Today I will address the topic of leggings as a fashionista traveler’s best friend. No really, I mean it. Laugh all you want now, but by the end of the post, you’ll probably agree with me.
(and thank me eternally)
[Tweet “Travel divas, there’s one rule to remember, just one: LEGGINGS AREN’T PANTS. “]
But they can help you decrease the size of your suitcase by a whole lot of space.
Let’s start with the picture on the left. You’ll notice the lady on the left is wearing a tunic that goes past her crotch and her butt. This is good.
You’ll notice the girl on the right has camel-toe. ‘nough said.
Yes, I agree with all you legging haters out there, the trend can be abused and taken to extraordinary levels of apparent lack of self awareness. And with this picture:
I rest my case.
I’m not here to dis the leggings, I’m here to show you why you need them in your backpack/suitcase/trunk whatever you travel with.
And so, one more time, to drive the point home: One rule, THEY ARE NOT PANTS.
If your shirt’s too short wear a long tank under it like the smart girl on the left did.
So what’s so magical about leggings that every traveling lady needs to pack them?
- They’re versatile.
- They dress up or down.
- They take up no space.
- They’ll save you on your laundry bills.
- They spice up your traveling wardrobe.
Done.
Go out and get yourselves some leggings, thank me later.
Ok, fine. I’ll elaborate a bit.
They’re versatile:
They’re not pants remember… but they are your PJs, your workout gear, your sweats, your undergarment, and that thing you wear under a stylin’ tunic.
If you get yourself a nice pair of cozy cotton leggings, and of course they’re NOT a size too small for you, they’ll do just fine as PJ bottoms.
Remember the 80’s? Yeah, I doubt you’re packing leg warmers, but you probably have a one piece bathing suit, or some light-weight board-shorts you can throw on top of them. And actually, if your leggings are heavy enough, the gym is probably the one place you can get away with wearing them with no crotch coverage. Just make sure they don’t get transparent when you’re doing downward dog and you’re set for crossfit, yoga, p90x… or whatever you’re into
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When it gets cold outside and the pants you did pack don’t seem to be doing the job, layer a pair of leggings underneath… Ta-da!
When you’re not in the mood to dress up and you wish you had big comfy sweat pants… pull on a pair of leggings.. they’re just as comfy I promise, and throw on a nice long t-shirt and sweatshirt on top of that… You’re out the door.
But if you do feel like dressing up, well that’s the best part of leggings!
They dress up or they dress down.
Allow me to demonstrate…
This chic’s not going out for a night on the town:
Nah, she’s roughing it in the “bad part of town” but she’s comfy, because she’s wearing leggings. (her hoody’s a little short, I would have put on a nice long tank under that, because they’re not pants, remember!)
Now if you’re not the hoodie kind of girl don’t worry, you’ll be just as comfortable with an oversized sweater over your non-pants.
These sweaters aren’t too convenient for travel packing, they’re probably pretty heavy and take up a lot of space in your bag, but if you’re doing a short trip to Paris, one oversized sweater won’t hurt.
Really though, if you pair your leggings with a nice long v-neck shirt, and throw on a denim jacket, and a pair of flats, you’ll look effortlessly fabulous and you can spend all of that brain space you didn’t waste on your wardrobe on trying to figure out how to say “bus” in vietnamese.
But what if you do want to go out on the town?
Take that same v-neck, those same leggings the gangstah girl above was wearing, throw on some heels and a black blazer, you just went from street-chique to elegant.
This pretty lady on the left is showing us how to step it up a notch, she’s got fancy pleather leggings, an over-priced tunic, plus a cute tote… you won’t be needing all of that.
It’s all about your accessories. Sure you might not have packed heels either (although now that I’ve cleared up a cubic foot of space in your suitcase previously taken up by all of the other pants you thought you needed… maybe you have the room for small heels!) but a cute pair of dressy flats that take up no space at all in your knapsack will do the trick. (Or go to your local salvation army and spend 5 bucks on heels for the night, if you’re somewhere you need to dress up, there’s a second hand clothing store nearby, and your purchase helps local shelters)
If you’re really in a pinch and you didn’t plan anything at all, you can borrow your boyfriend’s button up and throw a belt over it. Really. The girl above on the right is pulling it off nicely.
Now you’re thinking:
“Oh look at all these tiny girls with long legs! I’m not that skinny,
I can’t pull off leggings”
WRONG!!! If you’re a plus size there’s just another tiny rule to add to our one rule and you’re good to go: WEAR A BELT. That is all.
