Pix-Elated

105 Comments

• rabbit replied 9 years ago

  Yum I want to try that ice-cream, so I'm happily on the bench.  I like and wear both tights and leggings (dark hair, so it generally works from a book-ending/column of color perspective).   I have to say though for all day wear, leggings (with socks) are more comfy for me than tights.  

  Leggings with bare ankle skin can get cold or not work with certain shoes, so sometimes the tights win out.   My leggings don't fall down because my butt keeps them up I think?  It may be that the leggings you have tried were too big? Mine generally don't lump at the waist no matter what dress I'm wearing.

• gryffin replied 9 years ago

  Wow Suz - I have never had leggings fall down or bag out.  Eventually they do pill but that's years usually of industrial wear.  Have you tried good old Danskin supplex leggings?  Danskin changed their factory, their new fabric is not quite as wonderful as the old, but they are thick and so far wear well and long enough.  I can't choose.  I never go bare legged.  I wear both tights and leggings - it depends on the dress.  With tunics, of course, always leggings.  I like the Hue super opaque control tops (in black of course).  I could not live without both.  For lounging, legging because less chance of snagging with the dogs, but for work/out of house either depending on the other pieces!!

• dashielle (Ann) replied 9 years ago

  I guess I'm on the ice cream bench, although as an IT, I have trouble keeping anything but tight hose and tights up for long. That said, horses for courses though...

• Joy replied 9 years ago

  Tights. I feel undressed in leggings and sometimes foolish like an old person in child's clothing. If I wear leggings, I want woven skinnies, not stretchy jersey.
  My YLF education continues with the elastic Turkish ice cream :)

• Peri replied 9 years ago

  I know I would choose tights...because I don't have any leggings! Because I'm one who feels they look undressed, unless worn with a longer dress, in which case they might as well be tights.

  Which brings up a question...really, what is the difference? I think of leggings as not having feet, and tights as having feet. That in general leggings are a bit thicker but certainly not always. 

  So really, if you are wearing a dress and boots, wouldn't leggings and tights look pretty much the same?

• Deborah replied 9 years ago

  Suz, I am with you on the bare legged thing with dresses.  That is generally my preference and why I also favour dresses more in summer than winter :) My pale skin colour lightens up my black dresses nicely :)

  However I am a leggings girl.  For me they have an edgier integrity.  My leggings all sit smooth on my tummy and I never have any problem with them riding down. They work beautifully with my ankle boots and provide added warmth (one pair I have are fleecy lined).  They also come in varying textures.  One pair I have, have a subtle sheen to them, making them look quite sleek and dressy.

  Not sure if that fully explains it but I love leggings!!

• UmmLila (Lisa) replied 9 years ago

  I wear leggings, but only as gear. Otherwise, tights, but I am not a huge fan of most tights because they are annoying to readjust after potty trips.TMI. sorry.

• DonnaF replied 9 years ago

  Never ever leggings; always tights (NON-control top) for as long as I can remember.  I have short, heavy legs and tights give me a longer line.  They are reasonably comfy unless it gets too hot.  I don't tend to wear dresses, just mostly skirts, so the major annoyance is when I'm wearing a lot of layers that include a slip and a cami in addition to the usual top layers.  It is just a lot to get sorted out after the bathroom run; after all, who wants the wrong things tucked in?

  FWIW, I have a proportionately small waist, so I never have the tourniquet issues of which other women complain.  If there's any question at all about size, I size up.  Thus, my tights never slither down unless they are ANCIENT and the rubber is disintegrating.

• Tania replied 9 years ago

  I need to sit this one out. I have one pair of each and have worn each one time. I currently have no skirts or dresses in the rotation.

  But, historically, I found leggings much more comfortable than tights, but I have never had them fall/sag/misshapen. My mom worked in the garment industry and made/had access to all sorts of high quality leggings from the likes of Ann Taylor and J Crew. Then again, that was back in the late 80's early 90's! Lol. I barely realized they had come back in style a few years ago.

• Diana replied 9 years ago

  Leggings! But I am very selective about them. I don't wear any that contain polyester because that makes me itch. My current go-tos are the modal ones from gap. Super soft and not itchy. I buy them a size too big so they're not super tight.

  I hate tights. The reasons being:
  --I find them itchy.
  --I find the waistbands binding. Also they always seem extremely high.
  --if I size up they are still tight. And then they sag. Eta: at the crotch. The waist stays up, so I have BOTH the binding waist AND the saggy crotch.
  --I don't like not being able to wiggle my toes. Especially when not wearing shoes. For the record I never wear socks at home either. I'm either barefoot or in warm slippers.
  --they're not particularly warm anyway.
  --I hate putting them on. Making sure they're not twisted, making sure I don't have any dry skin to snag, etc etc.

  Footless tights are somewhat more acceptable.
  All that said I do still sometimes suck it up and wear tights. They are better than leggings for dressy things for sure. And sometimes I want to look more refined. Still, it's definitely a trade off between comfort and style in that case.

  My real preference is bare legs but I also like not freezing to death.

• Suz replied 9 years ago

  Never TMI, Ummlila! That is precisely what I am curious about! 

  I am also rapidly collecting brand names for leggings to try. I have not tried Danskin (since the 80s). So that is a possible. I have tried Hue, and love their tights...but the leggings haven't been winners for me. So far. But perhaps I was not buying the right size. This is always possible. 

  Now -- here is something -- even my workout leggings tend to fall down, unless they are really, really snug, like compression ones. I do have one regular pair that stay put, but they are made by a gear company that is not in the fashion legging business. (Speaking of which, I love those workout pants and maybe better order an other pair in case they stop making them...)

  Note: I am not an IT. I have a bum. And my thighs are on the large side, proportionately. That may in fact be the problem -- my thighs seem to "grip" the fabric and everything wants to sink to that level? 

• E replied 9 years ago

  I'm on team tights as I have more pairs of tights in more colours and thus wear them more frequently. I also like how most of my tights add a touch of refinement to my general RATE style. And it's easier to scrunch socks over them because there's no ankle hem to bunch. But I'll also substitute my couple pairs of leggings for tights (under knee length dresses/skirts, not with tunics) on occasion. I find them all comfy and don't have issues with anything falling down or squishing/segmenting me. I can layer tights too without any discomfort: perhaps my long rise has an advantage after all!

• Suz replied 9 years ago

  Diana, you can't wiggle your toes in tights? That has not happened to me. Probably a result of having such short legs. Ha!! For once, a fashion advantage to the short -legged!! 

