One of my most vivid clothing memories of my childhood years in the 90's is the stirrup pant. A friend who lived up the street and I wore them nearly every day with t-shirts and colorful hair scrunchies and thought we were the coolest girls since the ones that we adored in the movie Grease. Looking back, the stirrup pant is probably one of the ugliest, most tacky inventions I can imagine and do not know why I felt so fashionable in them.
The legging, a cousin of the stirrup pant, is so much more acceptable for merely lacking the stirrup. Invented forever ago but beginning it's foray as a fashion trend in the 1960's, this mixture of cotton and spandex has become a worldwide fashion phenomenon.
However, the legging is a much thinner alternative to the pant which brings about the dispute of whether leggings should be worn as pants. I have resolutely, for the longest time, stood by the argument that leggings are not pants and should be worn with garments that cover the butt. Leggings, while not as thin as tights, are too flimsy to work as a pant and my mother liked to drill this into me as often as she could. However, arriving at Emerson College and seeing this rule broken with every passing day, I couldn't help but wonder if I was taking this too seriously.
I have fallen into the legging's conniving trap. They are comfortable, match everything, are easy to pull out and put on, and let's face it, they are kind in shaping the leg. I have found myself in the dining hall, walking down Boylston Street, lounging in the sun on the Common wearing a tank top or crop top and a pair of leggings. They have made me break one of my fashion rules, which people who know me well know is a difficult thing to achieve.
And even in their own right they have come a long way. Need a tight, sleek alternative to the leather pant? Pleather leggings. Want something warm so you can wear that mini skirt in the middle of December? Wool leggings. Going to the gym? Spandex leggings.
So leggings, you've got me. You have charmed me into your comfortable spell. I still don't know how you did it, but I surrender.
--Rachael
The legging, a cousin of the stirrup pant, is so much more acceptable for merely lacking the stirrup. Invented forever ago but beginning it's foray as a fashion trend in the 1960's, this mixture of cotton and spandex has become a worldwide fashion phenomenon.
However, the legging is a much thinner alternative to the pant which brings about the dispute of whether leggings should be worn as pants. I have resolutely, for the longest time, stood by the argument that leggings are not pants and should be worn with garments that cover the butt. Leggings, while not as thin as tights, are too flimsy to work as a pant and my mother liked to drill this into me as often as she could. However, arriving at Emerson College and seeing this rule broken with every passing day, I couldn't help but wonder if I was taking this too seriously.
I have fallen into the legging's conniving trap. They are comfortable, match everything, are easy to pull out and put on, and let's face it, they are kind in shaping the leg. I have found myself in the dining hall, walking down Boylston Street, lounging in the sun on the Common wearing a tank top or crop top and a pair of leggings. They have made me break one of my fashion rules, which people who know me well know is a difficult thing to achieve.
And even in their own right they have come a long way. Need a tight, sleek alternative to the leather pant? Pleather leggings. Want something warm so you can wear that mini skirt in the middle of December? Wool leggings. Going to the gym? Spandex leggings.
So leggings, you've got me. You have charmed me into your comfortable spell. I still don't know how you did it, but I surrender.
--Rachael
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