual proportions, different materials and a bit of “ugliness” to otherwise polished clothing. A pair of Salomon, Asics, New Balance or Hoka sneakers, for instance, beneath wide trousers can make a simple knit or shirt much more interesting.
Equally, a technical runner with a long wool coat can work just because the two pieces come from completely different worlds. The key is to not compete with the shoe. If there’s a lot going on underfoot, everything else can afford to be simple. And don’t worry too much about keeping performance sneakers pristine. They tend to look better once they’ve actually been worn. There’s something slightly unsettling about a trail shoe that’s never encountered dirt.
05. Accessories
If wearing a waterproof shell with tailoring still feels like too much, accessories are probably the easiest entry point. Think of it as a soft launch. Performance bags, technical backpacks, climbing-inspired crossbodies, carabiners and nylon caps add the same utilitarian edge without changing the whole outfit. I’m particularly into the small climbing-style crossbody bags that have appeared everywhere recently. They’re ostensibly designed for more adventurous purposes than carrying AirPods, a wallet and a set of keys, but that doesn’t really matter. Wear one across a wool coat, blazer or suede jacket and something quite conventional suddenly feels much less so.
Ultimately, that’s why mixing performance clothing with smarter pieces works. It’s not about dressing like you’re permanently halfway between a boardroom and a base camp, it’s about borrowing the materials, practicality and proportions of performance gear and using them to make traditional clothes feel less traditional. Easy, right?