• Diana replied 9 years ago

  No, I can technically. But they feel constricted. :P duck feet, remember.

• Caro in Oz replied 9 years ago

  Neither for me, can't stand the way they slip down or roll down on me.  That's why all of my winter dresses have gone. I have summer dresses which I love to wear with bare legs. I also have a couple of tran-seasonal dresses & a suit. If I need leg coverage with those I usually wear stay-up stockings. The only "leggings" I have are two silk pairs that are slightly see-through & knee length; I wear them under summer dresses for a little more coverage on windy days. I don't like socks either so it's just as well I don't live in a cold climate :)

• ladysarahii replied 9 years ago

  I'm team tights, I guess. I can never get leggings to look good! Although, I am more likely to wear tights at work and leggings on days off. I do find leggings more comfortable.

• catgirl replied 9 years ago

  I think I contributed to this confusion. I am Team Tights With Dresses. No leggings with dresses. Because I wear dresses and skirts out of the house, when I have on footwear and want to feel dressed.

  But I also don't wear dresses or skirts at home. Ever. So no tights at home - much prefer socks and slippers. And I hate tights for all the reasons Diana stated. Plus they remind me of being a little girl forced into frilly dresses and patent Mary Janes. Baggy ankles, discomfort, twisting, itch. So I am Team Leggings With Tunics.

  I view them as two completely different categories. Leggings are gear or casual clothing, tights are an accessory.

• Aziraphale replied 9 years ago

  In truth, I am Team Bare Legs, but since that is not an option I'm going to go with tights. I do actually find certain kinds of tights -- specifically, Hue "sweater tights" -- quite comfy, and a necessity in the rainy chill of Vancouver winter. They stay up, unlike leggings, and don't constrict my (apparently sensitive) midsection. They also don't create the unsightly "segmented" effect that some opaque tights can.

  Sweater tights don't look fab with everything, and if I'm actually wanting to look dressed-up, I'll wear nylons and put up with the segmentation. Or, better yet, I'll wear thigh-highs -- although one time I did have a bit of a wardrobe malfunction with them, where the left one must have got a bit stretched out and wouldn't stay up. Lol. But for everyday cuteness with a skirt, sweater tights are the ticket.

• Suz replied 9 years ago

  Ah, Una. I did (or do) as well -- I think. But Deborah said that she considers a dress as short as the one I just bought to be a tunic. Which made me realize that the definition might be more elastic (har har har....get it???) than I had supposed. And made me wonder if there even IS a definition!! I thought tunics were typically shorter and less shaped. But maybe I am wrong? 

  I am fascinated but as confused as ever. Because it doesn't seem to depend exactly on body type which one we will be able to tolerate better! 

• Elizabeth P replied 9 years ago

  I like both.  I really think it dpends on the brand.  My favourite tights are Hue (not that I've tried a lot of different ones)and I'm comfortable ii them all day, Although I...'m not sure I'd choose them for home wear.  My long leggings are made of bamboo, and are very comfortable.  I bought them at Samuel and Co (do you have that there?)  I also have capri leggings by Donna which are very comfortable.  I think I'd choose leggings for lounge wear, for the simple reason that the toes are the spots that wear out for me, so leggings have a much longer life. 

• Suz replied 9 years ago

  Aziraphale, what do you mean the "segmented" look? I am curious! 

• Alassë replied 9 years ago

  Team Tights. I don't care for footless (why cause a visible line across the ankle?), and I suspect I'd feel less than dressed in leggings. Caveat: the only tights comfortable for me are fleece-lined or sweater tights; otherwise, I consider tights constricting and uncomfortable.

• catgirl replied 9 years ago

  Segmented worm! Like when the tights bisect you...

  Also can't recommend the Lysse leggings enough. Am considering the velvet tuxedo ones for the holidays.

  And I think of a tunic as something requiring pants to be decent. To me yours is still a dress. Leg length may matter - like with my new black dress, a tunic on the model.

  Oh and I'm returning the Gap sweater. Not as much fun in XS. So no sweater for me!

• Sal replied 9 years ago

  Team tights....but not a very loyal supporter.  I'm a bit out of love with opaques but they do meet a need.  I have worn nude sheers this year once, and I have a couple of pairs of textured/lacy tights that I have worn a couple of times (but they are not the most flattering on my legs).

  I wear leggings to the gym all the time (Underarmour or Nike mostly).  

• Gigi replied 9 years ago

  If my legs aren't going to be visible (e.g., if I'm wearing a maxi skirt), I will wear leggings because I feel that they are more comfortable. But if I'm wearing a skirt where leg will be exposed, I will most definitely wear tights.

  I think that I feel that leggings are more comfortable because they don't seem to be as tight at the waist, and I feel like my toes are less constricted. But it's not a big difference, only slight. If I put tights on to wear to church, for instance, when I come home and change out of my church outfit I will just keep the tights on; I won't change to leggings.

  My favorite leggings are Old Navy.

• bj1111 replied 9 years ago

  What Una said with more clarification.

  Leggings are proper bottoms for me with a tunic or a dress and I will wear them at home and out of the house.

  Tights are an accessory and only for outdoor use. Only acceptable under a dress not a tunic. Ok to wear with pants but gives me a unibutt so prefer not to.

  Hose is a special class of tights...sheer only to be worn with dresses. Too fussy with pants.

  I'd like that ice cream now, please.

• Suz replied 9 years ago

  I am still really confused about the "bisected worm" thing. Where? How? How is it different in leggings? 

  Una, currently, other than workout gear, I own 2 pair of leggings. One modal type pair from Gap -- they are soft but they bag out and fall down and seem too light. And a Lysee pair. They fall down. Creep creep creep all day. I haven't even tried them tucked into boots -- that will be a certain mess! 

  I am sad about the sweater because it looked good on you -- but glad you do not have something that was less than 100% fab. 

  I hear you on the leg length thing. That is why I thought my dress was a dress, but Deborah felt it was more tunic length. So it seems perceptions differ there. It is a few inches above my knee. And I do see that on someone of my advanced age that would read as a very short dress without opaque tights or leggings or some form of coverage, so I'm not arguing with her at all and very much value her opinion on it! 

  The bench is winning, but tights are showing surprisingly strong!! 

• Jaime replied 9 years ago

  Hmm, I like tights because they keep my feet warm and I don't need socks. I like leggings to because they are easier to put on. I think it is elastic ice cream for me!

• abc replied 9 years ago

  Leggings with tunics. Pantyhose or tights as needed with dresses. Never leggings with dresses.

