Most gym kit looks like it was designed purely by engineers who have never once thought about how it photographs. Fine for function, but you end up wearing something that looks assembled rather than chosen. Long sleeves raise the stakes because there is simply more fabric to get wrong. The fit through the shoulder and sleeve, the weight of the material, the way the hem sits when you are moving. All of it shows.

We have been paying close attention to the brands getting this right. The ones building tops that perform properly but also have a considered cut and a colour palette that does not look like it belongs on a motorway cone. Fabric matters here too. Something with a bit of structure that does not go see through under fluorescent lighting.

These are tops worth wearing for the commute to the gym and not just once you get there. That versatility is harder to find than it should be.