"eeek - legwarmers scare me...I don't think I could ever wear them...!"

--excerpted from a forum comment by 'Erin'

What do you think gals? Leg warmers are old news that should stay in the box of 80's magazines and vcr tapes you have in your basement and never come out again...or a real hot fashion statement that you are dying to dive into? Granted, they are being worn right and left by the younger-set who have the kind of legs that would look good in cardboard-box socks, but what about the over tweny-fives?

You wouldn't hestitate to don the long-socks in a pilates or yoga class, but what about everywhere else?

Are YOU itching to pull on a pair and make a statement?

Leg warmers are basically just long socks for the lower legs and have been required outfitting in dance classes for a number of years.

Generally they are used by dancers during the warm-up parts of class or rehearsal, to maintain the calf and ankle muscles and tendons in a state of warmth until the point where they have been loosened from stretching.

The healthful benefit of wearing leg warmers is in the prevention of muscle and ligament strains which can result from over-exercising cold legs.

Most often they are knitted tube-like socks that slip over the feet up to just under the knee. Warmers that are made to cover the whole foot, including the bottom and heel are have a pad that grips the floor to prevent dancers from slipping.

Everytime I think of laying out a set of 'rules' to follow when wearing warmers, I find the more I consider it the less sense it makes.

Leg warmers really have no rules for wear. I've seen too many great looks created with them by breaking the rules to ever consider pushing  any 'fashion sense' when it comes to mixing and matching them.

Let's face it, if you are taking a small risk in wearing them, they you might as well go all the way and wear them with flair! Don't try to squeeze them into some 'traditional' box of what is wild and what is acceptable...just go for it and make heads turn if you must.

Who ever said women's fashion had to be something you only see in magazines?

"Legwarmers are now mostly seen in the cities — in Paris, New York and Tokyo. Actually in New York, so far, it’s mostly the Japanese girls who are wearing them — and I’ve seen them in Tokyo, which sort of stunned me the first time. And yes, the 80s are definitely back in the US. But 80s style is back in Japan as well —"

--Mary Mockett