  I wish I hadn't seen those holiday appropriate leggings, Una. My favorite pair are that brand and I rave about them (in my mind at least) every time I wear them.

  Good luck Suz and this is a very hair splitting interesting thread!

• deb replied 9 years ago

  Ice cream here. I wear both. I wear tights under skirts (I do not own a dress) and leggings under my tunics. My tunics are long and could be considered mini dresses  and I find leggings much thicker. I really like the Lysse leggings also. In fact, they are almost like skinny ponte pants on me because my legs are thin in relationship to my hips. I also like tucking the leggings into my boots. Very sleek looking.

• Laurinda replied 9 years ago

  Team Leggings. Nodding in agreement with DIana. Tights are constricting and having a bit of a tummy they roll down and cut in. Ouch. I've never found tights other than sweater knits to be very warm either. Plus they get RUNS! Leggings are stretchier and much more comfortable, and are formal enough for my casual life. (I got married bare legged in the summer, guess I really hate tights/nylons ;-) )

• Aziraphale replied 9 years ago

  Lol Suz, if you don't know what the "segmented" syndrome is, you don't have it! It's what happens when your tights are too tight and all the extra skin/squidge (in many cases, left over from pregnancies) gets squished inwards. You get a sharp indentation right in the middle of your belly, separating you into segments, much like the thorax and abdomen of an insect.

• Laura (rhubarbgirl) replied 9 years ago

  I don't own any leggings right now (as per my thread the other day about looking for leggings with longer inseams). When I did, they were tights-like in thickness, and I would sometimes wear them in the winter with dresses or skirts instead of tights if I were wearing boots, and the 'seam' between legging and sock wouldn't be visible. That was because I did find leggings a bit less constricting in the midsection than tights, which seem to need to be more snug in order to stay put and not move.

• amiable replied 9 years ago

  The problems you list with leggings, I have with tights - at least with all of them that I've tried.  I probably need to try Tall tights or something.  And so far I haven't tried leggings under dresses (at least, not in the recent past).  But I suspect I would prefer them, due to my problems with tights... Hmmm.
  (Now going back to read other responses)

• Meow replied 9 years ago

  If you put a gun to my head, I would have to say team tights.  But then you'd have to put a gun to my head to get me to put them on!  I hate anything tight - I would rather go on a diet that stuff myself into anything tight! :)

• Dee replied 9 years ago

  I have all the same problems Diana has with tights, with the bonus of not managing to wear them more than a few times before I get a run somewhere. I have large thighs for my frame, so I always have to size up in tights and then they slowly creep down. Leggings seem to fit my shape better and I find them infinitely warmer and comfier.

• TraceyLiz65 replied 9 years ago

  I like both and wear both at home..  

• Suz replied 9 years ago

  Ah!! Aziriphale, thank you for enlightening me! My squidgy bits are mostly on other parts of my anatomy, it would seem. (Don't get me started on my knees. Yes, knees. Who knew knees could be squidgy? Well, if they are mine, they can be.) 

  So it's like muffin top. But worse. 

  I'm still curious, though, because I would have thought that leggings would do the same thing! But maybe it has to do with the type of elastic they use in the waistband, or how the top is constructed. 

  Amy, I'll bet you do need tall tights. I have occasionally had tights that were not the right size for me, and I will admit that those times I felt ready strangle myself with the darn things by the time I could rip them off. Worst of ALL worlds. Constricted toes (waving at Diana). Twisty seam cutting into crotch (at first) then quickly sliding sliding sliding down until crotch feels like it is at the knees. Meanwhile, segmented middle. 

  If I had to wear tights that fit like that, I would be on Team Don't Let's Discuss This. 

• Runcarla replied 9 years ago

  Since I'm a dress and skirt person, it is nice hose, micro-fishnets, and tights for me. Secret for the first two, and I got some DKNY tights at Winners that are going into their third winter looking like new!

  Leggings - 3 pair, but very gear specific (winter running/x-country skiing) and not appropriate for anything else.

  FWIW, it has turned cold this past week and I am seeing black and grey tights EVERYWHERE in Toronto! With boots, booties, shooties, and shoes. Lots of black clothes and neutrals like grey and brown. A few hits of red and yellow. Not much navy blue or other colours on the street...but I'm in the financial district for the most part, and my 'street style' is Union Station' and Front St.!

• Suz replied 9 years ago

  Carla, that's TO in the winter for you. Black, grey, black, grey. I didn't know tights came in any other colours. ;) 

• Lyn D. replied 9 years ago

  Tights with dresses, and leggings with long tops.

• greycat6 replied 9 years ago

  Tights. Unless leggings are worn as gear, I feel undressed in them. Even as gear, I have to wear a longer top/jacket so I don't feel over exposed. 

  Maybe I have been buying my leggings too large because I have the same issue with slippage. Proportionally, my thighs are the largest part of my body and I usually buy leggings so that the fit is not indecently tight there. Perhaps they are too large every where else and therefor slipping down?  Hmmm. I will have to think about this...

• unfrumped replied 9 years ago

  Well, I don't really own any leggings, so maybe I should try some. But it's more that I don't do typical tunics well. With my long torso they'd have to be looking, and then have to be full enough over the hip , but fit in the shoulders.
  I do have one temptation that's only just occurred to me, and that is whether I could wear a short dress with leggings more " appropriately" than with tights and hence get to wear some types of winter dresses ( sweatery types) that way since almost all dresses are too short on me.
  Second, the oversized and poncho trend has changed the landscape a bit because they're not long and sleek and so make way for hippage room with a new expectation for top proportions and fit.

• Suz replied 9 years ago

  greycat6, it is a mystery, is it not? Maybe it is to do with thighs. Mine are certainly on the more muscular side (as compared to other parts of me). 

  I would be more willing to experiment with leggings if 1). I felt properly dressed in them; 2). I thought the leggings/ with tunic top flattered me. I wish it did --- but I haven't found the combo that looks good, feels structured enough to me, and stays on. 

  unfrumped, this was exactly my thinking, except I plan to do it with opaque tights -- but the idea being, I can wear a shorter, knit dress if my legs are covered up. 

• Susie replied 9 years ago

  Tights to me are hose, to be worn with dresses and skirts. Leggings are pants, to be worn with long tops. So I wear both. But for comfort, leggings win hands down. Most of my winter lounge capsule is leggings with long sweaters or sweatshirts. I never wear leggings with dresses. And I never wear tights or hose at home.

