Leggings: In or Out?

There comes a time where you must ask yourself the question, am I a fashion victim? Trends come and go as fast as Bergdorf changes its windows and you are left with a closet of barely worn Mukluks, Paddington bags and True Religion ripped jeans with nothing to wear. Sound familiar?

No need to fret, there are ways one goes about learning what trend has legs (in this case literally) and what will last you more than one season. Every magazine seems to have its own opinion. But I rarely pay attention to the last page of Harper’s Bazaar or Gotham’s “in and out” list because they are wrong most of the time. So who is right?

A well-seasoned trend forecaster must look to the past, present and future to determine the fate of a trend. First, the past must show the trend has influenced fashion tastemakers who are still chic (If Chloe Sevigny is still wearing it, you’re good to go.) Second, the present must show that the trend has not yet hit Canal street (Sorry Silverado, you’re dead to me.) And third, designers must still be infatuated with the trend to have revamped it to fit next season’s overall direction (see below).

Currently the trend in question is leggings. Are they still in or totally out? Well based on the aforementioned criteria, they are so in. Chloe donned a pair front row at Balenciaga. Canal Street has yet to have them on the market since they are so ubiquitous you can buy them at Marc Jacobs or Target and still look chic (a street vendor’s nightmare). And everyone from Zac Posen to Prouenza Schouler went wild for tights during fall 2006 fashion week.

So brace yourself for another forgiving season of waistless bottoms. Just don’t throw out all your jeans. You don’t want to get to the point where you need to wear spandex.

Final Word: How to update your legging look? Pair them with ballet flats or ankle booties with a cropped jacket.