Okay, so the Fug Girls have a serious hate on for leggings and by my revealing this to you, it is quite possible that they will never and I mean never EVER loan me Intern George. Friends, there are few things worth a life completely devoid of Intern George, but that is just the risk I am willing to take. Black leggings, when worn with the right outfit and an appropriately high heel can make your curvy calves look great! The I’ve found are the Avenue’s Seamless Long Line Shaper. There’s a lot of stretch so it doesn’t feel like a sausage casing and the waist is high enough to smooth any lumps without rolling down.
They should not be worn with big frumpity sweaters, or wide belts or anything else that smacks of the 1980’s. Do not let the marketing people fool you, the 80’s were bad. I was there. It was all cocaine and acid washed jeans and getting it on in the bathroom with some bepermed dude from East Germany in a Members Only jacket while Depeche Mode performed their 17-minute live extended version of Personal Jesus. IT HAPPENED, MAN. I mean, not to me –I was 9 years old– but still.
Today Plumcake is wearing her leggings with a black cami under a floaty embroidered kurta tunic and her vertigenous kitschy/glammy Oh Deer! slingbacks.
Leggings are like a loaded gun: if you don’t use them properly, you’ll end up hurting someone, but when used effectively (and by this I mean at a target, not at a Target) it’s all chocolate and rainbows and magical stress-relief unicorns, at least that’s how it is in Texas.
Sorry, I’m with the Fug girls on this. No leggings.
Comment by Wry Exchange — August 15, 2007 @ 11:48 am
I third the Fug Girls and Wry. Leggings are a no-no, unless you’re at dance class.
Comment by Natalie — August 15, 2007 @ 1:41 pm
Well, I still love my leggings — but I wouldn’t wear them out of the house. I wore the big-shirt-and-leggings uniform when it was inexplicably in fashion, but I must fourth the Fug Girls, Wry and Natalie on this. Let’s leave that look dead and buried.
Comment by Bridey — August 15, 2007 @ 2:34 pm
Leggings are a slippery slope, but so cute when done right. Your outfit sounds pretty rockstar, and I approve. Maybe I’ve looked at the Vice Do’s and Don’ts too much and have some kind of brain rot. The thing is, if you go recommending leggings, people will take that and run with it to the ones that make the baby Jesus cry at night:
http://store.americanapparel.net/rsac306.html
And from there, the next stop is here, which is the sort of fashion crime that goes to trial at the Hague: http://store.americanapparel.net/rsadh319.html#i
Comment by sara — August 15, 2007 @ 2:45 pm
Depends on yer legs, don’t it?
Comment by pbird — August 15, 2007 @ 8:06 pm
Leggings are so incredibly unflattering and imbalancing to pretty much any & every figure.
Comment by Miss Laura Mars — August 16, 2007 @ 12:31 am
Leggings, when worn to advantage (as the undoubtedly gorgeous Plumcake demonstrates) and with pride, can be striking and beautiful. And leggings are absolutely indispensable for those of us big girls who are subject to severe chub rub and still want to wear a skirt or dress from time to time – 3/4-length leggings (I wear my skirts long, so those are perfect and invisible) have opened up the big wide world of dresses for me again after decades of “pants only”. And they’re perfect for bellydancing and gym classes. Since they will undoubtedly go out of fashion again, I’m stocking up vast amounts in all colours! If you don’t like yours, do send them over ;-))!
Incidentally: leggings look a lot better than jeans or other pants when worn under skirts and dresses. Now THAT is a yucky fashion fad!
Comment by dinazad — August 16, 2007 @ 2:49 am
Hey dinazad, where are you finding the colored leggings? I only find black.
Comment by Amoly10 — August 16, 2007 @ 10:31 am
Noooooooo…leggings should be considered like UNDERWEAR…they may serve a vital function/be comfortable but they should NEVER BE SEEN*. *Of course, never be seen in public. You can wear them at/to any event where it would be acceptable to wear underwear, ie, vacuuming your living room, ladies’ yoga…
PS, Plumcake, it’s the 1st time I’ve ever disagreed with you even slightly…
Comment by thepinkeminence — August 16, 2007 @ 10:34 am
The Annalucia wears the leggings while belly dancing – but she puts the long filmy skirt on top, and the jingly hip-scarf over all. She carries her extra weight high on the body (that is, in the midriff and the abdomen) and the effect of the undisguised legging is ghastly – “sausage on a stick,” in the words of Mr. P.J. O’Rourke. For those ladies blessed with discernible waistlines, perhaps this will not be a problem.
