Activewear for the office: how to wear it all day

You train before work and you would rather not pack a second wardrobe. Activewear for the office means the pieces that handle both, without needing an explanation. The silhouette should be clean, the fabric should hold its shape, and the whole should look like a decision.

We build our pieces around construction. Seams, panels and waistbands that shape. That construction is the reason a pair of leggings can stay where it belongs through a session, a commute and an afternoon at a desk.

What makes a piece of activewear office ready?

Three things. It should hold its shape when you sit for hours. It should do without the loud sport signals, the large prints and the technical detailing. And it should take a layer over the top without the whole look turning busy.

Edge Casual Zip Pants show what that looks like. Micro brushed fabric, a high shaped waist with a removable drawcord, and straight cut hems with no cuff. The straight hem is why they work with sneakers, boots and a low heel. Edge Casual Zip Sweater is cut in the same fabric and becomes a set when you want one.

Which fit lasts a whole working day?

Try the piece sitting down. Reach for a bag. Walk a few steps. A fit that looks right in front of the mirror for ten minutes tells you little about how it behaves at four in the afternoon.

A high waist is the starting point for most. Slimline Sculpting Leggings have a high shaped waist that holds, seams that lift and shape, and they are squat proof. Edge Mesh Leggings with Pockets have the same high waist and deep pockets on both legs, so your card and phone come along without a bag.

Which colours make the day easiest?

Black, navy, grey and muted earth tones. A dark base lets the fit and the construction speak. It also means you can change the top and get a different day out of the same bottom.

Tone on tone is the simplest route. Leggings and jacket in one colour read as a whole, not as two pieces that happened to meet. If you want contrast, one is enough. There is more on how the parts hold together in our guide to matching a workout set.

Do you need to change after the session?

Usually not, if the bottom was chosen for both. What tends to give a workout set away is the top. Change that and keep the rest.

Edge Cozy Half Zip Sweater is 95 percent cotton with a brushed inside and a high collar. It reads as a sweater, not as training kit. Edge Gold Button Sweater goes further. The modal blend gives the fabric a soft drape, and four gold buttons sit on the shoulder. It is worn as readily with tailored trousers as with Edge Gold Button Pants.

What do you put over the top?

A layer that gives structure. Edge Women's Blazer is a black blazer with four way stretch and faux leather details along the edges. It is cut in recycled polyester, ECO Circle, and moves with the arm instead of resisting it. Open over a top and leggings, buttoned over trousers. We have written more about what decides the choice in Black blazer for women.

If you would rather have a jacket, there are two routes. Slimline Training Jacket is cut close to the body, with sculpting side panels and a hidden inner pocket with a flap. Iconic Training Jacket G2 has a wide waistband that shapes the lower back and waist while the rest falls loose, in recycled ECO Circle polyester. The same jacket comes in navy.

How do you know the fabric will last?

Read the composition and the care advice before you decide. A fabric with four way stretch and a high share of elastane takes its shape back after movement. A thin, shiny fabric rarely does it for as long.

Temperature decides as well. The morning is cold, the train is warm, and the office is something else again. A zip solves that faster than an extra piece in your bag. The same reasoning applies on the move, and we have written about it in What to wear on a plane.

What do you do when the dress code is strict?

Use the activewear as the base and put the clearest everyday pieces on top. A shirt, a knit, or the blazer. If you have a client meeting, one spare top in your bag is often enough to change the whole impression in a few minutes.

Shoes set the tone last. Clean sneakers work broadly. A smoother shoe makes the whole look less sporty without changing anything else. If you want something softer for a travel day, there are Deluxe Joggers White, tapered towards the cuff and with a drawcord at the waist.

How do you keep the pieces in shape?

Follow the care advice on each piece. Several of our fabrics are washed inside out in a laundry bag at no more than 40 degrees and dried flat or on a hanger. The modal blend in Gold Button is washed at 30 degrees on a delicate cycle and never goes in the dryer. A piece treated properly keeps its fit for longer, and the fit is what you paid for.

See the full range in Studio and Everyday, Edge and All Activewear.

Anything but ordinary.