Thanksgiving is also a day of sport. From noon until late evening, the television telecasts one of America’s favourite pastimes: football.  Teams are squaring up and off preparing for playoff births, as well as setting their team’s respective eye on the end prize, the Superbowl. What better way to pay  homage to the day and the sport, than with a fashionable look back at the sporty offerings from S/S 2010 with a few of my favorite collections. 

Alexander Wang, as I proselytised upon in an earlier column, was a tour de force of gridiron lore.  He managed to finesse beautifully the essence of the game from its historic roots through to the present without seeming staid or dated. He showed wonderful renditions of sweatshirts with the effect of protective shoulder pads played out in strategically-placed leather padding. He played on the pinstripe suiting which many players can be found wearing on the ESPN network; there was a nod to athletic socks and suspenders that many sportsmen used to wear in his cleverly-inspired suspender socks and, of course, the coup de grâce were the leather hats-cum-helmets that the models worked so beautifully with their mega, messy side plait.

The House of Hermés worked the tennis theme to great effect. Giving us a touch of Deauville mixed artfully and dynamically with today’s uniforms. When have long, empire waist halter dresses in tennis whites looked so intriguing or refreshing? Clearly not in a long time.

Louis Vuitton’s boy wonder, Marc Jacobs, as I have lauded over in another column, was beautifully executed in cut, colour and style. The kicks were king, infused with saturated colours, mixed textures of suede and leather and style options. The shorts were fitted, very tailored and varied in length.  The bomber-style windbreakers and broken-in blazers spoke of a relaxed nature and time was on your side. The inner contrast patches on rolled cuffs on below the knee pants worn with fanny packs — bags that one wears around the waist — were an ode to bike messengers and their padded shorts and the packs of tourists that sport them. The bold ocher and yellows were a beautiful reminder of Marc’s hometown, New York City, and its careening yellow cabs.

The House of Bottega Veneta gave their man a relaxed, languid feel with ombre-washed sweaters, softly patterned shorts with drawstrings, broken in macintosh coats, letterman bomber jackets, penny loafers without socks, so very collegiate USA, and baby soft tees.

Balenciaga gave us hooded heroines with attitude, part Mad Max and part Blade Runner. They sported leather sleeveless hooded jackets that gave off the essence of boxer’s robes, quilted waist textured leather leggings, which seemed to be an ode to heavy weight boxer shorts, leather replacing the requisite satin.  There were sleeveless stripped shirts which were a nod to racer uniforms, in a hip, haute way. Clearly, Nicholas was in a sport-fueled state of mind. Personally my favorite kind.

stephanie@khaleejtimes.com