And dinazad says: “Incidentally: leggings look a lot better than jeans or other pants when worn under skirts and dresses. Now THAT is a yucky fashion fad!”
Ayyy! indeed. Where does this occur? The Annalucia must count herself fortunate that she has never laid eyes on any such abomination.
Comment by Annalucia — August 16, 2007 @ 2:00 pm
I’m in the minority, but I’ll back you up on this one. I’ve always loved leggings and have decided not to be ashamed. They’re fun in warm weather under dresses or any instance where you’d wear tights in winter. Shorter leggings (like bike shorts or even knee-length) actually make it possible for us big girls to wear skirts without painful chafing.
I’m old enough to remember the ’80s (just wasn’t cool enough for cocaine or Depeche Mode concerts). And yeah, I committed some crimes against fashion. But I’m older and wiser now and will keep responsibly rocking the legging love.
Secret tip to keep bike shorts from riding up under a skirt: Wear them inside out.
Comment by B.S.A.G. — August 16, 2007 @ 10:49 pm
Amoly10 – I’ve seen leggings in red, white, grey/black striped and chocolate brown here in Zurich, Switzerland* – and that, dear Annalucia, is where the teenagers with brown bell-bottom cord pants under kneelength blue skirts offended dinazad’s eye only just yesterday. Variations of this apparel which are a tiny bit less chafing to the eye unfortunately abond here. Hopefully, this will pass – speedily!
*H&M had leggings in stripes and plum, C&A hast the most magnificent ones in black and brown….. “Chicorée” has various colors, but I honestly don’t know whether this shop is seen outside of Europe!
Comment by dinazad — August 17, 2007 @ 2:21 am
I most def agree with you on leggings, but then I’ve never had what one might call a “conventional” or even “classic” fashion sense.
I also take it one further; I think that leggings in a variety of colours look great under dresses with boots in winter, too add an unexpected punch of colour. they are slightly thicker than tights, and so serve the function of warmth and, as a bonus, tend not to precariously hover over ones butt crack as the day progresses, the way some (poorly made) tights are want to do.
That said, I can never get behind–or in front of– leggings-as-pants. and I mean that literally– if you are sporting-leggings as pants, I’m crossing the street, as I’d rather not be confronted with the outline of your girl parts.
Comment by stitchtowhere — August 17, 2007 @ 8:18 am
Hola to the Annalucia! I regret to say that the dress or skirt over jeans/trousers may be seen on the streets of Philadelphia; the first few times I saw it, I thought the wearers were young waitresses half-in, half-out of uniform (the after-school) look. It took some time for me to realize it was a “look” – or a “look away,” if you will.
Because no one has enough bulk around her midsection, now, does she?
Comment by La BellaDonna — August 17, 2007 @ 11:23 am
I gotta agree with the majority – no leggings outside of gym time. They’re my favorite thing to wear to Curves but I would never wear them to work.
I just think they are so unflattering on 95% of women. Same with skinny jeans.
Comment by Sara — August 17, 2007 @ 11:30 am
dinazad – thanks I will try H&M since I have on in the area. I bought a trapeze dress that is a little on the short-side for me; so I thought leggings might make it more appropriate without adding bulk.
Comment by Amoly10 — August 17, 2007 @ 11:31 am
“Do not let the marketing people fool you, the 80’s were bad. I was there. It was all cocaine and acid washed jeans and getting it on in the bathroom with some bepermed dude from East Germany in a Members Only jacket while Depeche Mode performed their 17-minute live extended version of Personal Jesus.”
Heh! Brilliant! I am swiping this description for my class on 80s pop culture. I was there, too–clad in leggings, The Limited Extreme V-neck sweaters (remember those?), and cowboy boots. I prefer to romanticize those times but now with powerful and pithy images like that “bepermed dude from East Germany in a Members Only jacket,” how can I? And, the kids, they need to know the truth. =)
Comment by Dr.Medusa — August 19, 2007 @ 8:35 am
I’m with thepinkeminence and dinazad. Leggings are underwear! I do have a few pairs and they are worn strictly under skirts. They have to be a specific length – too long and they show. Too short and they ride up. I like mine just above the knee. If I am wearing a short skirt, I will do without for a day, but need to wear pants the next couple of days to heal.
I’m completely with the Fug Girls. DOWN WITH LEGGINGS!
Comment by Synnamin — August 19, 2007 @ 5:18 pm