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Sunday, October 11, 2009

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
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
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 :)

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

HAHAHA babe i also didnt know you have so many leggingS! :D now i'm tempted for more!

Diyana said...

great info.

have you come across seamless leggings? i'm looking for those now, cause when wearing leggings with body hugging long top, can see all the seams, not pretty at all, same as VPL.

so right now am looking for thick cotton seamless leggings. do update if you any blogshops that sells them! thanks!

Diyana said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Your Shopping Kaki said...

Hi Diyana,

Seamless leggings here for RM18: http://avenuejv.blogspot.com/2009/08/lelong-lelong-market-place.html

Enjoy! :D

..:: d a w n ::.. said...

OMG !!! i love the black leggins also ! hahha the ones we got from OMP ! i wan moreee i tell u i wan more ! argh

mel said...

Hi Sha-Lene :)
I love leggings too, but I only on a pair now. I bought them from MCA, quite possibly the same as yours, because they're soo thick! I've only worn them once, because although I like them, but I fear my thighs would look like 'sarung nangka' (very tight) lol. Do you know any place that I can get leggings thicker than MCA's? MCA's are thick, but I could still see some bits of skin, as I'm bottom-heavy too!

Your Shopping Kaki said...

Hi Mel :) You mean leggings that are thicker than the ones you have? Well the thickest pair I know of are my 2000 Denier (or was it 2800 deniers? I lost the packaging, haha) ones from Sg Wang :D Super thick and not see through at all. Sucks in the tummy too :D

Definitely try there for leggings if you want to feel the different materials for different leggings! :) Then you can compare the prices online and offline :D

Anonymous said...

hi, it's my first time considering on getting leggings.... i apologise for my ignorance.... but what does deniers mean? do leggings match with boots that reach your knees?

Your Shopping Kaki said...

Hi Anonymous - yes, leggings usually go very well with boots! For ideas on how to wear them together, you can Google Images "Leggings Boots" and see what images come up.

Deniers - I'm not sure what they mean, but the higher the number, the thicker the leggings are. :)

Jia Er. said...

hey! love your blog :)
i have a question;
i am a size 16 too!
and i wonder;
where can i can colorful leggings on the net :3 its so hard to find it nowadays;

Your Shopping Kaki said...

Hi Jia Er, you can buy coloured leggings from My Clothes Affair! :) www.myclothesaffair.blogspot.com

But if you're talking about colourful leggings like my rainbow socks on the banner, haha I have no idea where to buy those :(

Jia Er. said...

haha sorry to confuse but when i mean colorful i mean those red,aqua,yellow ones :D bright bright colorful ones. :D thanks!

Diyana said...

thanks YSK, that's the only one i've come across so far.

any idea where to get it in colors other than black n white?

most of the ones i found dun mention if they're seamless.

From Chatbox said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Your Shopping Kaki said...

Hi Diyana :) Avenue JV is the only blogshop I know selling them - and only in black as far as I know - but you can try asking My Clothes Affair if they are stocking seamless tights soon. :)

They specialise in leggings after all :D

missy said...

the best ones i've had so far are from Supre Australia. Cant see skin even when stretched. and not too thick, so it's very comfy in our weather. it was around AU$12-15 i think.

cotton on has some good ones as well. and forever21. around RM35 onwards.

best about them is that they're sized, not like most blogshop ones, free size. i bought a freesized one before, and it didn't even fit me, and i'm usually an S-M.

mel said...

Hey Sha-Lene. I think our leggings from MCA are 2800 deniers (if I correctly recall what the owner told me hehe).
Erm, may I know which shops in Sg Wang you are referring to? On which floor?
I always get lost when I go to Sg Wang -.- All the lanes look like maze to me.. I keep ending up at the same shops, when I wanna go to others!

From Chatbox said...

Rachel 2009-10-11 2:23 AM
"I personally loveee your post on leggings coz I'm of those who are very clueless regarding them, and have yet to try 'em out :p"

J's Fashion Diary 3:28 AM
"sha-lene is the one who got me trying out leggings too hahaha"

TSB 5:13 AM
"sha-lene, sometimes i jusst looove your blog! *respect :) keep it up!!!"

Your Shopping Kaki said...

Hi Mel :) I'm pretty sure my grey saddle leggings from MyClothesAffair are not denier-type leggings at all, as they're thick and not as stretchy. But my electric blue ones are very soft and stretchable - but they're 280 deniers maximum. :)

The only 2800 denier leggings I've ever come across are the Sungei Wang pair I featured above. :D They're really thick and very different - more like for winter wear, haha. But on plus-sized girls they're just nice. :) But actually, my UK size 6 friend is the one who recommended me to buy that pair, because she has a pair herself that she wears! So it's really fitting for all sizes.

As for which shops in Sungei Wang - the one we bought our super thick leggings from is the famous corner shop. It's on the Ground floor. It's usually insanely crowded, and has no walls.

But if you can't find that particular shop, you can find leggings in most shops in Sg Wang anyway. :) You can ask Lydia (www.prettyclothestogo.blogspot.com) for directions to this particular corner shop I'm talking about - she'll be able to give you better directions as I totally sent her the wrong way in the past (by accident!). Lol!

mel said...

Alright. Thanks so much Sha-Lene for your help :) I'm gonna go scour Sg Wang to find those 'winter' leggings! Will ask Lydia when & if I couldn't find the shop on my own lol.

btw, your posts are very entertaining, AND helpful! thanks so much for helping us readers! aaaaand, you're a plus-size too! that's totally awesome, coz not all of us shoppers are less than UK12!

p/s: jessabella has got some tie-dyed leggings for us! am thinking of getting one ;)

Michelle said...

hi sha-lene, know anywhere else I can get tights and leggings for plus-sizers on the net? for about a UK18 :) looking for opaque tights in solid colours.

Your Shopping Kaki said...

Hi Michelle :)

Whoops so sorry for the late reply, I seem to have missed your comment! :(

Anyway, haha tights that are not sheer on non-plus-sized girls will sometimes be opaque on plus-sized girls, so you can try the coloured tights at www.mca-tights.blogspot.com :) I just read read today that they are restocking!

I've also seen a pair of plus-size opaque tights at Soul Quirky. :)

As for sites to keep an eye on for plus-size tights, definitely look at Jessabella's Plus Size Stealz - and watch the blogshops on my "Plus Size" blogroll as well ! :)

Loretta Lucia said...

I have emailed Jessabella twice about the leggings but i have not received any reply from her =(
I want that liquid leggings so badly =(

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Unknown said...

Thanks for such a lovely post. I usually buy my leggings and tights from Citrusox. They have a really good collection and come in different colours and style.

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