One of the most controversial real-life fashion problems of the past few years has been can leggings can be worn as pants? When I say real-life I mean that whether or not it is acceptable to wear a see-through dress on the red carpet, ala Rihanna, that is not something any of us mere mortals are likely to come across. Leggings as pants on the other hand? I know some who struggle with this question daily.
I am lucky enough to work in an office that has no dress code. Whatsover. If I decided to wear a baseball hat, hoodie, and sneakers that would be fine. A shorts and flip flops in the summer? Definitely allowed. I personally would not wear either of those combinations to work but that is besides the point. Thus, leggings as pants is definitely allowed and some mornings when I am running behind the thought are quite tempting. With that in mind I have set a rule for myself – I can wear leggings as pants if they meet three very basic criteria:
1) They are not see through: This is very self explanatory – they need to be a very, very solid color. When you bend they your leggings should not go opaque or start to become shiny.
2) They need to cover the important parts: The front and the back should be covered. This is achievable with a longer top or a dress that really should not be worn as such.
3) Grandma would approve the outfit: Even if points one and two are met would you be okay walking into your grandma’s house dressed like you are? If you are even the slight bit embarrassed at the thought – change.
With these three guidelines in place what would a leggings as pants outfit actually look like? Here are six great examples:
So what is an example of a no? I refuse to give them the dignity of being featured on Sparkles and Shoes so click here or here for examples of what bad really is. Still not convinced? One of my coworkers recently introduced me to to reddit and I found a great sub-reddit on today’s topic, check it out!
What do you think?
Do you wear leggings as pants?
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Swantje says
Nice picks 🙂
These looks are amazing <3
Swantje from http://www.swanted.de
Courtney says
I’m all about wearing leggings as pants, especially if I’m running errands all day! I obviously don’t wear them into my office but I would if I could for comfort!
http://thecourtneydiaries.com
Sun Moon says
Leggings give a chance to some dresses to have a certain life, cause I would never wear them without them.
http://sunmoonstyle.blogspot.co.at/
Vanessa says
Yep, I will wear leggings as pants, but only in line with the rules you mentioned! They are super comfortable, but also can be pretty chic if worn right!
Great post, definitely a real life issue for us women!
http://www.velee.weebly.com
Duckie says
Leggings as pants are definitely acceptable so long as they’re thick enough not to look like stockings or tights. I wear leggings all the time to work, in fact I’m wearing a pair of faux leather leggings right now! Lol.
Carol in a Page says
I do wear leggings as pants, but I always pair them with longer tops!
http://carolinapage.eu
Misty says
I love my leggings, but my bits are always covered.
Sandy "HC" Callan says
OMG the struggle is real! I suffer all mornings Monday through Friday trying to pull on pants instead of leggings haha! Most of the time the leggings win truth be told, girl LOL!!!!
TAMMY says
Leggings goes great with a pair of tall high heel boots. It was my Super Bowl party outfit because it was not cold that day.
Nikki says
I completely agree! However, sometimes I pick out a pair of leggings to wear and spend so much time trying to find tops to cover my bottom that I end up putting on jeans anyway! It’s both a controversy and a struggle haha
http://niknikstyle.com/
Dajana says
Great outfits 🙂 I wear leggings all the time, much more comfortable than pants 😀
https://dajanaerd.wordpress.com
Alecz says
Hahah your criteria is so key! Especially the see through part. SO MANY leggings are sneakily see through!
https://forsevenseasons.wordpress.com
Prudence says
I think it is definitely possible to wear leggings as pants as long as the guidelines you stated are followed! Thanks for sharing!
Prudence
http://www.prudencepetitestyle.com
Megan says
I struggled with this when getting dressed this morning but I think it is acceptable if following the guidelines as above – most important “they need to cover all the important parts”.
Wearing mine with a jumper dress – only way to do it! 🙂