Though athleisure has become an overused term, BCBG Max Azria’s chief creative officer, Lubov Azria, has it on the brain. For Resort 2017, she infused stretchy, sporty fabrics into the flowing, bohemian aesthetic for which the label is synonymous. The outcome wasn’t a visual clash. Azria used an elevated translation of sporty fabrics, specifically jacquard (as in the cinch-friendly material so prevalent in Azria’s other label, Hervé Léger), as a detailing factor in many of the pieces. A Stevie Nicks–type frock became less witchy when trimmed with strips of bandage down the center.
Azria also experimented with gym-centric materials on a larger, more separates-focused scale. There was mesh, which became a sensible layering piece to throw on top of oversize-collar shirts or something to wear on its own, in the case of a color-blocked maxi skirt or a crewneck with slit bell sleeves. There was a literal translation of athletic garb, too, such as the BCBG version of a sports bra, which crisscrossed the torso or was worn off the shoulder. Though some of the bra-harnesses would be awkward to wear day to day, they did add some nice, curve-skimming appeal to men’s-style button-ups, and they could be an artful way to highlight the body in a loose BCBG peasant dress.
