The best training set for everyday life: how to choose

The best training set for everyday life is the one you keep reaching for when the week is at its most uneven. A meeting in the morning, a session at midday, errands on the way home. The set has to carry all three without you changing in between.

That asks something different from a pure gym set. The fit has to hold for hours, not minutes. The fabric has to take wash after wash without losing its spring. And the line between top and bottom has to agree, or the whole reads as thrown together even when each piece is good on its own. That is the starting point we create our sets from.

Fit decides how often the set gets worn

A set that slides down or cuts in stays in the drawer. What it cost makes no difference. So the choice begins at the waist.

A high, shaped waistband holds without pressing. It stays put when you sit down, stand up and walk, which is what tights do most of on an ordinary day. Our high waisted tights are built for that. Edge Stripe and Slimline FlexFlow both have a high shaped waist with a sculpting effect across waist, stomach and seat, and both are squat proof.

The top follows the same logic. A top that is too wide across the torso removes the line the tights create. One that pulls across the shoulders becomes uncomfortable within the hour. So try the whole thing in movement, not standing in front of the mirror. Raise your arms, bend forward, sit down. Those are the movements in which a fit holds or fails.

Size comes second. Two sets in the same size can sit completely differently depending on how they are cut. Go by how the garment follows the body, not by the number in the waistband.

The fabric shows itself after twenty washes

A new set almost always looks good. The difference appears later, when the fabric has either kept its density or turned thin and shiny across the thighs.

Edge Stripe and Slimline FlexFlow are made from 78 per cent recycled polyester of the ECO Circle type and 22 per cent elastane. The fabric is moisture-repellent and quick-drying, and Edge Stripe has four-way stretch. The combination takes both sessions and long days, and recovers between wears. It is that recovery which decides whether the set looks as good in November as it did in March.

If you choose a set in a softer quality instead, such as our Casual Zip Set, you get a micro-brushed fabric with four-way stretch and gold-coloured zips. It is created for free days and travel rather than for heavy sessions. The material there is polyester and spandex, not recycled. We write that plainly rather than letting one sustainability argument cover the whole range.

A densely knitted fabric also gives a more even drape than a thin one. It is one of the simplest things to feel in your hand before you decide.

The jacket is the part that finishes the set

Tights and a top rarely carry the whole way. The jacket lifts the set from training wear into something you can keep on all day.

The Iconic Training Jacket G2 was created around a single idea. A wide elastic ribbed waist shapes the small of the back and the waist, while the rest of the jacket falls loosely over the torso. The contrast gives silhouette without locking the movement. The zips are custom made with the Iconic pattern at the sides, and the pockets close with zips. The fabric is ECO Circle, recycled polyester, moisture-repellent and quick-drying.

More models wait among women's training jackets. Choose the length by the waistband of your tights. A shorter jacket over a high rise keeps the proportions clean. A longer model covers more and falls more quietly. Both work, but they do different things to the silhouette.

How to choose from your actual week

If you walk a great deal and work on the move, put support first. High waist, measured compression and a jacket that works as an outer layer indoors.

If you travel often, put fabric recovery first. The garment should be wearable for eight hours and still look untouched when you step off.

If you train hard and go straight on afterwards, put construction first. Sculpting seams, squat proof fabric and a close-fitting jacket make the biggest difference there. The hidden pocket at the back of the Edge Stripe waistband is worth counting too, since it takes a key and a card without you needing a bag.

Ready-made combinations are gathered on training sets, where the pieces are put together to be worn together. If you would rather build your own, we have written about how the parts play together in how to style a training set.

Colour and shape that last beyond a season

Neutral tones get worn more often. Black, muted earth tones and quiet greys combine in several directions and rarely look dated after a season. A set in a strong seasonal colour is worn considerably fewer times on average, however beautiful it looks on the hanger.

The shape should be just as restrained. Clean lines and few details make the set usable outside the gym. A gold-coloured zip or a piping along the leg is marking enough. It shows up close and never takes over.

A set that keeps its shape after a year is also the cheaper set, counted per wear. That is the simplest reason to choose fewer and better pieces.

Common questions about a training set for everyday life

How many sets do you need?

Two are enough for most women. One in the wash and one on the body. In neutral tones the pieces can also be combined across sets, which gives more outfits from the same number of garments.

Can you use the same tights for the gym and everyday life?

Yes, if they are squat proof and have a waistband that stays put. Edge Stripe and Slimline FlexFlow are created for both. Slimline FlexFlow also works as well on the yoga mat as in the gym.

How do you know the size is right?

Sit down, stand up and take a few steps. If the waistband stays put and the fabric does not bag behind the knees, the size is right. If you have to pull the tights up in the fitting room already, they are too big.

Anything but ordinary.