• Deborah replied 9 years ago

  This is such an interesting discussion!   Had to pop back:)

  Una shared that she felt leggings were gear or casual wear but I respectfully differ in opinion here.  Leggings can be worn in very dressy ensembles and really add to the overall look of an outfit.  I have worn a silky sack style dress with shimmery footless leggings and open toe booties and there was nothing casual about that look :)

  Suz, you are funny.  You comment about your "advanced age" made me smile. I am not sure it's an age issue.  I wore a new Metalicus dress the other week sans tights/leggings and was horrified at how short it was lol.  Yes, they may think it's a dress, but for me that is a tunic.  Tunics do come in varying shapes. I think the reason why I wasn't crazy about the tights and the dress in your case was not age related, it was more about you having what I consider to be a 'grown up' style.  There is modern, there is classic and there is sophistication to your looks. The dress with the tights just wasn't sending me that message.   I just felt that the tights made the outfit look a little unfinished (sorry it's hard to explain... I'm quite visual and have strong reactions to what I see).  I am very sensitive to wearing short dresses and skirts.  They make me feel very uncomfortable:(

• Deborah replied 9 years ago

  Just came back to add, having given it some more thought.  It's a proportion thing for me.  I need to see a more substantial leg covering to 'balance' the overall look.  If you were wearing bare legs and a high vamp sandal or ankle boot (for example) and scrunched your sleeves, that would probably look fantastic.  Great balance of proportion between skin showing and coverage.

• Suz replied 9 years ago

  Deborah, it is fascinating indeed. I wonder also if some of our perceptions are not based on geographical/ cultural differences  and even what the stores in our different areas sell. 

  I wonder if the association to opaque tights is to little girls' leotards? (What we called them in Canada when I was a kid -- not a true ballet leotard but the tights part). I think I can see that.

  The thing is, I do actually wear opaque tights a lot in winter. And have been wearing them for years (though obviously with different dresses than the new one.) Basically, I wear them whenever I wear a non-formal dress. Because I have to, or else I will freeze. 

  This makes me wonder, too, if someone living in my climate would tend to read them differently due to constant exposure. As Carla said, in Toronto (where I grew up) the city is a veritable sea of black and grey opaque legs as soon as the temperatures dip. Montreal is pretty much the same. 

  And these legs are all clad in tights -- not leggings (except worn as pants substitutes with long sweaters.) 

  I'm not saying this is a good fashion look, necessarily. It's seldom worn with intention. It's worn because it's what is available and what is practical, and nobody really thinks twice about it. I hope I won't wear it that way...but at the same time, I know that in my environment, it "blends." If that makes sense. 

  Meanwhile, I have a feeling that people in Oz may be more practiced at wearing leggings. This is based on crazed conjecture and no real data! ;) 

• Suz replied 9 years ago

  Yes...I see that...I mean I see how bare legs would improve things, LOL, assuming I'd wear a dress that short (which I wouldn't, except maybe at the beach.) ;) 

  So you would like to see more opaque than opaque tights? There may be darker ones I can try as an experiment. I can look. :) 

• Laura (rhubarbgirl) replied 9 years ago

  When I've visited London (England, not Ontario!) I saw lots of women of all ages wearing black tights with all sorts of dresses and skirts. Some of them looked weird to me in the sense that you'd see a very summery floral dress with black tights, a combination that you'd never see here in California. I wonder if it was the same sort of thing that you're talking about happening in Toronto, Suz. It's a practical adaptation to the local environment.

• Neel replied 9 years ago

  Team Una :D ... I always wear tights and dress/skirt if I want to feel dressy ... Outside the house. In the house I too, much prefer leggings and tunics (or anything in the pant/top category) I don't wear dresses for the house. Especially if I have to wear tights, I rather not wear a dress!

  So does that mean I am benched?

• Suz replied 9 years ago

  Neel, you are beautifully, fashionably benched! :) 

  Laura -- I think in the UK the light floral dresses with black tights is a more intentional thing -- there was a recent vogue for it. I always find it seasonally confused, myself, but get that it is a look. In Toronto (and in the UK worn with wools or heavier fabric skirts/ dresses) it is more what you said -- adaptation to the environment. 

  What happens is that people who are dressing consciously at all dress from the tights out. Or the footwear/ tights up. And since opaques are easiest to find (and arguably, more sophisticated looking) in dark neutrals, you see a preponderance not only of grey and black LEGS but also of grey and black outfits -- because grey and black go really well with grey and black. 

  And this in turn leads to the whole dark and gloomy fashion landscape that I so abhor in my native country in winter. 

  It makes sense, it's practical. I get that. But it is so soul-sucking as the months wear on. 

  BAH, HUMBUG!!!  ;) 

• Deborah replied 9 years ago

  Suz, crazed conjecture works for me!  I agree totally that geography, cultural differences and what is available in our stores has an impact.  BTW, I do wear opaque tights too. I didn't mean to leave that info out:)  But I wear 40 denier opaques so no hint of skin at all.  I have some dresses that cry out for sheer hose, others can carry something heavier.  It has a lot to do with the style of the dress, the weight of the dress etc.

  In Melbourne where I am from, black is de rigeuer   (hope I got that right) and on any given winter's day the city can be a sea of black opaques, so it's a look that I am used and I do love in most instances. 

  Where I live now, our winters are cold.  Now they are not Canadian cold, but it's all relative isn't it.  For me our cold is cold and since moving to Bendigo the lure of warm leggings has been quite strong. 

  What thickness are the opaques you are wearing.  Maybe something heavier would make me happy lol.... of course it's all about me...  just kidding.  I haven't had to time to comment on your outfit post today but the dress and tights look fabulous!

• Astrid replied 9 years ago

  I voted tights. I definitely find them comfortable! But I have to say that good quality ones make a difference. It was difficult to spend so much money on tights and I still have the cheap ones mixed in, but it's definitely worth the money, fit and quality wise. The only pair of leggings I have are merino wool to layer under jeans. That said, I was thinking of getting a pair like these here:http://www.falke.com/de/falke-pure-matt-100-den-leggings.html

  They would be great on a day I'm wearing boots because I could wear thick socks without the fabric of the tights in between foot and sock. Makes for more comfortable feet I guess.

• catgirl replied 9 years ago

  Deborah, for me leggings are gear or casual, but I don't think that is always the case. I'm thinking of ordering velvet tuxedo leggings which I would consider dressy!

• Marley replied 9 years ago

  Umm . . . what is the difference between the two?  Seriously - I don't know.  I've been sick for almost a week now and so have been very sparse on the forum, so perhaps the definitions of the two have already been clarified, so I apologize if I'm "behind!"  Would someone please give me a brief summary of the differences between leggings and tights?

