James Perse leggings (size 2) | 5 or more years old
Everlane linen shirt
Rag & Bone sweater (small)
Vince Warren sneakers
What are your criteria for wearing leggings?
Do you wear leggings?
I, of course, do not consider leggings pants, so one must always “cover thy ass” when wearing them, and that is really my only requirement. I’m VERY PICKY about my leggings also, and have pretty much lived only in James Perse leggings for a decade. I always have to get them hemmed, but they are my favorite leggings of all time: they’re nearly 100% opaque, the waistband hits just below my belly button and lays flat, they never ride up, and they STAY BLACK. Well worth the money, IMO, but then again, everything James Perse is…
I don’t always like the look of leggings though, and often just wish for a pair of slim black pants with a slightly less tapered leg. My Elizabeth Suzann cecilia pants were those “slim black pants” for a while, but they never really fit the way I wanted them to, so I passed them on. I’ve tried other brands’ scuba or thick black pants-that-look-like-leggings and they never work out for me either. Even James Perse thicker leggings didn’t work for me.
I did try on the Eileen Fisher organic cotton leggings and the small fit, but they were not as opaque as I like. The medium was too big. I like compression in my leggings, but I don’t like to wear leggings I’d wear for Pure Barre with an “outfit” like this, if that makes sense. Anyway, they are usually to shiny for me to want to wear outside of class.
Haha. I guess I have quite a few more requirements for leggings than I thought.
After my last trip though, I decided that I cannot wear pants/jeans that are wide on the plane; my legs FREEZE (I wore my EF wide leg jeans). So I’d like to have some outfits I can wear with leggings that work for airplane travel, which is why I’m wearing them today, and thinking about them more.
I love the look of dresses over leggings, but then when I have to layer a sweater or cardigan on top, it can get quite overwhelming.
How do you wear leggings? what are your favorite leggings? slim black pants? any other ladies out there with well endowed calves and short inseams want to share their go-to slim black pants??
I agree that leggings are really hard. And aren’t they supposed to be an “easy” item of clothing? I have several pair of brushed poly leggings, but only wear them around the house or to bed (and not that often because the brushed poly doesn’t breathe, gets hot easily in St. Louis warm weather, and I find it can be a bit uncomfortable). I don’t like them much on their own because they aren’t compressive enough to hold their own and I often feel a little sloppy in them because they are also too long, so there’s bunching at the ankles. With a chambray top to chase my kids around the house? Sure. To bed? Sure. In public? Less often, especially if they have a print. As pants? Negative.
I had a pair of black ponte maternity pants (secondhand) from Gap that I LOVED and wore out. I am thinking very seriously of getting a pair of Brass ponte pants, but really wish they came in a shorter length. I feel like everything I own needs to be hemmed right now…
On my last international flight I wore Pact leggings, ES artist smock with a cami underneath, sweater layered over, and Allbird wool sneakers. I had never worn leggings on a flight and was happy and comfortable. Usually I reserve leggings for yoga and lounging.
tell me more about the pact leggings…how is the waistband? opacity?
i don’t have a lot of dresses that look good with leggings – they’re usually too long.
I know you’re not into “conventional” or specifically seeking out flattering proportions (accd. to whoever it is that makes those rules!) but this is really super flattering on you! Your legs look very slim in those leggings. I can’t believe you’ve had those for 5 yrs! A testament to quality.
I won’t wear leggings in public anymore – I’ve gained so much weight. But around the house, they’re my go-to with a long sweater or tee and long cardi. I’m into COMFORT. I loved my old (at least 4 yrs) J Crew leggings until recently, when suddenly the ankles are stretched out. I’m not sure how or when that happened.
Waistband is good. I have the cropped ones. It looks like the rise is higher on the regular length ones but I always fear they will be too long! Opacity is fine for what I need. My guess is they are probably not quite as opaque or compressive as the JP leggings.
The only dress I have that I would consider wearing with leggings is my short ES Marlena.
haha, well, i don’t MIND so much when i end up with a flattering outfit 🙂 thank you!
i don’t wear leggings at home much, unless it’s very cold and i wear a cardigan with pockets in it. MUST HAVE POCKETS at home.
