In times like these, what’s the difference between gym clothes and real clothes? Maybe the more pertinent question is: What are “real” clothes anyway? Lockdown lifestyles have turned leggings, hoodies, and slouchy sleepwear into new work uniforms. No one was as prepared for this stylistic shift as Adam Selman, who has been turning clubwear into workoutwear and workoutwear into ready-to-wear since launching Adam Selman Sport in 2018.
His spring offering applies that calculus in the extreme. On the sassier end of the spectrum are Pretty Woman–worthy sheer paneled leggings and sports bras with gold buckles. Leopard print abounds, cut into every stretchy garment under the sun, including a running short with built-in bike shorts—Selman’s first true unisex piece. For the ultimate in cheekiness, quite literally, he has morphed his signature French cut built-in undies into a heart-shaped patch on the bum of hot pink leggings. There is a wider range of slouchy home clothes too, like color-block sweats, monochrome leggings in black and olive, and a ditsy floral print on hoodies and bras. His venture into sleepwear, Adam Selman Sleep, adapts the coziness idea into soft jersey boxer shorts and pajama pants. Talking to Selman in his brimming Garment District studio, where hundreds of ideas are tacked to a pinboard, you get the sense that anything could be Adam Selman’ed. And maybe more things should be. He’s got the rare touch to turn functional, serviceable clothing into something special.
