Where the clothes do most of the work

The nature of athletic apparel isn't particularly athletic; it's about connotation

I do not think that I was prepared for the mannequins. Earlier this month, I did a crawl of recently opened flagship spaces for the two largest athletic-wear companies in the world, beginning with the new Adidas Midtown location and ending at Nike’s SoHo outpost. It was a symphony of stretchable, moisture-wicking fabrics and complicated looking footwear, items designed for maximum visual impact and, one imagines, some function, too.

These two constantly warring titans have different approaches to expressing their bona fides: Nike is brash and attitudinal, Adidas is relaxed and slightly cosy. The stores captured that to a degree but,