There is a specific kind of woman who shows up to a tennis court and looks like she came from a shoot. The racket is real. So is the outfit. She is not wearing this because she is about to exercise. She is wearing this because she has somewhere to be afterward and changing is not part of the plan.
The luxury knit aesthetic is not athleisure. It is something more precise: clothes built from the same fine-knit vocabulary as athletic wear but designed for the life that happens around the activity. The pilates class, the brunch immediately after, the afternoon that turns into something else. Pieces that move without bulk and photograph without trying.
Five looks below. Each one is built for a different version of that afternoon — from a tennis dress with gem buttons to a gem-chain co-ord with enough personality to carry an evening without changing.
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01 — The Janelle: The Tennis Dress
The Janelle is the dress that understands exactly what a tennis court looks like in a photograph and dresses accordingly. Fine-knit construction in 43 high-twisted dual yarns — a weave density that gives the fabric its characteristic body and the pleated hem its structure and movement. The A-line silhouette sits above the knee with a precision that suits the setting without restricting anything. Three custom gem buttons at the chest add the one detail that moves the Janelle from athletic to editorial — colored stones at a scale that reads from a distance without competing with the silhouette.
The pleated hem is the detail that earns the most attention in person. Each pleat moves independently from the body beneath it, creating a hem that catches courtside air and photographs with a dimension that a flat hem never achieves. This is the dress that looks like it belongs in a campaign because it was designed to.
Available in pink and white. Dry clean only.
Fit note: NJ runs small — size up. Care: Dry clean only. Occasions: Tennis court, country club, outdoor brunch, garden party, active daytime social event |
SHOP: Janelle Knit Dress →
02 — The Jenna Look: The Chateau to Champagne
The campaign image for the Jenna says everything the product description cannot: a woman on a bicycle outside a French château in the afternoon light, wearing a cropped fine-knit cardigan in powder blue over a matching camisole and shorts, looking like she has absolutely nowhere she needs to be and several places she would like to go.
The Jenna cardigan is the layering piece that makes this look what it is. A polo lapel collar and button-front placket give the silhouette its preppy, sport-adjacent character — the kind of detail that belongs at a country club or a courtside café without requiring any additional effort to earn its place there. Heart-shaped eyelet lace along the placket adds the feminine detail that sets the Jenna apart from a standard rib cardigan. Ribbed buttoned cuffs keep the sleeves precise. The cropped length sits naturally above the Carrie set’s high waistband without bulk.
Worn over the Carrie Top and Carrie Shorts in matching blush, the layered look creates a three-piece knit ensemble that reads as intentional rather than assembled. Each piece is sold separately — which means the cardigan works equally well over the Hazel Skirt, over the Janelle dress as a cover-up, or on its own over high-waisted bottoms.
Fit note: Jenna runs small — size up. Occasions: Country club, courtside café, coastal brunch, spring weekend outing, sporty city afternoon |
SHOP: Jenna Cardigan Blue →
SHOP: Carrie Shorts Blue →
03 — The Carrie Set: The Pilates-to-Brunch Look
The Carrie set is the answer to the question everyone in the elevated athleisure category is trying to solve: what do you wear to pilates that you would also wear to brunch directly afterward without anyone asking if you just came from a workout?
The Carrie Top in blush is a fine-knit camisole built around corset-inspired vertical ribbing — a construction detail that cinches the waist and lifts the bust with a precision that plain knit cannot achieve. Scallop lace trim at the neckline and hem adds the romantic, feminine finish that moves this firmly out of the gym category and into the social occasion category. Adjustable spaghetti straps keep the fit personal. The stretchy fine-knit yarn is breathable and skin-friendly through the activity, and polished enough for the hour that follows.
The Carrie Shorts complete the set with the same fine-knit construction and the same considered proportions. Together they create the kind of co-ord that reads as a deliberate outfit rather than matching separates — which is the distinction that makes the difference between looking like you just came from pilates and looking like you dressed for exactly this afternoon.
Fit note: NJ runs small — size up. Occasions: Pilates, morning brunch, casual social afternoon, relaxed daytime event, layering base under the Jenna Cardigan |
SHOP: Carrie Top Pink →
SHOP: Carrie Shorts Pink →
04 — The Kennedy Set: The Gem-Chain Co-Ord
The Kennedy set is the most distinctive look in this post — the one that takes the luxury knit vocabulary and does something unexpected with it. A two-piece fine-knit co-ord in blush pink, with a gem chain running along the neckline and a matching chain at the waist of the shorts. The gems are the detail that earns the look its place in an evening setting as comfortably as a daytime one — they catch light with a warmth that reads as jewelery rather than decoration, which is the distinction that takes a knit set from casual to considered.
The crop top and shorts are constructed from the same fine-knit rayon and nylon blend — soft, slightly stretchy, with enough structure to hold its shape through a full day. Custom gem buttons appear on the top, echoing the chain detail and adding a second layer of embellishment that photographs with depth. The Kennedy is for the woman who has understood something that most knit sets have not: that the gap between athletic and evening is much narrower than the fashion industry pretends, and the right detail can bridge it entirely.
