Lately, everywhere I turn I’ve been seeing girls wearing leggings as pants. It’s painful and embarassing to see, as this great article from The News Record points out. In fact, there are thousands of blog posts on the subject of leggings and precisely why they shouldn’t be worn as pants.
Now don’t get me wrong – I love leggings. I would gladly wear leggings instead of jeans any day, I practically live in them. I own a half dozen pairs in black, grey, navy, turquoise, purple and even bright blue. So instead of just criticizing, I’ve decided to compile a list of the five best ways to flaunt the trend.
Flickr user Idhren shows how to pull off the legging trend well! Photo reproduced under a Creative Commons license. Some rights reserved.
1. Keep your leggings simple and in one piece. Seeing ripped leggings like these ones makes me want to cry.
2. Always wear a long top, sweater or dress with your leggings. Rule of thumb: your entire butt should be covered at all times. My trick is to always wear a long, layering tank top underneath whatever top I’m wearing. My favorite is the boyfriend tank from American Eagle which I buy in a bigger size so it’s longer on me.
3. If you’re going to wear brightly colored leggings (which I am all for!) be sure to pair them with a simple solid color like black or white. Wearing a bright green top with purple leggings can be a bit of an eye sore.
4. Keep your outfit simple. When I wear leggings, I try to stick with solids. Often, all you need is a pair of leggings, a long tank top and a basic long sleeve sweater to pull on over. What makes the outfit is your scarf, necklace, earrings or shoes. Even if you’re wearing black leggings and a great sweater, make your outfit pop with a bright gold necklace, like this one from Forever 21.
5. Pair your leggings with boots or flats – when wearing my leggings with flats, I often pull the leggings underneath my heel to create a different, unique look.
February 9, 2010. Tags: american eagle, Forever 21, leggings, trends. Fashion. .
I love lists. I think thats just one of those things I got from my mother and her OCD tendencies, but I have yet to make very many lists on here, so I figured I’d do a fun one of 5 of my favorite fashion trends & 5 trends that make me want to throw something.
Five Fashion Trends I Can’t Get Enough Of…
skinny jeans i love how they fit, how slimming they are and how flattering they can be if you find the right fit. i love how easily they tuck into boots, and how great they look with flats and flip flops. i definitely still own bootcut and flared jeans, but my skinny jeans are my favorites.
big, bright, bold jewelry i love big funky pieces that add to a plain top and make an outfit stand out more. kind of like that anchor necklace in shopaholic, but less sparkly and shiny, more funky and bright, without being too over the top
flat boots maybe its that i couldnt wear them in LA when i was growing up, but i absolutely love the way a flat boot looks with almost everything. flat leather with buckles, flat scrunched suede, slightly heeled cowboy boots with a pointy toe – i love em all. with leggings, a skirt or skinny denim, they can look great and are so versatile.
the boyfriend cardigan at first i wasnt so sure of how much i liked the long, baggy look, but now im totally in love. you can wear it buttoned or open, get it in a size too big so it looks great with a long vneck and leggings, or pair it with a great patterned top, nice denim and cute flats to pull together a great outfit.
scarves if you saw my scarf collection, youd probably have a heart attack. i have everything from thick knit scarves to thin fashion scarves, and i love them all. the airy material that often comes in fun stripes and patterns is my favorite, but solids can be great as well to pair with a multicolored or patterned top. even when it starts to get warmer, scarves are the perfect accessory.
Five Fashion Trends That Make Me Want to Hurl…
camouflage/patterned uggs i will admit, i own two pairs of uggs. they are hideous, but they keep my feet warm, which is really all that matters when it feels like 13 degrees outside. but when you get uggs that have a different color on each side of them, or the camouflage patterned ones, thats when i want to be sick. seriously? if you need these heinous things to keep your feet warm [and i admit, i do] stick to the basic ones, please!
mismatching patterns flannel and stripe and rainbow and sparkles do NOT all go together. i am alll for patterns but please, pair them with a plain top and jacket as to avoid giving me the world a headache when they look at you!
clothes that hug your rolls i have friends of all shapes and sizes, and i know that sometimes when you are heavier, that weight is almost impossible to take off. and i respect that some people are born with wide hips and a heavier waist line. but when you have that body type, learn how to dress yourself. one of my best friends is on the heavier side and she always finds incredible pieces to match her body type, and im always so impressed with how great she looks. then you see other heavy girls with their rolls hugged by tight fitting shirts, or tops that have lines that just arent flattering. when theyre popping out of their clothes it just points more to their heavy set body, and its not fun for anybody to look at.
jeans that are too short we used to call this “flooding”. im not quite sure why this is such a pet peeve of mine, but seeing somebodys socks when theyre walking just really bugs me. save your short jeans to tuck inside your boots!
shiny, skin tight leggings i love leggings, dont get me wrong. but the bright colored, skin tight shiny ones that american apparel has been selling? noooo thank you. you do not need to look like you are wearing pleather on your legs, plain cotton leggings in basic colors like turquoise or purple are as bold as you should get, thankyouverymuch.
March 24, 2009. Tags: bold jewelry, boyfriend cardigan, fashion trends, flat boots, flooding, leggings, lists, mismatched patterns, patterned scarves, patterned uggs, scarf, shiny leggings, skinny jeans. Uncategorized. .
Boston weather has this bizarre tendency to have weird heat waves during the strangest times. Yesterday, our thermostat read 59 at 1 PM. Considering its been in the 30’s lately, that didn’t make much sense to us, but the roomie and I were determined to make the most of the weather with spring inspired outfits.
Erin was unsure of her ability to rock the legging look, but I ensured her [and the continued to help complete her look from my wardrobe] that she could do it no problem.
problem one; finding a bra and tank top for underneath the slightly see through top, which Erin purchased at Jasmine Sola for 80% off when they went out of business last year. We decided on a nude bra and a blue american eagle beater from my collection to add color underneath the top, and to add length to the tops since Erin was hesitant her other top was too short on its own.
we added on her cute target flats that she found a few months ago with me [which i am so so jealous of!] since the colors went well together.
next we added the coat – Erin’s first Burberry purchase a few weeks ago. She scored this spring jacket from the Burberry store on Newbury street for $280 – marked down from $400. I love it because it’s simply and classy, but still has the great touch of the burberry pattern on the cuffed sleeves, which you can unroll if needed. I added my pink forever 21 scarf to the ensemble, and she was all set!
Sorry for the crappy mirror shot, the light in my room is horrible and Erin had already left for class when I was heading out. My outfit is almost entirely forever 21, the leggings, vneck, scarf and jacket are all forever 21 finds. the striped tank top is one of my staple american eagle beaters, and the pink flats I got at target years ago. My bag is my favorite purchase from when I was in China last summer – the color is incredible, it’s a perfect size to carry my books and notebooks without being too overwhelming, and it only cost me $12.
My necklace that had been hiding under the scarf, which I purchased at american eagle for a whopping $4 on sale and with my discount.
Ohh summer weather, I wish you came around more often!
February 12, 2009. Tags: Forever 21, leggings, strange warm weather, summer. Uncategorized. .
passion for fashion 
