Kim Kardashian is seen walking in Midtown in New York City. {Raymond Hall}
Perhaps one of the more surprising things to occur in recent fashion: The unitard is back. The eyebrow-raising one-piece has become an It-item ascending in popularity, but actually, its rise makes a lot of sense.
Over the past year and a half, clothes once relegated to lounging at home or workouts have become wardrobe linchpins. Fitness-centric pieces, more specifically, have taken hold in a world that is carefully dancing between staying home and reemerging. To wit, garments that employ equal parts form and function are now fundamental considerations in assembling a wardrobe. And perhaps this is why designers thought: unitards, but make it fashion.
Unitards
Labels like Pucci, Marine Serre, and No. 21, have each released their elevated version of a unitard—part-cycling short, part-bodysuit—in recent collections meant for fitness, everyday wear, and even evening wear. Shoe designer Amina Muaddi recently collaborated with Wolford on a black unitard with her covetable heels attached at the bottom. And while the runways prove the appetite for these catsuits, the staying power is only made stronger with a slew of influencer and celebrity endorsements.
Enter Kim Kardashian. She turned heads in her anonymous-chic Balenciaga getup at the Met Gala and has since gone on to wear long-sleeved (sometimes gloved) iterations, including several shocking pink versions on SNL.
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Matek, a brand known for its technical base layers for skiing, introduced a unitard to its repertoire recently, too. “Unitards stay classic even when reimagined,” says Matek founder Abigail Stern. The unitard Stern dreamed up for Matek is aptly named the “All-In-One-Z” and is meant for everyday wear, workouts, and even swimming. “I feel like the word unitard has a bad rep, but it truly is a part of fashion history,” Stern continues.
With winter approaching, styling a unitard is actually more straightforward than you may think. Throw a crisp, oversized button-up over a black unitard and pair it with calf-height socks and sneakers or loafers. Going to a workout or for a swim later? Throw a pair of loose trousers over the unitard to wear it as a bodysuit. Going out? Wear a long-sleeved unitard by itself or with a blazer.
Here, shop the 20 best unitards on the market, so you’re ready for wherever the day (or night!) takes you.
By: Hillary Wangila
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