Hamburg - Jogging pants have become standard attire on the street, at fitness studios and in holding rooms at police stations. The casual loose pants are hip in part thanks to idols of the rap and hip hop scene. They have long been the choice of such artists, as well as criminal suspects, which has made them suitable for both the street and the dance club.
"In the last 10 years the street has become an important showplace for fashion," said fashion columnist Marlene Sorensen. Young designers such as Alexander Wang and Isabel Marant have come up with collections that are directly influenced by street style. "It was only a matter of time before the designers finally took up the article of clothing that is least glamorous and made it glamorous."
Sorensen said looking tough and at the same time being comfortable goes with hard economic times, but people shouldn't view this trend in pants as a direct reaction to the economic crisis. Designer jogging pants can easily cost a few hundred dollars, like the ones from cashmere-silk blended fabric.
Anyone who looks at gossip blogs and celebrity magazines sees that style icons such as Madonna and Natalie Portman wear jogging pants. In their free time the luminaries wear not only top designer clothes, but also - like the mainstream - pants made by well-known sports labels.
You might see Julia Roberts or Cameron Diaz running around in jogging pants with their hair uncombed, complained top designer Valentino in a weekly German newspaper.
"They look like bag ladies, like homeless people," he said, lamenting how things have changed. "Previously, in their contracts actresses had to pledge to go out looking like a star when they left their homes." But Valentino, considered a master of classic elegance, hasn't been able to completely avoid jogging pants. They were part of his 2003 collection.
Is there a double standard here? The straightforward answer is yes. Designers differentiate between a classy and a shabby jogging pants look. It can look well combined with a jacket and a good T-shirt, said German designer Michael Michalsky.
Jogging pants, also known as sweat pants, are receiving more than the usual share of media attention. A major German newspaper recently referred to sweat pants, in particular the grey ones, as a classic of the new century. In the US, their home country, they are almost a cult item. Since the '70s they have emancipated themselves more and more from the sweatshirt.
There's a simple reason why hoodlums and small-time criminals prefer sweatpants, also known as the best accomplice a crook could hope for. The soft, comfortable cotton-blend fabric makes it easier to flee down escalators, over garden fences and other impediments. It's also lightweight and warm, making them ideal for committing crime at night or in cold weather.
And what does German fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld say about wearing jogging pants? He says they are dangerous because of their elastic waistband. He points out that the elastic stretches and unlike a pair of pants held up by a fly or belt, "you don't notice when you have gained weight."