The James Perse sweatshirt dress is amazing with leggings.
I have a pair of City Lights leggings that I honestly have had for about 6 years. They are opaque and have remained black thoughout the years. Others have come and gone, but these have remained in my closet. I wear them with tunics, sweater dresses and some of my EF shift dresses in the winter. They are an A+++
oh, yes. i might have to try that again. when i’ve had the sweatshirt dress before, i didn’t like how it tapered in at the knees on me, and really stretched out around my hips/butt. i’m a little smaller and more toned now, i might like it better 🙂
Leggings (from Costco 😉 are lounge wear around the house in cool months. But a slim black pant is my favorite work & travel item of clothing ever. I tend to reach for that instead of jeans, so…..For travel, usually Eileen Fisher ponte for cooler travel and the crepe (slim leg – but I have “L” so it’s fitting more like a legging now…dang winey winter went straight to my thighs) for warmer months. Look nice, travel well, dry pretty quickly if I have to wash in the sink 😉 For work, I do tend to do more cotton or cotton blends, slim with an ankle length (though on me, some “ankle” is full length and I’ll hem) Because of my 2017-18 weight gain, I have nothing totally cute or shareable on a style blog, alas…..
I love leggings more than I could possibly say! I really lucked out when Ava & Viv (Target’s plus size line) released their black leggings because they have been AMAZING. Unfortunately, since I’ve started losing weight, they’ve gotten baggy. So I’m going to need new ones. But they are less than $20, so I can’t complain too much. I also recently branched out to patterned leggings, and I got some amazingly soft and opaque ones on Amazon. I also got some from Torrid, but those have faded really quickly. I too believe in covering my ass when I wear them, but I have plenty of tops and tunics that do that. I rarely wear them with dresses because I feel like I’m too layered, and it makes my legs look short and weird.
I’m going to check those out. They don’t sound like they’re made for teenagers!
Hi Grechen! Long time reader, first time commenter.
These are both Canadian brands, but I really like the leggings from Miik – https://www.miik.ca/collections/bottoms/products/lisa-2-legging – I’ve had them for years, and they wear really well. I wouldn’t wear them alone as pants, but they’re great with longer sweaters and tops. For a thicker slim pant, I like Tyler Madsion – https://ilovetylermadison.com. Again – they’ve worn really well. Mine are so old that I don’t think they even make the same style any more, but they haven’t faded, stretched or pilled.
Hope you find your perfect pair!
Love this outfit and I’m so envious of that cardi, everything about it from the color to the pattern but the price was a bit too much for me right now. I agree that these leggings are very flattering on you. I’m intrigued by these leggings and will check them out. Assuming I’ll have to hem, JP bottoms always are so long. I wear leggings quite a bit but not as pants for non-workout. I wear leggings under dresses. Sometimes I’ll wear it under a tunic but it would be a tunic that is almost as long as a dress that has a feature (like side slits) that requires an underpinning. So, it is generally a layer for warmth or to provide more coverage (I wear lots of linen which is sheer or to provide a clean lined monotone proportion or cover my knees). I did recently purchase the EF skirted leggings so I may wear that with something shorter than a dress or long tunic (like an oversized sweater with the skirt peeking out).
I have three other pairs and that’s it. My main legging is the EF (the regular, not the skirted). I’ve bought many leggings over the years that were much cheaper and they pilled to high heaven, stretched or got threadbare quickly. I’ve worn the EF many times, had it for years and it still looks good. It is not as opaque by the bum but that’s fine as I wear mine under dresses. I also have the faux leather Spanx, which is great when I want to look a bit edgier but it is heavy compression. I am more comfortable with less compression in a work or eating dinner situation (otherwise I feel like I’m always fussing/adjusting). The third is an IBEX merino wool, primarily for traveling to colder climates. I do have a 4th that I’m not counting as I don’t wear those out (Lularoe, I wear it at home if I’m cold at night).
I have done a ponte pant in the past and have a few pairs that I love but that are too small for me right now so both are packed away. One by NYDJ and another by JCrew. Those were worn more as pants (with a longer top).
