Leggings Are Not Pants

Let's talk more about leggings. Leggings are usually black and sort of like tights without feet. They are often so thin that when you pull them over your behind, they suddenly become sheer. Sometimes your underwear or even the label on the inside of the leggings can be plainly seen. 

That is why you must wear a tunic that comes down below your bottom. Your crotch area should be covered when wearing those thin leggings. 

The cashmere tunic above was supplied by J.Jill. The leggings are old from Chico's. They are made from Ponte, and they have to be dry cleaned. They are not tight fitting at all, but you could not see through them even if they were. I wore short black boots with this look, but you can also wear longer or over the knee boots, which look great with leggings and a long cardigan. Several varying length layers worn over leggings is a great look.

I bought my first pair of leggings last year for a photo shoot. I never wore them before that. I have often worn straight leg slim-fitting pants that from the pictures might appear to be leggings. Those were usually made from denim or some fabric other than nylon or cotton knit.

I look for leggings that have a wide waistband. They should be made from a dense knit material that you can not see through, no matter how much it is stretched.

I have some leggings from HUE that I found at Dillard's. These have a nice comfortable wide sculpted waistband, and they are made from very dense material. I tried the look above with a longer tank underneath, but the proportion was very frumpy looking. I broke the never show your crotch rule because the leggings are not tight-fitting, and they are made from a very dense, heavy knit fabric.

Jeggings are another "animal" altogether. They are made from stretchy denim material. They have a zipper and pockets like regular jeans, but they fit more like leggings.

I wore these gray jeggings from Chico's with a blue cashmere sweater from Ann Taylor. We were braving the cold and rain on Sunday afternoon to go for sushi. The coat was from Ann Taylor Loft last year. The scarf is by Vince Camuto. The boots are by French Connection via. (My mother calls these my combat boots.)

Jeggings are generally not skin tight, but I still prefer a longer top covering most of my backside. I cuffed these because the look of a bunched up pant leg is never pretty. I have to be careful with pant length because I have short legs. I don't want to have too many visual breaks on my legs. Keep reading for more on this.

There is an exercise I do with looks I have not yet determined to be winning a combination.

Take a selfie of the look from the front, back, and sides. At the end of the day, make notes about it, for example. This look would have been better if I had worn it with gray boots instead of black. The contrast was too great. The length of the pants is too long to go with these boots. Ankle length jeans would have been much better. This particular sweater is fine, but I might have made a note, such as, "The sweater made me itch all day long!" You get the idea. You are grading the look and the comfort level of the pieces you wore. If a look doesn't get high marks, don't wear it in that combination again. If an item of clothing tormented you all day, don't put it back in your closet; get rid of it.

This practice has helped me build a wardrobe of great pieces that are comfortable and work well for me. I don't always get it right, but I am doing so much better than I did a few years ago!

That's me above, with Mr. Mickey during a train excursion in 2010 before losing almost 100 pounds between us.

We learned what to eat and why after reading the book "Eat to Live" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.