Leggings are articles of clothing covering the legs. They are comfortably tight and they hug the thighs and legs perfectly. They are used for various reasons, one of which is to give people warmth during cold season. The cowboys also utilized leggings made of buckskin to protect them from insect and animal bites. The military likewise use them to keep away sand and dirt from their shoes and to protect their lower legs as well.
As time passes, the materials used for leggings have evolved. Some forms of early leggings, such as the hoses men wore during the Middle Ages is made of cloth while trews (clothes men wore during around the same time as the hoses) are made from leather. In the modern times, the materials used for common leggings range from cotton, spandex, polyester and nylon to denims and lace.
They display a wide variety of designs for different preferences. There are those which has one solid color – black being the most popular – while there are those which has multiple hues. Patterns range from stripes, polka dots, and checkered to abstract and tie-dye types. Likewise, different accessories are being used as ornaments for leggings. Some have buttons and zippers, while some are adorned with beads and lace. There are partially and fully-sequined ones, too.
Due to this broad variation of legging designs, you could come up with different looks using them. They are often sported under other types of clothes such as big shirts and skirts, and long clothes such as tunics. However, they could be revealingly worn, too, especially if you have shapely waist and hip area. You could always try to mix and match a pair of leggings with the rest of your wardrobe to see which pieces fit in together.
The staples for leggings are tunics and mini-skirts. But you could always give a twist to your wardrobe. Since leggings are often referred to as “casual”, you could take this category to a more chic level. For the most simplistic style, you could plainly match a pair of leggings (no matter what the color or design pattern is) with an oversized white shirt. What would really define this kind of look is the kind of shoes you would wear. Slip into a pair of sneakers for a punk casual look or high heels to be more girly. Trying to have that outdoor-type look? You could experiment with a pair of leggings, a shirt, a vest or a poncho, and a pair of boots. You might just be the next hot cowgirl in the block.
Even though they fall under the “casual” category, leggings could be worn to semi-formal events as well. But here you have to be cautious of the color and design of your choice. Solid colors – especially black – would be the best bet because it could be paired with any dress you might want to wear. Because the main clothes might seem to be too simple, the finishing touches are really critical. You could augment your formal look by wearing gold accents on jewelries and bags, and even on your stilettos.
