Leggings
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Leggings are any of several sorts of fitted clothing to cover the legs. Originally leggings were two separate garments, one for each leg.

In contemporary usage, leggings refers to tight, form-fitting trousers that extend from the waist to the ankles; in the United States, they are sometimes referred to as tights (although the word tights is often used to refer to opaque pantyhose). Modern leggings are typically made from a blend of lycra, and either nylon, cotton, or a cotton-polyester blend. However, leggings can also be made from wool, silk, and various synthetic fabrics as well.

Leggings made from a nylon-lycra blend (usually 90% nylon, 10% lycra) are traditionally worn for exercise, although beginning in the 1980s they have also been worn for fashion. Nylon lycra leggings are often referred to as bicycle or running tights, and are shinier in appearance than those made from cotton. Many have racing stripes or reflective patterns to further distinguish them as athletic wear and provide extra safety.

Leggings made from cotton-lycra, or a cotton-polyester-lycra combination, are more typically worn for fashion, but are also common as fitness apparel as well. Although cotton lycra leggings can come in many colors, black, navy, and various shades of gray remain the most commonly worn. Leggings may also come in a variety of colorful prints and designs.

Leggings are typically ankle-length; they are occasionally stirrupped, or less commonly, footed. Since socks are normally worn over the top of leggings, rather than underneath, stirrups prevent the leggings from becoming untucked from the sock.

Because of their comfort and attractive appearance, leggings quickly found their way out of the fitness clubs and into everyday casualwear.

Wearing black leggings under long, often diaphanous, skirts was part of a general fashion trend of wearing gym or dance clothes as street wear that evolved along with the fitness craze and under the influence of the movie Flashdance and the long-running Broadway show A Chorus Line. A more recent trend pairs black leggings with short skirts.

By the mid-1990s, leggings were actually outselling jeans in many parts of the United States. Men have also begun to wear leggings more frequently in recent years as long underwear, and for more casual physical activities such as walking, hiking, or gardening, replacing the old standby, sweatpants.

In 2004 leggings began to make a “comeback” into the world of high fashion by paring capri-length leggings with skirts with this resurgence continuing into 2005.