There are a lot of fashion leggings in existence right now. What are “fashion leggings,” you ask? They’re leggings that you can wear to the gym, but also to dinner with family, a night on the town with friends and maybe even to a Giambattista Valli show, given the designer’s newfound affinity for Nike.
Yes, leggings, those seemingly innocuous spandex bottoms that have found themselves banned from an Evanston, Illinois middle school and at the center of a United Airlines controversy, have been fully embraced by the fashion set — and not just for purposes of travel. Even Karl Lagerfeld, denouncer of sweatpants, showed kneecap leggings — albeit sequin-embellished ones — at Chanel’s 2016 Metiers d’Art show. Stateside, style soothsayer Kim Kardashian has a new go-to uniform: some form of barely-there top, coordinating leggings (capri or full length; velvet, glitter or matte, depending on her mood) and (again, if it suits her) a longline, strong-shouldered blazer of the four-figure, hard-to-find, vintage variety.
And Giambattista, Karl and Kim aren’t the only ones championing the leggings-as-pants trend. Over the past few seasons, various designers, stylish celebrities and industry insiders have made the case for putting our off-duty leggings to work, welcoming the body-con bottoms into the ever-growing athleisure fold. Generally speaking, the chicest outfits with leggings play with proportion and lean heavily on accessories. (When tight-fitting bottoms are involved, a voluminous or well-structured top is needed to balance things out.) See what we mean in the slideshow above, bench your suffocating high-waist denim, take your leggings to the streets.
[ Next: How to Master a Street Style-Worthy Leggings Look ]
Outfits With Leggings
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Outfits With Leggings #1
Compression leggings suck you in, tighten you up and imply that at some point in the near-to-distant past you actually made it to the gym (you go-getter, you). Per Giambattista Valli’s Fall 2017 runway, pair yours with frilly tops (to counterbalance your slim lower half) and high heels (when one's legs are on full display, it's wise to employ lengthening devices, like three-inch pegs and head-to-toe black).
Image: Imaxtree
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Outfits With Leggings #2
The fashion set has decreed that you must wear a dress over your pants at least once this winter. If you’re afraid your doubled-up ensemble is bordering on frumpy, trade your trousers for leggings. For added interest, reach for stirrup and patterned iterations.
Image: Vanni Bassetti/Getty Images
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Outfits With Leggings #3
Here's another idea: rather than hide the better part of your would-be pants under an ankle-length hem, don a dress with a sky-high slit that would, under non-layered circumstances, defy common decency. The more vibrant your legwear, the better.
Image: Imaxtree
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Outfits With Leggings #4
Leggings are basically tights in pant form and therefore ideal for chillier days when you have your heart set on an A-line mini.
Image: Edward Berthelot/Getty Images
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Outfits With Leggings #5
Jill Stuart's Spring 2017 collection gave off serious ballerina-out-on-the-town vibes. Take a page out of the designer's style book and pair bi-tonal leggings with a cropped, chest-baring wrap top. Add polish in the form of statement heels and a tailored knee-length jacket.
Image: Imaxtree
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Outfits With Leggings #6
Go ahead, be a walking billboard. Logoed bands add a graphic element to leggings and the outfits they underscore. Let yours peek out from beneath plaid flares and a leather(-look) jacket, wear nothing but a similarly branded bralette up top.
Image: @double3xposure
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Outfits With Leggings #7
Jill Stuart, Rosie Assoulin and Alexandre Vauthier called it. As evidenced by the New York Fashion Week Spring 2018 runways, shirts with billowy, Instagram-worthy trains are now en vogue. Needless to say, leggings (and all manner of sleek, form-fitting pants) are the voluminous mash-up's natural allies.
Image: Imaxtree
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Outfits With Leggings #8
With the right accoutrements (statement shades, graphic white booties, an oversized Off-White sweatshirt) and attitude, red leather leggings are more downtown cool, less 90s fashion victim.
Image: Melodie Jeng/Getty Images
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Outfits With Leggings #9
Are you getting sick of the sheer thing yet? Well, too bad, because with insulated leggings (and turtlenecks) no Dior (or in this case, Stella McCartney) devotee need pack her diaphanous dresses away on account of the weather.
Image: Imaxtree
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Outfits With Leggings #10
It's 2017 and gym clothes have never been cooler (see: Outdoor Voices, Tory Sport, Lisa Marie Fernandez). Thus, when choosing a fuller top to complement your curve-hugging leggings, there's no need to stray away from the athleisure space. On more casual days, dress up semi-sheer leggings with a fashion anorak (read: one in a cool color that naturally maintains its structure). Elevate your gym-esque ensemble with decidedly non-gym accessories (i.e. angular sunglasses and a precious designer purse that barely accommodates your essentials, let alone a change of attire).
Image: Team GT/GC Images
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Outfits With Leggings #11
To make outfits with leggings you when you're not wearing them to work out, start with an oversized vintage sweatshirt (or chunky knit), then pick and choose your embellishments: sunglasses, earrings, bracelets, scarves, this season's It bag, etc. Patent (double-C branded) shoes also let the world know you tried.
Image: Alo Ceballos/GC Images
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Outfits With Leggings #12
Bring on the botanicals and be super extra about it. (Although those not walking the runway may prefer to match their leggings to their sheath dress but keep their outerwear/footwear neutral.)
Image: Imaxtree
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Outfits With Leggings #13
Go glamping and pair body-con leggings with a slouchy T-shirt, billowy nylon parka and Teva flatform sandals (or, because it's wintertime, boots). Pro-tip: exposed hardware accents make your lazy-day legwear appear more pant-like.
Image: Imaxtree
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Outfits With Leggings #14
Opposites attract. Business-minded power blazers — the style set's current hero piece — go great with laid-back leggings, providing more minimalist ensembles with a strong, structured silhouette. Use a white top and dove grey capris as a neutral base; ground the look with cap-toe booties.
Image: @manrepeller
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Outfits With Leggings #15
...Or mix boudoir, gym and 9-to-5 wear. One can look surprisingly chic in a lacy bustier top, checked blazer and black leggings if one paints one's lips red.
Image: Kirstin Sinclair/Getty Images
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Outfits With Leggings #16
...Or let your blazer be your top. Accessorize with a thin choker and wide, waist-cinching belt.
Image: Imaxtree
