Melanie C's Most Iconic Sporty Spice Looks
Melanie Chisolm, known better as Sporty Spice, has always been known for her athletic yet chic outfits, but which ones are her favorites? And how did this on-brand sense of fashion come to be?
"I grew up in the northwest in the '80s — Everyone wore sportswear," she told The Guardian last year. "I went to dance college, and I was a bit of a raver in the early '90s, so it was all super-comfy trackie bottoms and stripy tops."
When the Spice Girls formed, they were searching for a stand-out look. One day while rehearsing, they looked around, saw what everyone was wearing, and had an idea, when it came to their ensembles. A Chisolm explained, "Why don't we all just wear what we're comfortable in? We [realized] that our individuality was a great selling point — Lots of fans felt that they identified with at least one of us. We almost became caricatures of ourselves."
You can probably guess what Sporty Spice was wearing that day
On the day the Spice Girls had this realization, on most days during that era, and on many recent outings, Mel C was wearing the typical Sporty Spice uniform. When talking to ELLE, she pointed out some of her favorite fashion moments, and one was an iconic version of this uniform and was worn to the MTV VMAs in 1997.
The first piece is trackies (or as they're known stateside, tracksuit pants or joggers), and those are always paired with a crop top. To finish off the look, the hair must be worn in a high ponytail. This was her go-to look, and on this day, it was an all-white ensemble, with a criss-cross halter neck up top.
Mel C does elevated athletic looks like no one else
When it comes to Melanie Chisolm's favorite outfits she has worn while entertaining the world as Sporty Spice, there is another white look. This one, as told to ELLE, was a custom-made piece from JD Sports, and she wore it to the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympics, per Vogue UK. It was finished off with a silver waistband and silver wedge sneakers. As usual, the singer looked comfortable and athletic, but this all had an elevated feel to it, making it perfect for such an iconic performance and at such an important ceremony.
'You would never guess this dress was from a sportswear brand,' Melanie Chisolm said about one of her favorite outfits
Finally, Melanie C raved about what she wore to the 2020 Brit Awards: an outfit from Fila's runway collection. "It's really grownup, beautiful, red-carpet chic but with a bit of a sporty twist," she said in The Guardian. "You would never guess this dress was from a sportswear brand."
The singer obviously loves athleisure, as well as tailoring, androgynous looks, a rock'n'roll vibe, and Kate Moss' effortlessly cool style. "So much of fashion history repeats itself," she continued. My daughter ... and her friends are all dressing like Sporty Spice — They don't even realize that I was there first."