How To: Leggings, Tights & Pantyhose

Random "How To" blog post. :P I figured, since there are readers e-mailing me to ask me how to wear leggings - asking me questions like "What do I wear leggings with?" and "Can plus-sized girls can wear tights?", it'd be fun to do a short piece on this topic!

Because there's so much literature about leggings, I've decided there are only five things you need to know about shopping online for leggings. :D Let's keep straight to the points!

1. Leggings, Tights or Pantyhose?
First of all, you should be aware of the huge variety of leggings, tights & pantyhose available in Malaysian blogshops or online boutiques. Leggings, tights and pantyhose are actually three different things - and their differences are in terms of material, thickness and purpose - but because you can easily Google up the info, I'll just refer to leggings/tights/pantyhose as "Leggings" for the sake of simplifying this blog post. :P

2. Length
Second thing to keep in mind are the four different lengths available:

• "Stirrups" or saddle leggings: These have a "saddle" where your heel goes through and your toes are not covered. No worries, pictures are shown later in this blog post.
• Ankle-length leggings
  
• Calf-length or knee-length leggings
  
• Full-length leggings: These leggings cover your toes and feet, everything.
  

3. Material
Third, there's the material to take note of - nowadays, there's a lot more than just the cotton or lycra leggings. There's also PVC or "liquid" leggings and denim leggings.

4. Embellishments, Prints & Patterns

The fourth thing you need to know is the endless pool of different embellishments, prints and colours. You can have your leggings with zippers or studs, even cosmetic jewellery and diamante embellishments. You can have your leggings plain or patterned - whether with funky designs or feminine florals. You can also wade around in the fun trend of neon-coloured tights that was brought back to life by Gossip Girl and the revival of 80's fashion style. :D

5. The Cardinal Rule

Here's the last bit. Personally, I don't believe in "fashion rules" like leggings not looking good on plus-sized girls, or how coloured leggings are only for teenagers. I think that fashion is all about having fun - so you can wear anything you like, as long you like it. So if you have to have the one cardinal rule when it comes to wearing leggings - I guess it's that your top has to be long enough to cover your butt - covering your hips and upper thighs ... not because it's something the "fashion police" say, but because you probably don't want to end up looking like this:

Personal Recommendations

Confession time. :P I'm quite a fan of leggings - or well, this is how I am about most things, whether bags, bangles, maxi dresses or tights like these - and I have a personal collection that I guard as jealously as a hamster. :D Although, I have to admit, I didn't realise I had a dozen pairs of leggings until I took them out to photograph for this blog post! I guess I don't need any more, ever. :P Unless these spoil. :(

Anyway, I guess a lot of people don't feel comfortable with trying out products they've never tried before unless someone they know has tried it already - so maybe this personal take from Your Shopping Kaki may help some of you out there. :) My personal stats for your reference: UK size 16 bottom (yes, I'm plus-sized too!) and 5'6". So all these leggings fit me and are not too short at all. :)

Above we have some full-length leggings and hosiery. :) Left to right.

First, my staple full-length black leggings for cold lecture halls: unbelievably thick, warm, insanely stretchable, and 2000 deniers - I bought this pair from Sungei Wang Plaza (Level G) for RM16.90. Not see-through at all and very tahan lasak ('tough').
Next to it is a pair of thin, sheer, super stretchable and comfy grey pantyhose from Midnight Glam, RM12.
Then there's a pair of sheer black hosiery with gorgeous floral patterns on the sides from Sensual Seductionz, RM20. Instant love and seriously comfortable!
Last two pairs of tights on the far right - in grey and black - are absolute bargains from Agape Boutique, which is definitely one of my favourite ready-stock blogshops. RM14 each. These are sheer on me, but will be less see-through on anyone with size 10 hips or smaller. :P

Above are my stirrups and coloured leggings. :P Left to right.

The first pair - thick black stirrups, a gift from my bestie, purchased at Do Not Bleach, RM19. These are actually my first pair of leggings. :D
The grey stirrups are also a gift from another friend, purchased at My Clothes Affair. I'm not sure of the price, but MCA has an entire site dedicated to tights - apty called MCA Tights - so definitely check them out if you don't know where to start!
Now for the coloured leggings. :D I call these Just For Fun leggings, for lazy days at the mall or for hanging out with your craziest closest friends. I think all of these are 120-280 denier leggings. The maroon one I bought from Ministry Of Clothes for around RM15, the electric blue for RM10-15 from My Clothes Affair, and the purple for around that price as well from Rob My Closet.

And then we have this pair above. My favourite leggings in the world. I wear them 6 out of 7 days in a week (don't worry, I alternate between three pairs, haha). These are so comfortable, and not too sheer or too thick, and are ankle-length - so I wear them with flats or with wedges. All my friends have at least a pair of these, because word spreads like wildfire among shopaholics. :P

We actually bought them from the now-closed-down Our Mutual Passion, but now it's possibly available for around RM20 from J's Fashion Diary as they are trying to stock the same pair (the two blogshop owners are friends). It's out of stock at the moment (tragic news) but once the supplier replenishes stock, having your name on a waiting list with Jenny would be good for you. :)

Perhaps other blogshops also have this particular pair of leggings, but I really don't dare to say because I wouldn't know if the material is the same. This material is seriously one of a kind, the sort that all leggings afficionados will recognise as instant love.

So, that's my bit on leggings, tights and pantyhose for the online shopping community! :) Hope that's helped in your shopping, even if in a very small way. :P Feel free to leave comments if you have anything to share about this topic!

*Edit (19 October): I forgot about one pair of leggings and just bought a new pair this weekend, so here are some additional info! :P

Denim leggings
Sometimes playfully called "Jeggings". LOL.
Bought a pair of three-quarter denim leggings from Clothes Cottage. :)
They're not as stretchy or flexible as cotton leggings, but are definitely not sheer.
I just checked, and full-length denim leggings appear to be in-store at Clothes Cottage
if any of you are interested! Not sure if the blogshop is active though - but you can try! :D

Liquid matte leggings, RM24
My latest leggings acquisition, elusive One-Size-Fits-All liquid leggings,
from the increasingly popular Jessabella's Plus Size Stealz! :D
Fits UK 4 to UK 20, how awesome is this? Bought them and tried them on already! :D
These are sold out at her site now, but zipper liquid leggings
and non-zipper ones are available and restockable! ;)
They're almost exactly the same as mine, just glossier.

Happy Shopping!
Your Shopping Kaki :)