Leggings: A Tutorial

Dedicated to my mom, who has abstained from leggings for over a year just because I said so.

I just got back from a week in Colorado (blame the Vermonster), and I am pretty sure that I rocked the leggings/boots combo for over 50% of the time. Little-known perk of cold-weather dressing: you can wear the same thing over and over again because no one sees anything but your coat! Awesome!

BUT before you prance off into legging-land, let me elaborate on what leggings are and aren’t appropriate:

First, so you know what we’re combating, the Leggings FAIL:

Mena Suvari, on the left? She looks short and chunky. The girl probably weighs 45 pounds soaking wet, yet the leggings annihilate any length the (bad) heels gave her legs and compound with a short top to make her thighs look fat. She IS NOT fat! But she looks bad here. And if you try this look at home, you will look bad too.

Jamie Lynn Siegler, on the right? Why add the leggings? They’re just plain distracting from the cuteness of the dress, they certainly don’t add anything, and while not as dramatic as Mena’s chunkiness, they certainly don’t do her any favors in the slimming-of-the-legs department. Why?

Now that you’ve seen the FAILs and you understand why I have long gone on anti-legging tirades, let’s see what awesomeness you COULD be doing with this cozy, comfy, stretchy pant.

It’ll be a cold day in hell when I feature the Lohans as well-dressed on my blog. Blame google images, but the Lohan sisters (you’d never know Linds, on the right, is the older one) were the first example of good legging usage to pop up. Maybe it has to do with Lindsay’s legging line … anyway, point is that both are totally rocking a legging. High boot + longer top = LEGGING WIN.

How to WIN at the game of leggings:

– buy them thick (if you bend your knee and see skin, it’s not thick enough)

– buy them dark (black, brown, grey, green, navy blue, wine, dark purple)

– buy them ankle-length

– TUCK THEM INTO BOOTS. I cannot emphasize this enough. Ankle boots do not count. Mid-calf boots are questionable (feel free to send me photos, I will pass judgment shamelessly). Calf-high and higher boots are money. Do it.

– You can buy sporty leggings and wear them as nice pants. Secrets: NO crazy colors. NO broad/thick/tall seams. NO visible logos. NO shiny fabric. Dress leggings made of shiny fabric are ok for a night on the town; athletic leggings made of shiny fabric look like athletic leggings made of shiny fabric. If it’s questionable, you know the real answer: don’t buy it.

Recommended brand: lululemon. These Wunder Under tights kept me warm on the slopes after mom’s vintage ’70s ski bib ripped from knee to crotch on only my second run. At $78 a pop, they aren’t cheap, but they totally saved my day AND I only wore them 4/7 days and they still maintained their shape. Comfy, cozy, and really nice on the butt. WIN!