Leggings: A Thing of the Past? or The Wave of the Future?
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The Past
It seems like only yesterday that I was picking out my two favorite pairs of slouch socks, and over-sized sweater to complement my leggings with stirrups (of course!). Then my mom would spend several minutes with a comb, and tons of hairspray to get me those really great poofed up bangs.
While I can't say that I really miss the socks or the hairstyles, I really missed my leggings when they were gone. For those of you who remember wearing leggings back in the day, you may or may not share my enthusiasm for leggings of many lengths and colors. Lucky for me, they are back in fashion. Now in my 20's I can share my enthusiasm with the younger demographic.
The History of Leggings
Both men and women having been wearing various types of leggings for centuries. The Renaissance carried some lovely legging fashions, as did the buckskin leggings of the Native Americans and Colonial Americans.
In colder areas men still wear them to keep them warm as an additional layer of clothing. Although the version was a little different, they wore leggings in the military too. They found that the leggings would keep dirt and grime out of their shoes and provide ankle support all at the same time!
Leggings became a part of fashion in the 1960's when they were worn like capri pants, but much tighter. It was not until the fitness craze in the early 1980's that wearing your gym clothes became fashionable.
Why Wear Leggings?
- They are so comfortable
- They are very versatile, they can be dressed up or dressed down
- You can buy them in a variety of lengths and colors
- They offer your legs some shielding from the cold when you wear your favorite sun dress
- They are really cute
- They are very inexpensive
Here's Where You Can Buy Them From
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Comments
sienna miller is my girl!
good hub. I loved that look and I'm glad it's making a comeback. Have to go with Robin on the stirrups though - they were uncomfortable in shoes.
You missed the best reason to wear leggings. They make your legs and tummy look thinner because they press in all the jiggly bits.
Leggings are perfect casual wear for women AND men. Having worn leggings for years, I'm aware of people's comments both negative and very positive. If more people, women and men, wear leggings then it will just be another apparel choice. At one time denim jeans were worn only by miners digging for gold. Now they are everywhere and people don’t ask if the jeans wearer has struck gold.When someone decides to wear leggings, I advise them to choose a well made pair - not with cotton fibers that bag out over time but high tech fibers with at least 10% Lycra content, that retain their shape. Go for the comfort and support. Leggings that go to the ankle look better than capri style that chop the leg. Plus the full length leggings support you from your ankle to your waist and give you an energetic lift. Check out www.UnJeans.com LIVE, LAUGH & ENJOY!I describe UnJeans as the "clothes of the future" for both men and women. My prediction for the future, with the development of wearable electronics and "smart" clothing, the need for form-fitting clothing will be necessary because the predicted power source to run these wearable electronics will be one's own body heat. This isn't that far in the future. A German multi-national company, Infineon, is working on what they call a "Thermogenerator" to do just that - generate an electrical current from a device powered by human body heat.
Great hub! I like leggings too! They are cool!
Since I am a slave to fashion and covered entertainment in LA I have to say this article is great. Love all the celeb pics and the informational links where to find leggings.
i love the look of legging the make you look soo super slimmimg and sexy. But i love the 80's look i think all the kids now wear what we wore in the 80's
Robin says:
3 years ago
I love the look of leggings. However, the stirrups just don't work for me anymore. I think they should be left to the 80s party. Great hub!