Clodagh McKenna's sporty trousers and elegant top outfit formula is the key to styling the athleisure trend

Clodagh demonstrates exactly how to elevate spring's athleisure trend

Clodagh McKenna attends the Royal Ascot food and drink preview evening at London Underground Cookery School on March 01, 2022
(Image credit: Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Ascot Racecourse Ltd)

The ITV This Morning chef and food influencer, Clodagh McKenna might specialise in tasty treats, but we've always got an eye on the star's wardrobe too, as it regular serves some serious style inspiration and her latest outfit is a case in point.

While Clodagh is a big fan of denim in all its guises, today, she left her true blues at home and opted instead for a very chic and trending look, and the TV star's styling offered a masterclass in how to wear the athleisure trend, without looking like a chic PE teacher.

Clodagh McKenna gives her look a sporty spin

Get the look

Trackpants, sport side stripes and silky joggers have all made a welcomed return to the fashion front lines, but the trick with the athleisure spring/summer fashion trend for 2026 is to team your more fitness-led pieces with items that have no place in a track and field session.

This means you can wear those sporty side stripe trousers, but add a sandal or a heeled court to add a little polish to the laidback attire. Likewise, add in a classic white shirt, or a well cut top (like Clodagh), instead of reaching for baggy hoodies or slouch tees, to add a refinement on your top half, that balances the low key nature of your trousers.

Although matching jackets are available to many of the side stripe trousers you see this season, this is perhaps one nostalgic fashion moment best left in the 90s. If you wore this trend the first time round, and love the idea of an elevated jogger, because who doesn't love comfort? Creating a smart casual outfit idea, by dressing up your lightly tailored trackpant is how to make this style look elegant in 2026, and Clodagh McKenna has nailed it.

Rivkie Baum
Fashion channel editor

Rivkie is a fashion editor, writer and stylist with twenty years' experience in the industry. Rivkie studied design and pattern cutting at the London College of Fashion, and fell in love with styling and journalism, and has covered fashion weeks in London, Paris and New York, as well as shooting editorial all over the world.


Specialising in plus size fashion, Rivkie has long championed that style is for everyBODY and has appeared on a host of radio stations and television shows, pushing for greater representation for plus size women and fashion throughout her career. 

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