• Astrid replied 9 years ago

  Marley - tights have feet, leggings don't.

• Deborah replied 9 years ago

  Una! They sound fabulous:). Apologies, misunderstood what you were saying. I wonder now how leggings originated? Was their first incarnation as hear or gym wear?

• Lavinia replied 9 years ago

  I have only one pair of leggings and they were recently demoted to sleepwear, because they bag out too much. But I do love and often wear my liquid leggings!
  Regarding tights, I have two pairs of footless fleece-lined tights that are very substantial and look like leggings, however they have seams across the bum, indicating that they are not meant to be worn as pants (i.e. leggings) :)
  I find them very comfy, they lie flat and do not give me the dissected worm syndrom :)) For warmth, I will layer tights OVER these fleece-lined tights and then don a skirt/dress or even my thin liquid leggings. 
  I don't find it uncomfortable :)
  I also love these footless tights beacuse my feet tend to sweat and I can quickly change my socks if needed.

• Astrid replied 9 years ago

  Lavinia, now you have confused me too. Footless tights? What exactly are we talking about here?  To me both tights and leggings come in all kind of fabrics and forms, but the one thing that makes them different is whether they have feet or not. Or maybe my teminology suffered translating from English...

• Jjsloane replied 9 years ago

  Just chiming in to say I would wear tights year round if they were weather appropriate. I loathe bare legs (mine at least) and love the "hug" I get from tights. I consider leggings gear or pjs and never like the look on myself. I agree with you about the extra bulk under dresses. Leggings are not pants and I do not want to see or show my bum in them without cover. Now that tunics are back in knitwear it's better, but I still see people wearing what I consider footless tights without any bottom cover over them. Regardless of your shape IMO this is reserved for the gym or home only people. 

  I have 2 pair (one BR and one Boden) that I wear as long johns under snowpants with tights underneath for big snow!

• kerry replied 9 years ago

  I think tights are mostly awful and only wear them if I absolutely have to. Therefore I rarely wear a skirt or dress in the winter. I like how they look but hate how they feel and can't wait to rip them off.

  Leggings, on the other hand, are a wardrobe staple in fall and winter. They tuck into mid calf and tall boots so easily. They never fall down on me like some of my jeans do (although I've just discovered some Gap jeans that seem to stay put). With an ample middle and a job where I'm up and down like a yo-yo, bottoms, like leggings, that stay put are wardrobe perfection. I like Eddie Bauer leggings for a lighter version, Lysee and Hue. I like how they trim the tummy too. I wear them with longer tunics or sack-like dresses. I like the tops to come to mid thigh but not much longer as I'm short. To me the dress has to have some weight to it to look right with leggings and be not too dress-like, IYKWIM.

• replied 9 years ago

  Team leggings for me. I have always disliked tights.

• Elizabeth P replied 9 years ago

  I answered your question initially based on the comfort question... how and what I wear them with is very different.  Leggings with tunics or short dresses, and tights in the winter with dresses.  However... the BR dress you are looking at, if I were wearing that at home, and thinking of it as the same PJ level of comfort as my VC skirts, I'd be probably tempted to wear leggings and socks.  That can be tucked into boots if I left the house. 

• Aubergine replied 9 years ago

  I like them both! I tend to wear tights more often for work and for dressing up and leggings more often (with both tunics and dresses) for casual outfits. But, if I really had to choose one or the other, I'd probably pick leggings since they're easier to put on, don't get holes in them, and never lead to that lovely segmentation issue Aziraphale discussed.

  Since pants and I have a difficult relationship at best, I'm really glad my coloring and general preferences make black tights/leggings an easy option for me so I can wear skirts and dresses all winter without it being a huge effort. Although I do get sick of the constant parade of black and gray.

  At heart, I'm really on Team Skirts/Dresses With Bare Legs, but that's obviously a weather-limited option.

• Deb replied 9 years ago

  Team wool tights and hose with skirts, dresses and boots when it's cool, and bare legs when it is warm. I don't own any leggings beyond cotton waffle winter PJ leggings.....though I do have a pair of jeggings which are somewhere between a skinny jean and a legging. They look more like a pant than leggings do, but serve the same purpose. Occasionally I wear them with a long sweater or tunic. It's not that I dislike leggings on others, oh actually I do when women wear them with tops that are too short and they don't have the figure for it, they are just not for my personal preference.

• jackiec replied 9 years ago

  Well I should probably bench myself because it's mostly jeans for me....

  On the odd occasion that I wear a skirt/dress, it's only to go out. I always default to jeans/sweats at home. If I'm in a skirt/dress in the cooler season then it's always tights. I'm clueless with leggings.

• Suz replied 9 years ago

  Thank you all for indulging me on this! It seems we have a really wide variety of feelings and responses, just as I had expected! 

  Marley, I am sorry you are feeling sick. We are sick twinnies; I have been sick all week, too. :(   I hope you feel better very soon. And I hope I can come live with you someday so that I, too, don't ever have to learn the difference between tights and leggings! 

  IMO the distinction is like this: 

  Tights are legwear that usually covers the foot. The upper part makes it clear they are designed as "underwear" --- they usually have a cotton gusset and seams on the bum, either in the center of the bum or making a panel (like long johns). Sometimes they have a control panel; it will be thicker than the rest. You do wear underwear underneath them (well, at least, I do!!, LOL) but they are clearly a kind of undergarment in their own right. Basically, they are like thicker pantyhose. Sometimes they are fleece lined or made of wool; those ones are warmest. But they can also be made from man-made fibres of various kinds and they are more or less opaque depending on their thickness and what they are made from. 

  Leggings are generally thicker still and heavier weight. They don't have feet. They don't have a hose-like gusset. They may or may not have a control panel. They are designed to show, although most people do not feel they look good or appropriate with the bum showing, hence, coverage, with tunic length tops. Most of them are a bit more structured or girdling than tights. 

  I am beginning to wonder if I need to do some investigation into other kinds of leggings. 

  I will say that some of the most comfy things I own and wear in the winter are my thermal undies. I will happily wear those as "tights." I don't consider them leggings (because they are not girdling/ structured enough). 

• Angie replied 9 years ago

  Team Tights (although I wear hose - not tights). I prefer to go barelegged in the Summer though. 