For workout I prefer high waisted styles and I wear Beyond Yoga, Lululemon or Alo Yoga. I generally won’t wear these for non-workout (or Saturday errands) but occasionally if I have a busy day at work and need to rush to my pilates afterwards, I will throw the Alo under a dress with a wool smartwool spaghetti strap top (looks like a workout top but is actually an underpinning, purchased from REI). I can literally just take off the dress at pilates without having to change.
This was long, can you tell I love leggings?
Followed your miik link and these look fantastic. I love the adjustable waistband.
Thank you!
I have the Stellar Tight and the Highline Cargo Tight from Athleta as my first foray in to this whole athleisure trend. Prefer the ankle on the Stellar Tights – it deludes me into thinking that it’s actually pants, not leggings. However, I do wear them with the silk tank from EF (the longer one that covers the crotch) and also the silk CYA tank from athleta (also longer, covers the crotch and any VPL). Both atletha tights are opaque, and gives me a little compression, but still comfortable for me to wear all day – especially during cross-country flights. It’s pretty much my travel uniform.
I’m not much of a leggings person. I only have two pairs. One is fleece lined for warmth under pants ($5 pair from Nordstrom Rack) and one is for exercising (Girlfriend Collective). Sometimes I’ll run errands after/before exercising and wear the GC leggings out, but I do still make sure my butt is covered even though they are completely opaque workout leggings meant to be worn out. I think I feel too self conscious wearing them in general, but I am ok to run around the neighborhood with them. Go figure. Maybe I associate them too much with “working out” to feel overly comfortable wearing them in general.
I think I’m more of a slim black pant person, but even the slim black pants I have aren’t really what I like to wear anymore.
My absolute favorite leggings are these — https://www.riteaid.com/shop/no-nonsense-leggings-cotton-medium-black-1-pair-0367216. I’m 5’5″ and about 134 lbs — I wear the medium. I wear them all the time under dresses–also just around the house. So much more comfortable than jeans! I even sleep in them. I have a tendency to throw them in the dryer but to keep them from fading and to prevent shrinkage it’s better not to.
My favorite legging/slim knit pant are the heavy ponte ones from EF. I have four pairs and all are many years old. I toss them in the washer and dryer and they are still the blackest black and no pills. My only beef with them is that the rise it too low. I fixed this by undoing the stitching that holds the waistband folds (two foldovers). This adds over 2 inches in rise. There is naked elastic at the top, but I don’t tuck in tops, so no one knows but me!!
Lysse leggings are the best legging for wearing out of the house! They will need to be hemmed, but Nordstrom does it for free if you buy during anniversary sale or if you pay full price. I have and love their ponte leggings and denim leggings.
I’m in the same boat. Somethings gotta’ give (and it’s going to be me).
I bought these leggings last January and have probably worn them 200 times since then!
M. Rena High Waist Ankle Tummy Tuck Leggings in Black One Size https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DWW32KW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_pSXSAb2WFFMPT
I love the waistband on these! It’s not constricting or pinchy and I like the higher rise. They’re a bit long and I’ve been looking at some of the other styles, cropped, etc, but the extra length doesn’t really bother me. Opacity is good! My younger sister told me they’re ok to wear solo with regular shirts but I’m not comfortable with that (but opacity seems good – we were in a bright dressing room at the time she said that!)
My rule with leggings is that I will only wear them with tops that are at least close to knee length! (I’m 31, but super modest dresser.) And I wear them under dresses of all lengths pretty much year round. I work in an office that’s always freezing so even in the summer I need the layers. I also am Very lazy when it comes to shaving/waxing and get covered in bug bites after being outside with bare legs for more than 2 seconds in the summer, so I’m a covered all the time kind of gal.
Seconding the Stellar tights! They’re not very shiny and made from a heavier knit that feels more pant like than leggings. Very comfortable. I wear mine all the time, especially for travel. They were expensive and full price but I think they were worth it!
I’ll chime in too regarding the PACT leggings (if you don’t mind!). I loved the fit and the comfortable waistband, though they are long on my 5’4″ frame and I don’t love wearing clothes with logos. My biggest issue is that they are SO sheer. Sadly, I’ll probably never leave the house in them.