The Lure of Leggings

[JeffB]

The very first time I wore leggings, if memory serves, was around late 2011, but it wasn’t an outing I designated as such back then, rather, I wore them as tights with a short skirt on a particularly cold Saturday. I don’t recall why I had bought them as I was a tad perplexed about leggings which were basically footless tights, but thicker, still, they kept my legs warm (paired with knee boots), so it was all good. At the time, I was still learning my way around the variety of women’s clothing and wasn’t familiar with leggings, so I studied up on them online and learned that women wore them like pants or jeans, pairing them with sweaters or tunics, either long or short, something I saw as mildly remarkable. That led me to wonder if I could wear them in a similar fashion, but was unsure if I had the fortitude, or the desire to try.

A year later, near the end of 2012, Christmas Eve to be exact, I decided to give leggings a try on a designated outing, pairing them with an oversized men’s sweater (at the time, I had yet to make the switch to wearing women’s tops full time on my outings) and knee boots. Self-conscious about letting my, er....frontal anatomy and rear end show, I made sure the sweater, from the men’s big and tall department at K-Mart was long enough to cover both, and while I thought it was a decent look that I managed to pull off, I was lukewarm on it at best, especially when compared to skirts which I had gotten hooked on, so, as a result of that indifference, it would be six years before I’d return to leggings. Over those years, having watched women wear leggings almost year around, and not just in the fall and winter when temperatures dropped, I become interested in them again, in 2018, I gave them another try, but, I still sported long sweaters and tunics (though now women’s tops) with them, however, unlike before, I quickly came to love how I looked in leggings, most notably black leggings, especially in the way they emphasized my long legs, making them look deliciously sleek, and when I paired them with ankle boots which I had developed a fondness for wearing, I found the combination to have been absolutely dynamic. Before I knew it, I had worn leggings 13 times and enjoyed each and every outing, the overall look had really grown on me in a big way.

The more I wore leggings, the more confident I became in them, most notably to the point where I took what I considered as the bold gamble of wearing a sweater that didn’t cover the front and back, which I did back in late November of 2019. Just as leggings emphasized my legs, they also made my rear end look great, and I wanted to put it on display for all to see, just like women do when sporting tops of regular length. Going on an outing downtown, then over into South Jersey to hit the malls at Cherry Hill and Moorestown, I made sure I was seen as I had nothing to hide, and I had a darn good time. Just like with skirts and later on, dresses, I came to realize just how enjoyable it was to wear leggings, how they brought out the exhibitionist in me when I show off my ass in a short sweater, something that might become the norm. While leggings aren’t for everyone here, they’re now a full fledged part of my wardrobe rotation, something I’ll take great pride in wearing from here on out.

 

Edited December 29, 2019 by JeffB

[mlroseplant]

I'm kind of with you on the leggings, but I'm not ready to wear them alone as pants without something long over my hip area. This is for a couple of reasons, the most important being that my wife would kill me. Despite this, I have just bought three additional pairs of cropped leggings, for a total of 5, which I have come to love as long underwear (an off-label use?). This allows me to wear sandals and clogs all winter without letting on that I have an extra layer of warmth there under my pants!

[CAT]

Love the leggings too Jeff!    I wear them almost daily. Close to 100 pairs plus the jackets pullovers and shirts to match!!  98% Lululemon and a few from Nike and Under Armour.  I work  out every day at 530 am 5–7 days a week.  Work clothes for the day (sucks). And leggings for the rest of the time to run errands go out on date night or whatever.  
When I travel it’s so much more comfortable then jeans and I would never wear sweats or pajamas on a plane.  
Very easy to dress up or down depending on what you are doing. 

[Cali]

I have been using leggings as long underwear since the 90's.. Used them many times under my long pants on cold days and nights. Late fall/winter outdoor concerts at night are great places. I also have stir-up leggings as well. While I have 30 + pairs that I use all the time, mostly from Victoria's Secret, Eddie Bauer, Nike, etc.. I love my compression leggings  for skiing. I've been know to stripping off my ski suit and drive back in  just the legging and a top. I do get a few looks when I stop for gas. I have a few HUE corduroy leggings as well. 

This pass 4 months I have added some jeggings to my daily (work) wardrobe, Vegan Leather (2 pairs) and jeans both from Express. My new 311 are extremely close to jeggings.

Both leggings and jeggings are very stretchy and skin tight, they differ by jegging will have a zipper and leggings don't.

Leggings are slowly becoming acceptable for men. For many runners this is their winter gear.

If you haven't try them I would recommend leggings and jeggings.

[Heelster]

20 hours ago, Cali said:

If you haven't try them I would recommend leggings and jeggings.

Love them. Fantastic for running around the house. We don't see many runners, so I haven't noticed any wearing them. We haven't seen any so called cold weather yet this year, but I usually wear a crappy pair under the work jeans if I'm out blowing snow etc.

Now if it says Under Armour, and comes in camo, then you'll get guys to wear them. 

[bluejay]

I'm with you guys that like to wear leggings. I wear them out and about all the time. I probably have over 60 pairs in total. I have regular weight for spring and fall, capri length for summer and heavy weight lined for winter wear. I have solid colors, prints and special colors and prints for holidays and special occasions. I'm very comfortable wearing leggings and I'm starting to see guys wearing leggings. Maybe not the flashy pairs that I wear out, but they are wearing them. I also have many pairs of jeggings too that I also wear out. I like to wear leggings with heels, boots and shoes. Flats too and sandals in the summer. The more us guys wear leggings out, the more other men will wear them. JMO

Happy Heeling,

bluejay