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Fashion Friday: Leggings

I got a fashion question in the email this week.  YAY for free blog fodder!

Emily says: I have just been sent a fab pair of Sassybax leggings to review and they’re great but I have no idea what to wear them with.  I’m also slightly worried that with my thighs (not to mention slightly cushy new baby belly) I’m not sure I *should* be wearing them.  Any suggestions?  Thanks!

I say: I haven’t quite embraced the legging trend but I do see some ladies my age pulling them off with style.  I would probably start by pairing a shorter sweater dress with them.  Or any cute, casual shorter-length dress — something with room in the tummy and hip area so it doesn’t pull and draw attention to areas we don’t want attention drawn too.  😉  And then use lots of Static Guard to keep it from sticking.

Another idea is to wear a longish sweater or tunic on top.  I think the key with leggings on the post-child bearing body is to make sure the top you wear with them is long enough to cover the tushy area, and then it should have some volume to provide balance.  The long cardigan is fashionable right now, and that would certainly work.

Then ballet flats or tall boots.

I’ve combed the internet with photos for examples but I’m hard pressed to find anything I liked.  This is is close as I got.

legging

I must add, I am not a fan of the short boots with the leggings, but to each her own.

What do YOU say? Let’s here your best suggestions, dear readers.  Do you wear leggings?  What do you wear them with?

And for more fashion talk, head on over to Big Mama‘s place.

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37 Responses

  1. I wear min with either a long t-shirt that has a band around the bottom. (must come to at least mid thighs) or a cute little jumper dress (think school girl uniform). I agree on the short boots. A no no with leggings.

  2. Being 6 foot tall I have a hard time finding things that cover my back side and if I were to wear leggings I would so need to have that area covered!
    So I guess I’m doomed to just capris, jeans and shorts and skirts!
    Hugs!
    Kim

  3. I wear leggins with my shorter dresses. Normally I start with a piece (sweater, dress, etc) then that piece says, “I really should be worn with leggins, after all you will be freezing cold, not to mention inappropriate, without them or just look super heavy if you wore jeans”

    Yes, my clothes talk to me! I’ve learned to listen, they know more than me!

  4. I have embraced leggings! So far I have two things I wear with them. One is a printed tunic. I’m really not trying to spam you but in this post, you can scroll down and see the purple tunic. I’m wearing black tights with it.

    https://www.sabennett.com/wp/?p=5099

    I also have a gray cotton tunic that has some elastic at the hips.

    I usually wear ballet type flats with them or heels. I can’t get into the low boots either although I think some people can pull them off.

    They are GREAT when I am, uhh…not fitting into my jeans.

  5. I must say, I’m in two minds about leggings. If worn with a short dress, sort of in place of panty-hose, I think they look great. I can’t quite do the legging with a shirt (no matter how long).It just brings back memories of the 80s. When I was in primary school/ early high-school I remember lots of the mothers (and girls my age) wearing leggings, with leg warmers or fluorescent socks and an oversized shirt. I’m not going back there.

    1. LOL. Julie, I agree. It’s important when a style resurfaces, to make sure we keep it modern. The look you describe, aaaghh… no thanks.

  6. I think first and foremost make sure that they are leggings and not tights. We do not need to see anything through them!! I like your point Jo-Lynne on the static guard too because you don’t want it to clingy. I like them with shorter sweater dresses and tunics. Very important to cover your tush and in my case my thighs. It’s funny you posted this today because I was just thinking yesterday how I wished I had some leggings. Have no idea where the thought came from, but I was wearing a long, baggy sweatshirt (don’t worry I didn’t leave home, still stranded in the snow) and thought leggings would have been super comfy with them. Not that Clinton and Stacy would have wanted to hear that!!

  7. I am a mommy of 3, I refuse to dress the same way I did when I was 15!! It’s fun that fashion evolves (not fun to mention how my body evolved after childbirth!), but I can still wear those long sweaters with yoga pants, let’s say, and still look stylish.
    At my age, I long for style AND comfort!

  8. Heh. I didn’t like them way back in the day…or stirrups for that matter. I returned some clothes the boy bought me from NY&Co and he told the sales gal to “help me” not look like a mom and the first thing she asked was, “how do you feel about leggings?”

    and i told her the same thing.

    however, the advice you gave is what she told me would go with the leggings and cover the belly and the thighs. but I’m with you. not digging the short boots.

    But we all know how UNfashionable I am.

    The fact that I know leggings are coming back is amazing to me.

  9. I have a pair of maternity legging that I LOVE. So comfy! I wear them with a grey sweater (very, very similar to the vellow one you show) or with a purple sweater dress. I wear either my black Uggs or ballet flats with them. I agree, I can’t get into the short boots. I also can’t get into high heels with leggings – tights, yes but leggings, no.

