Leggings Are Not Pants: Minute 16
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By definition, trends are fleeting. They're ephemeral. And every day we see our fair share of looks we'd like to remove from our sartorial lexicon. So join us, each week, as we analyze a trend that's had its 15 minutes of fame. These looks are well into their Minute 16, folks. It's time to usher them toward stage left.
The Trend: Leggings are awesome for children who need optimal leg movement to run around playgrounds and soccer pitches. But -- as adults -- pairing these super spandex pants with a T-shirt as part of your daily wardrobe is wholly unacceptable. We've all seen it, everyone has commented on it, yet the look is still appearing on our streets on a daily basis.
Chief Offenders: We've seen this look on a lot of celebrities, but that doesn't make it okay. And many of our chief offenders aren't exactly sartorially bright lights: Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Lindsay Lohan.
What's Wrong With The Trend: Whether paired with a T-shirt or a long dress/hoodie, leggings worn as pants won't offer the kind of coverage (who wants to expose their lady bits!?) smart, successful, savvy women need. The look is also relatively unflattering -- the pants offer no support or structure. We understand people who wear this look are trying to be "casual," but there are other more appropriate ways (sans exposing your butt) to dress in a relaxed manner.
May We Suggest: If you are dead set on wearing skin-tight, spandex-filled pants, opt for the jegging. The pants have pockets and a lot of stretch, but are more jean than legging (there's a zipper, a button and the material they're made of is usually a wee bit thicker than underwear). They also look great when paired with an oversized tee and boots.
Look at these celebs who violated one of our fashion don'ts by wearing leggings as pants. Let us know on Twitter if you think this trend deserves to stay or go.
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The Huffington Post Canada Meredith Gillies First Posted: 01/11/12 01:48 PM ET Updated: 01/11/12 02:59 PM ET