Leggings

Leggings
A woman wearing black leggings
TypeClothing worn around the 2 legs, usually up to the ankle
Materialfabric

Leggings are several types of leg attire that have varied through the years. Modern usage from the 1960s onwards has come to refer to elastic close-fitting high-rise garments worn over the legs typically by women, such as leg warmers or tights. Usage from the 18th century refers to men's wear usually made of cloth or leather that is wrapped around the leg down to the ankle.[1] In the 19th century, leggings usually referred to infants' leg clothing that were matched with a jacket, as well as leg-wrappings made of leather or wool and worn by soldiers and trappers.[2] Leggings prominently returned to women's fashion in the 1960s, drawing from the form-fitting clothing of dancers. With the widespread adoption of the synthetic fibre Lycra and the rise in popularity of aerobics, leggings came to further prominence in the 1970s and 1980s, and eventually made their way into streetwear.[3] Leggings are a part of the late 2010s into the 2020s athleisure fashion trend of wearing activewear outside sporting activities and in casual settings.[4]

  1. ^ Valerie Cumming (2010), "Leggings", The Dictionary of Fashion History, Berg, ISBN 9781847887382
  2. ^ Mary Brooks Picken (2013), "Leggings", A Dictionary of Costume and Fashion: Historic and Modern, Courier Corporation, ISBN 9780486141602
  3. ^ Kaori O'Connor (2011), "Lycra, Aerobics, and the Rise of the Legging", Lycra: How A Fiber Shaped America, Routledge, pp. 121–146, 127
  4. ^ "The 'Athleisure' Trend", Words We're Watching, Merriam-Webster, 2015, archived from the original on 13 April 2017, retrieved 12 April 2017