  10. Well, I have a cheap pair that I picked up at Tar-jay and I’ve worn them with a dress and tall boots. I tried them on last night with a dress that I picked up on clearance yesterda at, where else, Tar-jay. I tried the dress on for my husband and he told me it looked like pajamas! However, it was cute and comfy and my five y.o. told me I looked pretty. 🙂
    Anyways, my long answer is I think a sweater dress or other dress and leggings is a great alternative to yoga pants and a t-shirt! Or jeans and a tee for that matter. However, I don’t think I’ll wear them anywhere too serious. Um, not that I go anywhere too serious. Okay, long enough!

  11. Black, black, black. Did I say black? Go to any cosmetics department in a good department store and you’ll get inspired! Short dresses or tunics (black) with leggings and knee-high boots (black of course.) LOVE it.

    Just really important that the leggings have heft to them or you look like you forgot your pants!!

    1. YES! And can I add, for those of you perusing the comments, that my friend Grace can seriously rock the leggings. 🙂

  12. I recently had several leggings bought for me by my cousin who whenever I see her says ” Let’s dress Barbie” – Barbie being me but keep in mind I am FAR from barbie…5’1″ 🙂 But much more petite than my cousin so she has a fashion frenzy with me. My first comment was “what do I wear with them?” The same things you and your readers are saying…long sweaters, tunics, tshirts – anything that covers the butt! No short boots – long boots or flats. When I did wear a legging outfit I got TONS of compliments – guess I look pretty much the same every day in my jeans and Gap shirts so people took notice!

  13. I am not so sure about wearing knit leggings…but I did grab a pair of Denim Leggings recently. I like that they have all the denim detailing and you do not need such a long top (I am 5′ tall so that would make me look shorter) so I wear them with either a longer T & boyfriend jacket, or a print top & a longer cardigan sweater.
    They’re so much easier than even skinny jeans to tuck into tall boots!

  14. I want to embrace leggings, I think, but only in the right way, say with a layers and lengthy tunics/cardigans. I always say they look cuter on other people, especially those without curvy hips/thighs (aka moi).

  15. Jo-Lynne – where’s the sweater dress you posted from? Now that I know I’m not the only person who struggles with wearing leggings but not looking stupid (and I agree no short boots or high heels) I may have to post some pics when I figure it out!

  16. I’ve worn leggings once… I was 8 months preggo and figured I could pull it off with the “just at the knees” faux wrap maternity dress I was wearing. I wore them with ballet flats & got lots of compliments on the outfit. 🙂 But then again, people might have just been being nice… you don’t often tell a large & in charge preggo lady that she looks bad. Ha! 🙂

  17. Well…if you wore the trend when it first came out, you’re not allowed to wear it again. For those of us with a closet full of leggings and oversized sweaters in the 80’s, now is not the time to relive the past.

  18. I like to wear mine with a mini-skirt (my husband LOVES that look) or long tunic. Also for shoes I am a ballet flat or tall boot kinda girl with leggings…actually that is quite often my foot attire anyway! I don’t have any sweater dresses but have seen several that I would like and would pair with leggings.

  19. For me the lifesaver for this look is the big chunky belt. I agree, being shaped a bit like Tweedledee and a lot like a pear this isn’t a look that I rock very well, but the belt helps add some perceived curves to my body.

  20. It’s been a while since I wore leggings. I used to like wearing them with a tailored mini. We don’t really see a lot of legging wearing here in South Florida.

  21. Tights I can do, leggings not so much. The final straw for me was some seriously frightening examples I saw at a recent hipster fest I attended. Even if worn for irony, they served as warnings rather than models.

    1. Taller boots, definitely. Or ballet flats. If you wear them with taller boots, they look like tights, but they’re warmer and look a little more modern.

  22. That picture is cute (I’m loving yellow lately and have been searching for the perfect yellow peacoat…), but – that lady is so tall and skinny. She looks nothing like the “rest of us.” Or like me anyway. If I tried to pull off that look, it wouldn’t be pretty, I can assure you. 😉

  23. I thought I couldn’t pull off leggings due to my height but a few months ago I finally tried some on. Now I have two outfits with leggings and I love them. They are so comfy and so cute.

    I recently blogged about my sister’s bachelorette party and in the pics I am wearing a shorter knit dress with leggings that I love. https://brennbug.blogspot.com/2010/02/life-made-us-sisters-love-made-us.html Even better is I got the outfit at H & M and only paid $35 for the dress and leggings. Score!

  24. I am a big leggings/tights fan and feel that they can be a timeless piece to any wardrobe, young or old, slim or heavy set-they are every girl’s best friend! As a Designer of (I think) some pretty phenomenal fashion leggings, I would make one addition to your looks, I’d like to see you show that, not only can leggings be worn with tunics, but also with dresses, shorts, mini-skirts and regular length skirts! I feel leggings are timeless because they can be the single piece that adds the “print, the pattern, the color, the sexiness, the rock star/biker look” to an otherwise solid colored outfit. You can also couple them with other prints to create a “tribal, a 50′s, 60′s, 70′s or 80′s look. Leggings can even make an otherwise boring outfit a standout!

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