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Every season some fashion trend collecting dust in our parents' closets emerges once again as the height of fashion. Even when a piece of clothing we own goes out of fashion some of us cling to it and wait for the day it will come back into style.
With that, fashion has brought us a new twist for this season to spice things up: LEGGINGS!
According to an Encarta entry entitled "Clothing," in 1991, a 5,000-year-old frozen male body was discovered at the top of a glacier near the Austrian-Italian border, leading to beliefs that leggings were worn in Europe. "[The body] was clothed in a fur cap, a crudely tanned leather cape, a loincloth (strip of cloth wrapped around the waist and between the legs), leggings, and leather shoes...these clothes would have provided protection against the cold and rain," stated the article.
Not only were leggings worn by Europeans, but they were also worn by Native Americans; according to Wikipedia's Leggings, "separate leggings of buckskin leather were worn by some Native Americans. These buckskins were adopted by some Colonial Americans and later by mountain men."
Modern leggings were originally worn for fitness, primarily aerobics, but started to be worn for fashion in the 1980s.
Some of you may be picturing the scene from the 1980s movie Flashdance in which Jennifer Beals' character, Alex Owens, dances around in her blue leggings. This scene was a part of the 80s fashion craze where leg
gings appeared in dance clubs across the country.
Flashdance your way twenty years later and you'll see that those leggings that worked for both day and night are back. But this time they seem to be getting mixed reactions, some loving them and others…well, not so much!
One place where they seem to have made a huge splash is- where else- Hollywood. With models and celebrities sporting them under dresses and skirts, they have even made the covers of magazines such as the October issue of Teen Vogue with Rachel Bilson (The OC, The Last Kiss) sporting Omo Norma Kamali leggings.
These spandex pants were also named one of the "Key Back-to-School Fashion Pieces" in YM Magazine's "September Fashion News" article by Andrea Pyros.
So are leggings as fashionable as Hollywood thinks they are for the average "material girl"? Well, after consulting the Queens College Fashion Club (ITAA) it seems as though leggings can either be a "do" or a "don't." ITAA vice president, Leah Kanter, a senior, stated, "I don't like them as an everyday outfit, but with a long sweater and big belt it looks good," and PR representative Gabriella Goldwyn, also a senior, declared, "I love leggings! I wear them everyday; I'm really fond of them because they're comfortable."
The difference of opinions was also made clear when president of the ITAA, Samantha Diller said, "I like them with a longer skirt or a dress, then they work," and Fashion Club advisor, Dr. Elizabeth Lowe, stated, "I'm not fond of them at all since there is such a contrast with putting these little skirts over these straight pants...it kind of looks like lingerie."
But the comment that seemed to settle with most of the other members of the ITAA was when member Jessica DeJoseph stated, "I think some people should be in them and certain [others] shouldn't."
So with the fashion experts' consensus of leggings being both a "do" and a "don't," the next opinion needed was from the guys of Queens College.
"It takes the right person to make the look work," stated Daniel Scalone, a sophomore. He continued, "I think too many people who try to make it work lack the fashion sense. I think [leggings] should stay; there are plenty of people who can make it work."
Another sophomore, Michael Pellegrino, said about leggings, "They don't work under skirts." When asked if they should go back to the 1980s, where they originated, he said, "They should have stayed in the 80s since the 80s had the worst fashion." Other guys questioned seemed reluctant to even comment on them.
So what did the average Queens College girl have to say about leggings? Shiran Naghidi, a sophomore, said "I like them…they're useful!" Another sophomore, Julia Ilyayevia, stated, "I like to wear them around my house, to school and to work. They're so comfortable…I think they look good with long shirts and [you] can wear them with any shoes!"
On the other hand, sophomore Asha Veeraswamy said, "They're okay…its kind of punk rock-ish which is awesome! But I would never wear them. I don't see the point when people can just wear stockings!"
This new trend has touched a nerve with many students across the country. Facebook groups seem to be popping up both supporting and deploring the trend. Examples include group names such as: "Friends don't let friends wear leggings," "Girls that are bringing leggings back…," "Leggings are FUGLY," and "In LOVE with over-sized sweaters, leggings, skinny belts, and ballet flats!"
So it seems that if you wear them the right way it can be pulled off. Otherwise, leave them in your closet for 20 years and see if your daughters might like them.
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