  I don't wear leggings at all (anymore). I did six years ago - cropped with little zippers on the side - because they reminded me of the '80s, which you know is a decade close to my heart. See exhibit A. BUT. I still wore a proper outfit with them - otherwise I feel like I'm wearing pajamas when sporting leggings. 

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• Diana replied 9 years ago

  I feel like I should add that I wear leggings *as tights* the vast majority of the time, that is, under dresses and skirts (albeit short ones sometimes) and with the bottom tucked into boots. So, the question of not feeling adequately covered is a non issue here, as is the ankle breaking my leg line. Most of my leggings are soft and thin and definitely not pants. I dislike anything with control-anything, and most thicker material leggings are polyester-heavy anyway, which is a total dealbreaker.

  With true tunics (ie butt covering tops), I generally wear jeggings or skinnies. It's warmer anyway.

  Re: footless tights. I think of them as tights material (stretchy, thin), just with no feet. I actually sometimes make them myself by cutting the toes off regular tights (particularly if I had already gotten a hole in them. Microfiber tights surprisingly don't fray.

• Transcona Shannon replied 9 years ago

  Team Tights all the way! From October - April when wearing a skirt or dress, I layer with tights. I find leggings too bulky underneath and I get too hot with that much layered fabric. And I swear by Hue tights - it's the only brand I buy.

• Zibbets replied 9 years ago

  Team tights all the way for everything except for running in really cold weather. 

  It may be just my imagination or maybe I'm buying the wrong kind, but leggings add just enough extra bulk that I don't like the look on myself. On others, I often think they look great! I think it can be very flattering to show a little ankle or calf below the legging, but I haven't found the right legging/shoe combo for myself.

• Echo replied 9 years ago

  I am late to the party here, but I have to agree that tights and leggings are different animals and serve different purposes. Tights can ONLY be worn under dresses, garments long enough to cover them entirely, even when reaching or sitting. Leggings are thicker and have no feet and play the part of pants with a tunic - long enough to cover the bum while standing, but may come up without indecency while reaching or sitting. I make a point to purchase leggings thick enough that they never get sheer and can play the part of pants with the proper outfit.

  There are footless tights, but they are semi-sheer like tights tend to be and are generally used for dance IMO (at least that's what I always used them for). A person can usually tell the difference in stores because tights are usually packaged all rolled or folded up in a paper or cardboard wrapper. They often hang from a peg like socks. Leggings (at least the kind I prefer) are sold hung on hangers like pants or folded on racks like pants because they are normally too thick to be packaged as tights.

• lyn67 replied 9 years ago

  I really almost heard a "plonk" from dropping my mouth as I was reading this post. Thanx for starting it, Suz! (are you feelin'better?-I hope so:-)).

  I never ever could make leggings work  on my frame and my wardrobe with panache. But then, I thought I know what tights and leggings are.... Even mounching on Suz's latest definitions, I am rather like Astrid, now. Still clueless. 

  I know I wear kind of hose(call them nylons, sheers, opaques, patterned/lacey tights) all the way with skirts and dresses(all knee length or longer) in fall, spring and winter and when the  weather doesn't allow me bare legs(which I love best, even for dressier outfits).These have mostly a nr. of denier  5-30(max 40!) DEN.  Nothing thicker than that is required for my climate, or at least my everyday life, but I also consider anything thicker(and leggings usually ARE thicker) won't look appropiate with my skirts/dresses AND shoes. I guess I am on the dressier side, or just don't get it?

  Then, I tried so much with the leggings for tunics. But I have balerina like muscular tighs (as I did many years of classic ballett in my youth). So, my tunic length (which for others is usually midthigh or the mini length) would be exactly the same as my skirts and dresses lengths(around the knee)- so then, why bothering with other than tights, at all. Would have the bounch on the middle, and on my apple belly it's no fun at all.

  I now have a good amount of cellulite, too-which is showcasted through a regullar, body con leggings-so not fun either.

  Conclusion is, my tunics just  cannot end where my thighs are the widest if wearing regullar leggings-or I have to wear much thicker, and not so body con leggings-which are in the end not leggings anymore, rather some ponte skinnies or even better, some straight legs, at least.

  Still, I find a leggings with a tunic/dress(call it how you'd like!) having the right length a good(even edgy and/or creative look) on other womens(like Debs, for ex). But saddly, I cannot achieve that decent look for the life of me:-(.

  I have to leave now, but will return to read all the comments, so much to think and learn here. Maybe one day...:-)

• AviaMariah replied 9 years ago

  This has been a very educational read for me.  I am firmly on the tights side with dresses.  I do have to make sure I buy them big enough.  If I have to stretch them too much to get them on my toes can start to feel strangled and I get that droopy, constricted feeling in the crotch.  But to me they feel simple, warm and girding and I've worn them for years.
  For me I've never been able to get my brain around adding warmth to the legs but leaving the feet bare.  But that could be because my feet are the first thing to get cold.  Adding socks on top of leggings and then figuring out how to get the whole mess into a pair of shoes w/out looking silly always seemed like too much work to me.  I do have legging and I wear them with tunics (I call a shirt that covers the bum but not much longer than that a tunic) but I mostly wear them at home on weekends as lounge wear that's just barely nice enough to run an errand if I have to.  I wear them with socks around the house without worrying if they look silly or not and find them warm and cozy.  

• replied 9 years ago

  Quick answer: neither. Now I will have to go back and read through this thread! I didn't realize it had gotten so long. I'm bound to learn something!

• Gaylene replied 9 years ago

  Very useful thread, Suz. I now realize what I call my "leggings" are actually ponte skinnies. Pour me some of that hot chocolate.

• replied 9 years ago

  Wow - do I miss a lot in 12 hours :)  I'm the nut who has an entire large drawer full of leggings:  leather trimmed, plain stretchy ones, bamboo and fleece-lined ones, black, grey, even a brown leather /knit back pair...plus a million pair of athletic leggings (although for working out - oddly I refer to them as tights -even though they are leggings).  I also have a drawer full of tights - Hue, DKNY, and Calvin Klein - and these I wear all winter long under a dress or skirt . I have navy, grey, black and burgundy.  I can't imagine wearing actual leggings under a dress, but that's just a personal thing .  I wear leggings every day in the winter - either at home after working hours, and pretty much all weekend long.  Always with a top or jacket or something that appropriately covers.  Working out and being in gear is part of my lifestyle, and I'm comfortable enough to wear my workout gear (workout tights and all) out in public. My legs and body are in good enough shape (or were until apparently a month ago - lol) that I am not embarrassed to be seen in them. They are all super thick Lululemon or UA or Nike running-type tights - no show through . For example, I spend a lot of time in university and high school gyms in the winter watching Jill (DD ) play basketball, and I am comfortable in a pair of Lulu tights, a long sweatshirt type-top , runners, and a ski-type puffer - .  

