Are leggings taking over?

wetlook shiny leggings photo - Calgary, CanadaHere comes my late night rant about the growing popularity of leggings. Please share your thoughts too!

 

By Jessica from Calgary, Canada (the founder of Fantasy Stockings)

A few days ago I went to get my dental cleaning and I asked my hygienist, a young Caucasian Canadian-born woman in her early 20’s, if she wears pantyhose. She knows that this is what I sell, so the question didn’t come off as weird. She told me the truth, the way it is – no, she doesn’t wear it since childhood!

She started thinking about it and said that it looks like the whole trend just went away. When she was a child, her mom would dress her up in tights and dresses, but now she prefers to wear leggings instead. I thought about it some more and asked her, what would she wear if she wants to dress up really sexy for a nice date in November? She said that she would still wear leggings under her dress, but together with boots, so that the foot is not visible.

Does anyone still wear pantyhose in her family? Well, her mom used to, but stopped now. Her grandma still does. I made a joke that perhaps her grandmother could be my potential customer and she laughed. This popped into my head a few minutes ago before writing this post because I was browsing some dress code etiquette about shoes and hosiery on Youtube and my search lead me directly to a channel called “women over 50”.

Sadly this is the trend for many Canadian-born women. As I mentioned previously on my blog, another dental assistant from that same Calgary-based office, a 23 year old young woman, told me straight that she has never owned a pair of pantyhose in her life and at a recent wedding she attended the only person in pantyhose was the bride’s mother.

I would like to hear what you think on this subject. It does seem to me like leggings are taking over when it comes to the younger generation of Canadian youth. At any trade show I go to there will be at least a couple of vendors with racks of leggings in all sorts of tasteless circus patterns.

15 thoughts on “Are leggings taking over?

  1. Leggings are nearly as much of a fashion abomination as bare legs are… in some ways more so, since they often at first glance “fool” you (the observer) into thinking they’re pantyhose. Cannot stand them…

    • What gets me upset is when women start wearing leggings as pants. No, they are not pants. It’s very immodest.

      Once I was at a shopping mall and a young woman (employee) bent down to fold some clothes on the display. Her leggings were so transparent that I could tell what shape and what shade of panties she had on. How is this appropriate at work?

      • I agree with you Jessica that leggings should not be worn as pants. You wouldn’t just wear a pair of opaque tights out in the open, would you? With the demise of dress codes in most offices and the trend towards more casual dressing overall, the sight of pantyhose is certainly becoming a rarity. The irony is that pantyhose have never been so well made, comfortable and stylish than the kind that was available during the time when they were most popular.

  2. Personally I like seeing women wearing leggings but would much rather prefer them wearing pantyhose, there is nothing Sexier than a woman wearing pantyhose

    • I went to the Calgary Stampede yesterday and I saw crowds of women with bare legs, a handful in actually nice leggings, and only one in dark opaque tights running by (she was dressed pretty warm because that morning the weather was bad, so she probably couldn’t change).

      I was the only one parading in thin 15 den navy blue pantyhose. I really felt like I didn’t fit in.

  3. Oh how I wish for the early/mid 90’s when pantyhose were a normal wear with women at my work. Fast forward all of these years and they are non existent. Women, even at my age, don’t wear them any longer. Younger women? Never a thought in their mind, and I live in the Bay Area of California. I have found that certain cultures will wear them but mostly, women have turned away from pantyhose/stockings. It is truly sad. They can be so classy and elegant. Not sure why women have turned away from them?

  4. I would agree that leggings are the new hosiery trend. I number of suppliers and vendors is increasing. Several young Hollywood actresses and musicians have come out with their own line of leggings and athletic wear (ie: yoga pants)

  5. I love the look of pantyhose. I hope they do come back more into style for women. They look great and have a lot of benefits. I’m not ashamed that I wear pantyhose for support. I don’t need to explain all me reasons repeatedly, but yet I wear for both medical reasons and I like the way they make my legs feel. I’ve worn publicly with shorts and I’m a guy.

    I don’t know why so many women are so against wearing hosiery, but I think they look and feel great. Leggings just don’t make sense to me. I can’t stand the feel of the cuffs of my sleeves and I’m not any different with hosiery. I have men’s compression tights and I do not like the feeling of the tight cuff around the ankle. I’d rather have full foot except for rough terrain hiking on backpacking trips. I usually wear Wolford support styles of tights.

    • I think there are outfits that look very nice with leggings, but I just can’t see wearing it with everything instead of pantyhose because if I go on a date, I want to have my legs looking super sexy in thin nylons and in high heels.

  6. I think fashion trends come and go. Pantyhose are viewed as being old fashioned by young people now, but that will change, I’m sure. Some pop star will wear them to be different and then everyone will. Plus give those young women a few years and and they may appreciate the cosmetic advantages of hosiery. Finally, there’s the male market which will take off at some point. All reasons to be optimistic.

  7. It seems the same here in England. Young ladies don’t wear tights they go bare legs in stead even when it’s cold they do

  8. The reason why some young women view panthyhose as old fashioned is because the fashion experts in the media have brainwashed them into this belief that wearing pantyhose is out of fashion due to the shift towards casual fashion from workplaces, and formal engagements such as weddings, graduations, balls, galas, etc. The mother of the dental hygenist may have given up wearing hosiery due to that belief, which we all know is a myth, and misconception.

    As for leggings, its just another cop out excuse for women not dressing up feminine when it comes their appearance. However, leggings and hosiery can be a potent combo as well. Last week when I was at my shopping mall here in Ottawa, I saw a tall woman, about 5’9 early to mid 20s in high heels wearing black leggings with nude hose underneath, so pantyhose is still alive and well amongst young women contrary to what these fashion experts are saying.

  9. Are leggings somehow more comfortable than pantyhose / tights or what is the reason why women are turning to it?. What I never understood we women would wear leggings and sheer socks. Why no where pantyhose then?

    • My guess…
      1. more durable since runs usually occur at the toes
      2. never “too short” because they are not anchored at the bottom and could be pulled up a little higher

      When I was younger, I thought that was amazing and I wanted to do exactly what that girl is doing and wear it with boots instead of pantyhose. I bought a few packages of footless, semi-opaque. Well, I never opened them and never wore them. I don’t know why, but even though when I think that leggings are better, I still reach for pantyhose.

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