leggings: if and how

[anotheranon]

I've been observing an overlap of trends of late.

1) straight or wide trousers with shrunken tops. My first and most dramatic awareness of this was the sports bra/phat jean combo from my raving days, but this seems to have been the mainstream proportion (with dropped waist) since the late '90s/early '00s.

2) retro 80's look of big on top, small on the bottom - tunic tops, "boyfriend" jackets, or body-skimming dresses over skinny jeans or [cringe] leggings. The tops got longer as the waistline got lower and I gather the narrow jean has been gaining on bootlegs since around '06 or so, but didn't notice genuinely tapered pants until last fall.

There's some crossover - I'm seeing a lot of tunics worn under shorter jackets, for example, or fluttery cardigans over loose pants - but by and large the tops that look good with one trend aren't so hot with the other. Last time I shopped it was starting to look like fluttery tops/slim bottoms were winning out though, so I might be having to make some wardrobe changes - not necessarily to keep in style but in order to replace what gets worn out.

My standard work uniform is wide legged trousers with slim, short blazers and usually a tee underneath (because it's hard to find button-downs that fit; but that's another post). Last fall I got a pair of skinny jeans after seeing them all over Italy and liking anything I can wear with my knee-high boots, but I'm not sold on leggings yet.

Part of it is memories of 80's legging abuse, and part of it is the dearth of tunic tops/dresses to wear over them 'cos that's how they're being worn now - I like the drapey-without-sloppy look but again, it's hard to find tops that fit my bustline.

There's also my feeling that capri-leggings have something indefinably.... girly? Playful? Otherwise "not me"-ish about them, something that reminds me of the horrible legging/baby doll dress combo from high school that was out of character for me then and wildly unprofessional now.

But skinny black jeans? I might get a pair of those. 'Cos with a tiny jacket and the right boots they're (corporate) badass.

Comments

[geekchick]

I swore I wasn't going to do the leggings-under-dress thing again (did that in the 80s, thanks), and then I bought a cute dress from Forever 21 which really needs tights or leggings if I'm going to wear it during the day, so I gave in.

[glitter-femme.livejournal.com]

I thoroughly, enthusiastically approve of the idea of you in skinny black jeans and the right boots. Just sayin'

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

That's probably a good look for you - you have the personality to carry it off!

I actually rather like the body-skimming sheath over leggings look - I think it's more my personality than a "cute dress". However, I despair of finding one that fits me correctly, and I'm not sure I want to use valuable sewing time on modern garments (at least, not right now). So, hmm...

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[semmie17.livejournal.com]

In the late 80's, and when I was still skinny, I proudly bought a leggings-and-babydoll-dress outfit, complete with Victorian boots. I thought I looked great in it, but when I went to meet my grandfather he looked me up and down and said, "Are you pregnant?"

. . .
H-U-M-I-L-I-A-T-I-O-N.
. . .

And to this day, whenever I see babydoll tops, I wonder if gals realize they're wearing maternity blouses?

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

The babydoll or empire waist is very difficult to wear without it looking like maternity clothes. It is possible, if the fabric is VERY drapey, but you don't see it often.

You SO don't strike me as the baby doll dress/Courtney Love "kinderwhore" type!