  The only fit issues I have with leggings are my one-size fleece lined ones that get too stretched out to hold their shape at the waist after a month or two.  I think its because you are so petite that you are not big enough for even the smallest size - :)  

• replied 9 years ago

  Sorry for being so long -winded. It's your thread, not mine :)  But something else just occurred to me, which would explain why I seem to be among the minority in thinking leggings are great:  the forum seems to refer to what I call heavy knit (ponte) leggings as "ponte pants".  To me, anything that pulls on with no fly or zip is a legging.  That my be where i am misunderstanding this whole issue.  

• catgirl replied 9 years ago

  Lisa, IKWYM. These are the ponte leggings I mean, and they are not that different from skinnies except they pull on. Also the velvet tuxedo ones I just ordered....

• Keturah replied 9 years ago

  Now this is a very fun topic. 

  
  
  I like bare legs in the summer. Okay, I adore them! 
  
  
  However, I do love both tights and leggings for fall/winter wardrobe. I don't generally have issues with leggings. I avoid modal - rayon bags and doesn't hold shape. Something with spandex if I can, and thicker leggings are my preferred choice. I will not wear them as pants, i.e., I must have butt coverage. 

  I had good luck this fall with H&M cotton-spandex leggings. They're a bit thin, but they do the trick when worn with a tunic/mini dress. Also, not quite leggings, but Old Navy's Pixie Pant is a wonderful jegging/legging. I like them in the new "long" length very much. Am checking out Lysse and Albion Fit for their leggings next...

  As for tights... I adore them in beautiful colors and patterns (just bought a baroque floral patterned pair that has the design stitched in shiny black over a matte black background. They're gorgeous!) They are not as comfortable to me as leggings, but I do think they're beautiful and they make me feel more comfortable showing a bit of leg compared to bare legs. I wear tights with short dresses and maxi dresses. They feel kitschy to me worn with midi lengths, unless it's a pencil skirt.

  
  
  I do have a fit issues with tights -- Sophia Loren thighs, here. Usually I have a hard time getting enough room in the upper thigh, while I have excess ease in the lower leg. Sometimes the negative ease in the thighs causes sagging/pulling in the crotch area. It also takes me longer in the loo because I readjust everything to fit just so. 
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Lavinia replied 9 years ago

  Astrid, perhaps I am the one who got the termonology wrong, since I am not an English native speaker :)
  When I refer to footless tights I mean very thick fleece-lined Ergee tights that I bought in Kik. You probably know that store, since you're German :)
   I am not referring to them as leggings, because they have seams down the bum cheeks. But it's possible that they were sold as Thermo-Leggings, even though the do not qualify as leggings in my book.
  WARNING: The picture below may not be safe for work. It is to illustrate the positioning of the seams on my fleece-lined footless tights. 

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• Suz replied 9 years ago

  Well, I am ALSO learning like crazy.  Thank you! 

  Angie, I love that outfit on you! I remember it very well - and in fact is one reason I keep trying to make leggings work for me! I like the 80s vibe of leggings, too.

  And Lisa -- I will also happily wear my workout gear to and from the gym and don't feel bad about being caught in it (as long as the workout capsule is up to date and not all scrungy, LOL.) The workout leggings are good quality and with the right jacket/ hoodie, etc. they look just fine on me, I think. Significantly, they don't fall down like my fashion leggings, LOL. 

  I also own a couple of pairs of legging -like stretchy jeans and ponte pants.

  And I LOVE those for tucking into boots or just for wearing at home with slippers. But I consider these actual pants. Not leggings. 

  Why? Well....they have an actual working zipper and actual back pockets. (In one case, the front pockets are sewn shut; the others have actual working front pockets, too.) 

  So to me, this makes them pants. It also means they stay up on me. I can put a belt on if I need to. 

  Gaylene, do yours have a zipper? 

  I used to own a side-zip pair of cigarette type pants from Gap or someplace. Those were some kind of ponte material. They weren't leggings even though they didn't have pockets. But they weren't as tight as leggings. 

  Also -- Hear ye, hear ye -- I am not that petite!!  I am 5'4" and weigh between 51-53 kgs or 113-119 pounds (depending on activity levels and how much of my daughter's Halloween candy I consume, LOL). Right now I am at the higher end of my weight, and my leggings are still falling down. But maybe I need to try a different brand. I'm seriously going to investigate.

  I do think it may be exactly what Lyn mentions. It may be that the darn things grab ahold of my thighs and just pull south from there. Hmmmm. 

  Claire -- you never need to learn this as long as you live in Arizona! Keep your beautiful head clear for more relevant matters like what kind of toppers will take you from broiling hot outdoors to freezing AC without looking or feeling ridiculous. 

   

• N-Marie replied 9 years ago

  Gah, team leggings all the way. I am unused to anything that fits tightly at the waist (have always worn lower rise pants and leggings) so tights feel terribly uncomfortable to me. I only wear them if I absolutely must, which is basically never since I live in a very mild climate.

• Astrid replied 9 years ago

  Lavinia, I know what kind of leggings (ha!) you mean. I get why someone would think to call them tights, but I personally think it's the wrong term. Probably because to me tights are Strumpfhosen (Strumpf=sock/stocking). If I have no socks it doesn't make much sense to call it Strumpfhose. Oh and if you want to differenciate between thick woolen tights and hose you put a Fein (=delicate) in front: Feinstrumpfhosen. Leggings are to me everything that has no feet, regardless of wearability on its own/with a tunic/whatever.

• replied 9 years ago

  When I see leggings all I can think of is cold feet! No thank you!!

• Louise replied 9 years ago

  For me leggings and tights are totally different ball games. I wear tights with dresses which are around knee length and below and I wear leggings with dresses (tunics) between lower and mid thigh, anything shorter than mid-ish thigh length needs trousers in my world. Leggings for me are generally casual-er than tights. I do have exceptions to my own rule in that I will wear leggings with my work dresses when it's really cold, the leggings keep my legs warmer than tights and I can add thick socks to keep my feet warm x

• Suja replied 9 years ago

  Exactly what Louise said.  I wear both.  Tights are dressier and slightly less comfortable than leggings for me (but still manageable for home).  Short dresses or tunics work with leggings, while longer dresses and skirts work better with tights for me.