Because you should already remember our first rule (they’re not pants) so you’ll be wearing something that covers your private parts, but the bigger worry for heavier set ladies is looking like a shapeless bag of potatoes with a giant shapeless tunic covering your lovely curves.
Chances are if you’re uncomfortable with your legs, leggings will give you a boost in confidence, and also allow you to wear something a bit shorter than you could with no pants, which will enhance your proportions.
[Tweet “You’ve got curves, use them!”]
See the lady on the very left?She’s wearing a tunic that’s tight around her bust right below the chachas.Given the choice of color is to vomit, but the tight waist along with the length, which is just a little shorter than what she could pull off with absolutely no pants, makes her look fabulous.
The lady in the center looks like she threw on silk sheet. No shape.
The lady on the very right, with that gorgeous blouse, is completely lost in the teal! You’ve got curves, use them!
Here’s a lady who’s doing it right:
Anyway, this isn’t a post teaching you how to make use of your body, this is a post about leggings and why you they’re an absolute travel wardrobe must-have.
So far I’ve talked mostly about black leggings, they go with everything, they’re wonderful, you should have a few pairs so when one’s dirty you have spares. You should have a couple others in some muted neutral colors that go with everything and anything you have or pick up along the way, (grey is good) but don’t stop there, go wild!
They spice up your traveling wardrobe.
If you get sick of them you can trade them with a fellow traveler in exchange for a new crazy pair of non-pants, or just grab another fanciful pair along the way.
[Tweet “Leggings fold up to the size of panties! Travel with some wild patterns to spice up your wardrobe”]
Really, they are made in bulk in most textile meccas and shipped worldwide for the fashion police to cringe over in some of the most surprisingly remote parts of the world.
We’ve got our fair share of cobalt, lime, or shiny silver leggings paired with non-color-coordinated lace tops here in the Dominican Republic, I can’t wait to see how other cultures abuse them!!!
But I won’t leave you with the foul taste of overly highlighted genitalia on your mind, instead I’ll leave you with some photos of how leggings are done RIGHT, to try to convince you one last time why more of us ladies need to adopt them and un-soil their name.
No Jeggings were harmed in the making of this post, but I kinda wish they had’ve been.
Haha, fun post! I am definitely in the leggings-are-not-pants-but-are-still-a-travel-essential camp with you! I always make sure to have a nice pair of comfy black ones with me when I travel. They go great under dresses and long shirts (especially when visiting places where you need to cover your knees!), and then I can use them as my PJs at night. Love ’em!
I have a pair of short grey leggings I wear every time I get on the busses here in the DR which are way too air conditioned. When I get on the bus I slip on a pair of real sweat pants right on top of the leggings to keep me nice and warm, and when I’m ready to go back out to the sweltering heat take them off again. It makes “changing” really quick and easy, and I don’t have to freeze to death.
covering up in more modest countries is definitely a bonus too.
Definition of PANTS: “a garment shaped to cover the body from the waist to the ankles or knees with separate tube-shaped sections for both legs.” You must be extremly stupid or ignorant to claim leggings aren’t pants. Just because they happen to be close fitting form of pants, it does not make them any less of a pants. Anyone can wear anything, anyway the f*** they want, regardless of what silly fashionistas has to say. What a bunch of judgemental ignorant f****…
Dear Ariaaaaa,
We’re very sorry to have offended you, it seems you missed the tongue-in-cheek aspect to our blog.
Mostly we hoped to make our readers laugh, I guess you can’t please everyone.
Having said that and in my defense, no one, regardless of the actual definition of “pants” should be forcefully exposed to the maxi pad sticking out of the underwear of the lady in front of them on the escalator because her “pants” are too thin to be opaque.
That’s not a fashion tip, just common courtesy.
We appreciate your feedback though, I hope you don’t mind that I starred out the swear words, I think we’ve offended enough people for the day ;)
Have a good one, and see you again soon!
Kindest regards,
Jade
Note taken. I’ll bring a pair when I visit the DR in the spring :)
I’m so excited ;)
Interesting! I actually hate leggings. But I don’t hate them per se. I hate the way some girls/women wear them and I am so glad you wrote this post.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the comment Renuka!