Fit note: NJ runs small — size up. Care: Dry clean only. Occasions: Casual evening, rooftop afternoon, weekend social, resort daytime, active social event |
SHOP: Kennedy Knit Top Pink →
SHOP: Kennedy Knit Shorts Pink →
05 — The Luna and Hazel Look: The Court-to-Club Moment
The Luna and Hazel look is the most graphic combination in this post — and the most explicitly tennis-coded. The Luna Top in white is a slim-fit fine-knit crop in soft high-twist yarn, finished with a contrasting black round neckline and the NJ initial embroidery at the chest. Clean, branded, and precise. The Hazel Skirt in white brings the counter-detail: clean ivory fine-knit pleats beneath a bold black contrast waistband with Nana Jacqueline embroidered in the brand’s signature script. Built-in leggings underneath provide secure coverage for every moment the skirt moves.
Together the Luna and Hazel create the kind of black-and-white contrast that photographs with a graphic clarity that monochrome knits cannot achieve. The contrast neckline on the top and the contrast waistband on the skirt echo each other — a design coherence that reads as a considered outfit rather than coordinated separates, even though they are sold individually. This is the look for the tennis club, the golf course, the outdoor festival. It also transitions naturally into any setting where the dress code is relaxed but the standard is not.
Fit note: NJ runs small — size up. Occasions: Tennis court, golf course, outdoor festival, casual summer social, active daytime event |
SHOP: Luna Top White →
SHOP: Hazel Skirt White →
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How to Style Luxury Knits in 2026
The elevated knit aesthetic works because it refuses to commit to a single category. It is not athleisure and it is not occasionwear. It is the thing that happens when you dress for the activity and find that the outfit is too good to change out of.
Styling luxury knits correctly comes down to three decisions. The first is proportion — fine-knit pieces run small and the silhouette is sensitive to fit. Size up across NJ’s knit range and the pieces deliver exactly what they promise. The second is accessories — luxury knits carry jewelry differently from woven fabrics. A gold chain, a simple earring, a headband in the same tone as the outfit. The Kennedy’s gem chain is the built-in version of this decision. The third is shoes — for the tennis and court aesthetic, a clean white sneaker or a strappy flat sandal suits the silhouette. For the brunch-to-afternoon register, a low kitten heel or a mule elevates the look without breaking its ease.
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Fit & Sizing
All NJ pieces in this post run small. Size up consistently across the Janelle dress, Jenna cardigan, Carrie set, Kennedy set, and Luna and Hazel combination. For the Janelle and Jenna, sizing up through the shoulder and chest is most important. For the Carrie and Kennedy sets, the corset ribbing and fitted crop both read best when sized up rather than worn tight. The Janelle and Kennedy set are dry clean only.
Your Questions Answered
What is the pilates aesthetic in fashion?
The pilates aesthetic is a way of dressing that takes the vocabulary of athletic wear — fine-knit construction, form-fitting silhouettes, stretch fabrication — and elevates it into social occasion territory through design details, quality fabric, and considered proportions. The result is clothing that works as well at brunch as it does at the studio — pieces that do not require changing between activities because they were designed to carry across both.
What is a luxury knit set?
A luxury knit set is a coordinated fine-knit co-ord where the quality of construction, the detail of finish, and the design intention place it above standard athleisure. Scallop lace trim, gem chains, corset ribbing, gem buttons, and designer embroidery are all examples of the details that move a knit set from casual to luxury. Fine-knit rayon and viscose blends with high twist yarns have more drape, more structure, and more surface interest than cotton jersey.
What should I wear to a tennis club or country club?
For a tennis club or country club setting, a pleated knit dress with gem buttons or a black-and-white contrast knit top and skirt combination both read as appropriately polished. A fine-knit cardigan in a preppy colorway — powder blue, blush, white — layered over a matching camisole and shorts creates the kind of look that belongs at courtside as comfortably as at the café afterward.
Can you wear knit sets outside the gym?
Yes — and that is precisely the point of the luxury knit aesthetic. Fine-knit co-ords with scallop lace trim, gem chains, corset ribbing, and designer embroidery are not gym clothes. They are designed for the social occasions that surround the activity: the brunch, the afternoon gathering, the casual evening. The gym bag is optional. The outfit is not.
Does Nana Jacqueline run small?
Yes — all NJ pieces run small and the consistent recommendation is to size up. This applies across all five looks in this post. For fitted pieces like the Carrie Top and Kennedy crop, sizing up through the bust and waist is particularly important.
The Gym Bag Is Optional
There is a life that moves quickly between activities and social occasions, between the morning workout and the afternoon where things get interesting. The luxury knit aesthetic is the wardrobe solution that was always built for that life — it just took the fashion industry a while to catch up.
These five looks are not athleisure. They are not occasionwear. They are the thing in between — which is where most of the best afternoons actually happen.
Shop the Soft Motion collection →
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