The Death of the Legging?!

Words that should strike fear into the hearts of the +30 woman.

Apparently the powers that be have decided that the era of the legging is over and it’s time for … wait for it … the cycling short. I’m taking five minutes just to recover from the acute emotional trauma of this idea and image of myself sporting a pair!

Leggings are no longer cutting edge enough and we should cast them aside into the dustbin of history. Or should we?! For once, please god for once, can we just put fashion dictats to one side and actually embrace something that works for the modern woman. Leggings are popular for a very good reason … they work with our wardrobes and our lifestyles and, in the UK specifically, with our weather! I’m not talking about leggings as a standalone item (I tend to leave that look to the younger, lither, braver woman!) but as an essential bridge between winter and full-on summer wardrobes.

Tights just seem so wrong from spring/summer onwards. Bare legs can be brave given British weather fluctuates so much. Leggings bridge this gap. Having bare feet feels like there’s a concession to summer but also that it may not be the glorious weather needed to endure a full day with bare flesh on show. And whilst I'm not 100% sure I would wear them to one of my more serious working days, they are acceptable on my average day in the office and actually open up options for so many of my dresses which would either be too short or probably a little on the chilly side.

I know that new trends can often seem ridiculous and in a year I could be writing about how amazing my cycling shorts are and how they’ve really slotted well into my wardrobe! Where the fashion brave lead, us fashion minions follow. Alexander McQueen’s bumpsters became the ubiquitous hipsters, which we all lived in for far too long. But in this case, I’m hoping it’s not the case!

In the recent Guardian article on the demise of the legging they showed a photograph of Lily Allen wearing a dress with leggings looking gorgeous and, to me, still stylish and cool. They then showed Alexa Chung wearing sort of tights with cycling shorts detail. She still looked gorgeous (it would be impossible for her not to!) but in no way did that outfit shout out to me as something that is translatable to my wardrobe and my life.

At the moment I don’t feel anything is being offered up to older women as a realistic alternative. Until that happens, I’m going to be clinging onto my leggings for dear life … or at least for the duration of British summer 2010!