JOLLY GOOD SPORTS

No self-respecting designer these days can afford to ignore the growing demand for 'sportswear' for non-sporting customers. Sports leisurewear designed for making out rather than working out is no longer the sole preserve of Saturday morning shoppers. Instead, it is now worn by the style-conscious for everything from poolside posing to nights out on the town. Today's designer versions are more expensive than the Tacchini, Lacoste and Fila labels were in the late Seventies - and they're certainly more stylish. Last spring, both Rifat Ozbek and Yves Saint Laurent created dresses with go-faster stripes that were never going to see the track. Who knows, one day even shell-suits might become fashionable

Annalisa Barbieri