Hilary Swank is apparently the latest, albeit unexpected, celebrity to launch an athleisure line that she insists is not really athleisure. Separate from her Hollywood counterparts, however, I would actually categorize her workout line as being regular daywear masquerading as shit you’d actually wear to spin class. Which is to say: rich people shit!
Swank tells Vogue that with Mission Statement, a line about “connecting with ourselves but also knowing we’re not alone in our journey because others have and are experiencing similar challenges in their journey,” she wanted to make “clothes that could take me from my workout into [the rest of] my day.” She came up with the idea while taking care of her ailing father after a surgery—which explains Mission Statement’s mission statement of “want[ing] to remember to nurture myself through this journey as well”—and began working develop on clothing made of fine fabrics. (She told Vogue that “cashmere was a must,” but it is “machine-washable and you can sweat in it.”)
Her first collection is comprised of fancier versions of basics, including a gauzy $395 cashmere tank top she calls a “Cloud Layer” and a couple of pretty cute simple tennis dresses that will run you in the $425-$450 range. I don’t personally know anyone who would work out in $400 clothing—they obviously exist!—but I think for many people these would be considered “investment pieces.” For instance, the Va Va Voom Pants are $900, which is about the average price for designer leather leggings, but the advantage to buying these as opposed to similarly priced styles is that they are hand-washable. (They also look a bit stretchier and potentially more comfortable than other styles I’ve seen.)
But, you know, how much you wanna spend on athleisure is between you and your god(s). I pose to you this question, however: here’s a really pretty sports bra for $185, designed in tandem, Vogue reports, with an Italian lingerie maker. Would you wear it to your sweatiest workout?
