We’ve reached peak lockdown madness because velour tracksuits are back, apparently. Has our new-found love of loungewear reached its nth degree? The noughties uniform of the rich and idle – heiress Paris Hilton owns 100 in every colour – which eventually came to personify the desperate and needy (the bottom rung of reality TV stars) – has kicked the current leisurewear favourite of busy mums, LuLuLemon, unexpectedly off its perch. The most unnerving thing about this development is not that Paris Hilton might, for the first time, be considered a trendsetter by anyone other than herself, it’s that I don’t hate the idea. I don’t despise the notion of wearing a fluffy, towel-like tracksuit with anti-fashion associations. In fact, I’m rather warming to it. My one caveat is that I won’t sport any shade that remotely resembles the colours of a Wibbly Wobbly Wonder. But judging by what’s on offer, I won’t have to.

In my defence, the velour tracksuit has a past that stretches further back than the Los Angeles brand Juicy Couture’s blingy (and clingy) versions. Roger Moore as James Bond wore one in the 1985 film View To A Kill, while everyone’s favourite mafia boss Tony Soprano often sported the tactile two-piece in the Emmy award-winning crime drama The Sopranos. Both tracksuits were designed by 100-year-old Italian sportswear brand Fila, a company that evolved during the 1990s from an elite label for athletes (it had a long-running sponsorship deal with iconic tennis player Bjorn Borg) to one of the most popular casual streetwear brands in the world. Fila’s revived popularity among consumers over the past couple of years (it held its first runway show at Milan Fashion Week in 2018) has, I suspect, got far more to do with the re-emergence of the velour tracksuit than any type of ode to heiress Hilton.

While Juicy Couture velour tracksuits came in frothy shades of Neapolitan ice-cream and were styled to cling and caress bums and boobs, the original Fila velour stuck to sober neutrals and was shaped to look thrown-on and effortlessly cool. Both versions epitomised the style of their respective homes – the showiness and trashiness of LA versus the heritage and sophistication of Italy. Kim Kardashian recently launched a new velour collection as part of her Skims loungewear and shapewear line, which, believe it or not, strikes a nice middle ground between these two cultural and fashion references. The palette is muted (shades include smoke and honey) and the shapes, aside from a bandeau top, are flattering without being in-your-face flashy. Plus, there isn’t a hint of bling on the butt or anywhere else. Dare I say it, but the always over-the-top reality TV star has created a restrained collection. Kardashian has described the range as, “The perfect blend of 2000s nostalgia and present-day loungewear.” (This is the first time I’ve ever quoted Kim Kardashian in a fashion feature...it certainly is a year of firsts.)

Kardashian is right though. It’s well documented that nostalgia is an emotional pacifier, and over the past ten years – or in the world BC (Before Covid) – sportswear labels made fortunes reissuing retro sneakers to midlifers who simply enjoyed the muscle memories, and the fashion kudos, these items evoked. But after nine months of a pandemic, we’re all looking for more than just fond memories from our retro buys, we’re searching for the sartorial equivalent of a comfort blanket. What else is the original velour tracksuit? It’s as soothing as a onesie but much less like a babygrow. Plus, in its original Fila guise, it has Italian-cool connotations, unlike the onesie, which has been spotted on sugary teen pop idols such as Miley Cyrus and Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards.

Where Kim Kardashian leads, millions of others follow, although never before have I been tempted to join her Pied Piper parade. But as Level 5 comes to a torturously slow and uncertain end, I plan to take comfort where I can find it. Kardashian’s velour pieces are surprisingly affordable, with tracksuit bottoms costing $72 and zip-up tops $78, but the brand that has really got me checking out my bank balance is that of Australian-born, Los Angeles-based Suzie Kondi. Net-A-Porter began stocking her velour collection earlier this year, describing it as, “flattering and relevant for all ages”, and Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop website took it on this autumn. Among Kondi’s celebrity fans are the super-cool Zoe Kravitz and the always-chic Sienna Miller. They’re as far from the old Juicy Couture celebrity endorsement brigade as I can imagine.

According to Kondi’s website, she has melded her Auzzie worlds of “bohemian beach and downtown sophistication” to redefine the principles of comfortable and casual dressing. Of all the velour reissued this year on designer and high-street sites, Kondi’s looks the most modern to me. I absolutely love the slim-fit track pants because at barely 5’6”, most tracksuit bottoms puddle at my ankles for a really unflattering effect. I look like I’m dressing up in my big sister’s clothes. The raglan sleeve sweaters, meanwhile, have a beautifully relaxed shape that contrasts nicely with the plush fabric. They come in a variety of colours, from pastel (but not bubblegum) to earthy autumnal and traditional athleisure wear grey.

On the Kondi website, the track pants are styled with trainers, and with socks and block-heel sandals, as they’re intended to be a versatile option for day and night – I fear the latter combo could make me look like I’m rehearsing a rumba on Strictly Come Dancing though. Russian model Irina Shayk gave her Skims velour tracksuit a unique style twist by tucking the bottoms into a pair of grey knee-high boots. She looked incredible. I won’t be trying it. But I will be vamping up velour come Christmas. I think it could prove to be the perfect New Year’s Eve outfit in a year when loungewear very firmly replaced ready-to-wear.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Suzie Kondi revealed that a Russian customer of hers had sent a photo of herself dressed in a velour tracksuit styled with heels for an evening at the opera. Juicy Couture may still be out, but for 2020, velour couture is definitely in.

Marie Kelly, November 2020.