  I have been experimenting with gray, burgundy and brown tights to try to lighten the look vs black.  It has been challenging and don't think I have hit on a winning color combo yet.  I pretty much only wear black leggings.

• Janet replied 9 years ago

  Oh goodness, what a thread you started! I haven't even read it all yet, but here's my response. 

  I don't particularly like either. Other than running and cycling gear, I do not own any leggings. I have a pair of jeggings but that's it. Tights work for me with dresses and skirts in the winter, but I don't really love tunics on me, so leggings are kind of pointless. Every time I've tried a leggings look, it just seems wrong. I have always just figured it's because my legs are rather thick in relation to the rest of me, so leggings just seem to emphasize that. Jeans and even jeggings seem to give a bit more impression that what you're seeing is fabric, not the expanse of my leg. ;-) 

  
  So I suppose I default to Team Tights. 

• Gaylene replied 9 years ago

  My Eileen Fisher leggings(?) don't have zippers or pockets. They have a substantial elastic waistband that stays put and are a heavy ponte-type knit so that's why I've always called them leggings, not pants. They are snug enough to tuck nicely into tall boots but don't show every lump and bump because of the substantial fabric. Maybe they are just tight-fitting old lady pants? In that case, I need a shot of something in my hot chocolate to salve my ego.

• Marley replied 9 years ago

  OK - thank you all for the explanations!  I think that I understand the difference between the two now - and so, my response regarding Team Tights or Leggings would be neither!  ;-)  

  I do wear leggings (I think that's what they would be called) to the gym and/or to run - but do not stop at the grocery store/post office, etc. on my way to or from the gym.  "Sporty" is one of my style descriptors - but so is "Cool"  (hahaha!) and to me, leggings in the grocery store are just soooo NOT cool!

   If I lived in a cold climate, I am sure that I would wear tights under my dresses or skirts and boots - but I think that I would make sure that they did not show because I don't really care for the look of opaque tights.  BUT warmth trumps style - so who knows what I would really do????

• Louise replied 9 years ago

  Suja I've found coloured tights much easier to handle if I wear shoes in the same colour group x

• Suz replied 9 years ago

  Louise, so right -- or if you keep the whole thing (skirt/ tights/ shoes) in the same colour family. Can be different tones, but similar. 

  Gaylene, I laughed out loud at the well placed question mark. You are fully entitled to a shot of Baileys in your hot chocolate. But those are not "old lady" pants -- they are genuine bona fides leggings. 

  Marley, I still want to come live with you. Paradise: the place where neither leggings nor tights are ever necessary!!! 

  Janet, you have made me feel so much better about myself. You have such gorgeous long gams, and even you have trouble with leggings? Well, I feel fully vindicated. I just don't like how tunics/ leggings look on me...I wish I did. But if you have problems with it, too, then that makes me feel better. It is our strong thighs. ;) 

• SW Ann replied 9 years ago

  I am "team tights", if it's ever cold enough to wear them.  I've lived in Tucson now 15 years and have worn tights exactly twice.....Hue is my favored brand.
  Leggings are just not comfortable to me--they grab at the tunic I try wearing with them; then I feel exposed (er, maybe I am--so I won't leave the house in them).  I think of tunics as much shorter than a dress--or a dress that has "become" too short due to shrinkage or overestimating my daring...:)  Then it goes to Goodwill.

• replied 9 years ago

  I'm team yoga pants right now (that's what I'm wearing). Does that count? They're so comfortable I can sleep in them.

• Karie replied 9 years ago

  Tights with skirts/dresses in winter when it's too cold for stockings or bare legs, and leggings with tunics for at home wear only. To keep your tights up, wear your undies on the outside :) To keep up your leggings, replace/add additional elastic at the waistband.

• Gail replied 9 years ago

  Hmm , I like footless tights if I am wearing a dress or skirt with boots as I cannot stand the tight pulling feeling around my toes. I have to find the right pair though. If they are tight I dislike the waistband which can be pretty skinny digging into the flubber around my waist which then makes me look lumpy! When I fly I generally wear a loose dress and put leggings underneath with boots as they keep me warmer and the waist is usually looser and then I am able to sleep haha . I have tried to like leggings with sweaters but they never look the way I want them to. I am team tights, but footless if possible.

• deb replied 9 years ago

  OK, everyone, I forgot I used to order tights from here. They have everything imaginable.

  http://www.mytights.com/us/

• catgirl replied 9 years ago

  Another really fun place for foot and leg wear:

  http://www.sockdreams.com/

• Suz replied 9 years ago

  Wow, you two are amazing! Thank you for those links. And now we can all go shopping. :)

• catgirl replied 9 years ago

  You know, posting the link has made me realize that I much prefer patterned tights. I love the intricate lacy wool ones or out there prints. But those are not always practical or warm. Hmmmm... I'm over the solid black opaque look which is so ubiquitous here. What to do, Winter Fabbers?

• Janet replied 9 years ago

  Una, can you layer a patterned one over a solid black tight? I used to do that and I think it can look interesting and add an extra layer. I would try it again if I ever find a solid color winter dress that works for me. It is a highly elusive item.

• Jenny H replied 9 years ago

  100% team tights. I don't have any comfort problems in general. If I have a pair that causes comfort problems, I don't keep that pair. I wear skirts to work most days of the week all year long-- with tights in winter. I actually wish I could keep wearing tights all summer. I run cold in my office and tights would help. But I'm in and out of the office too much and it gets far far too hot for tights in the summer.

• DonnaF replied 9 years ago

  Re complaints that tights slide down:  It occurred to me that I occasionally had that problem until I learned to size up.  I carry my weight in my legs, so even if I am in the middle of the size chart by height and weight, tights in that size don't necessarily *feel* the best or really work for me.  I rarely have problems with the larger size bagging out on me, and they are so much more comfortable.

  Famous last words.  This thread prompted me to order a pair of tights (DKNY reversible ones on sale) during Nordstrom's Double Points Days earlier this week.  Just to be *sure*, I ordered tights in two sizes:  What the chart said and one size up.  I will try the larger first, and only if it gives me elephant legs will I open the smaller size.  I love Nordstrom's return policy.

• jurocha replied 9 years ago

  Team Tighs all the way. I despise leggings; find them uncomfortable and ugly/undressed.

  For working at home in winter, I go dresses (with thighs or just throw a day blanket on my legs while at the computer) or, sometimes, also gear. This way, I squeeze workout in btw the tasks I have to finish for the office. (Plus some half hour of exercise do wonders for any writer's block for me.)