It's your day off. You are running errands, going for a massage, just generally hanging out. Let's say you are wearing cotton pants, shorts, or jeans, a heavyweight T- or sweat shirt, a button-down or polo-style shirt, a belt, and tennis shoes. This type of casual is called Sporty Casual.
Anytime you are wearing a sneaker-type shoe with jeans, khakis, walking shorts, skirts, etc., and you are not participating in a sport, you are dressed in the Sporty Casual category. Notice, it is sporty. Most sports have particular items of clothing that support participants in performing well in that game. This category is not about playing a sport, but more about the relaxed look of a spectator. Sportswear has been synonymous with casual separates in the fashion world for years. Since that term was coined over fifty years ago, the world has changed dramatically. Today, the sportswear section of a store includes everything except suits, dresses, and formal wear.