Yes, some of us just don’t know when we are displaying too much of a good thing. Since I like to work out I try to buy as many long tunic-like shirts to help me transition from the gym to my errand routine. I am 60 but had been an avid runner for years so my legs are pretty ok in tights but most everyone can pull it off. However, I would advise women over 50 to cover their butts whenever possible. It just isn’t dignified….;-)
first off, Kathleen, you’re gorgeous! Second, I’m right there with you! “It just isn’t dignified….;-)” LOL
Thanks for stopping by!
Are you coming/Have you been to Chile?
We are currently in Santiago and since my arrival I have been constantly muttering under my breath, ‘leggings are not pants’! The local women seem to not understand this, and there is a plethora of women of all shapes and sizes here strutting their stuff in undersized leggings instead of wearing pants!
Hello Yasha!
Gabriel’s family is from Chile but we haven’t been together yet. I don’t think the legging thing is unique to Chile though, I’ve seen it EVERYWHERE.
Thanks for dropping in!
I agree. Jeggings are great if you want to conserve on space, but they should definitely been worn appropriately at all times. It’s amazing how many women don’t look in the mirror closely before going out in public. Jeggings are one of those articles of clothing that should be checked from all angles.
I’ve been wanting to get a pair of leggings but kept thinking they’re too thin and everyone will see way more of me than I’d like and now I know why: Leggings are not pants! lol. I’ve just been watching everyone wear them wrong. It makes sense. When I dress my 4 year old daughter I pair her tunics with tights or thin knit pants. If she wore t-shirts you’d see the pattern of her underwear so if she can’t get away with it why should a grown woman?
Thanks so much for this post. Can’t wait to have a big legging collection!
That’s the spirit Elizabeth!!! And especially now that we’re coming into the fall season, not only are there the regular lycra leggings that have become oh so popular, but there’s still the option of getting some wool leggings, the kind my grandma made me wear under dresses in the winters in France :) Alternatively, try some regular leggings with knee high leg warmers. Hot. (and warm)
This was funny! I thought Dominican ladies won the prize though when it came to showing off their *ahem* assets!
I’ve never been able to get myself to wear leggings out of my house, but I must admit I’m old fashioned. (My sister has picked up on the trend and sometimes I have had to point out that her private parts are just that – private).
Thanks for stopping by Carson! Glad you enjoyed the read. Remember, Family doesn’t let family wear leggings as pants. ;)
Family doesn’t let family wear leggings as pants. ;)
:P
(thanks for poppin’ by Crezy, thanks glad you enjoyed)
Hello,
Can you please tell me where you took the picture from of the girl in the leather pants and nude wrap blouse? I was looking for the blouse for my 40th birthday. Thank you kindly :)
Gina,
Thanks so much for stopping by unfortunately I’m afraid I can’t help you much with this as none of the pictures on this post were taken by us, they’ve been pooled from royalty free images on the internet. Try to “search google with this image”
Hopefully that helps!
Happy 40th birthday, may you have many more beautiful years!
Jade
You are a fucking judgemental asshole. First of all I think a majority of people can agree that they have worn leggings as pants and *gasp* didn’t wear a shirt that covered both their crotch and their ass. While some people do take it to the extreme of wearing leggings that are see-through, or 2 sizes too small, I see no problem with wearing a pair from say, PINK. Onto your comments about how thicker women have to wear belts or (like so rudely said about the gorgeous woman in the blue tunic), they end up “looking like they threw on a sheet”, or something ignorant to that effect. Now in my opinion People should be able to wear whatever they damn well please without having to worry about following ridiculous rules that society has created for them. Long story short, if this was supposed to be funny, it wasn’t. It’s funny to make people feel bad about how they look or what they wear.
Maddie,
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment!
People are entitled to wear what they please, as they do!
However, not everything one wears flatters them! If someone doesn’t care how they look and wants to wear clothing for comfort, by all means, do what you wish. Lord knows I’ve broken my own leggings-aren’t-pants rule more often then I can count.
If, on the other hand, that same person wanted to add leggings to their travel wardrobe while still looking presentable or not showing off their crotch to the whole world, (something. Which can get you in serious trouble in some countries) this post was for them :)
As for the comment about throwing a sheet over yourself, I think it was already addressed in the post: curves are gorgeous, use them to your advantage.
Society has rules, it’s a prerequisite of a society in fact. One can always choose to break them as they wish. Know the rules like a pro, break them like an artist, right? (Thanks Picasso)
Sorry if this post offended you, meanwhile, happy travels.
Love this article so much and I definitely agree with you that they are not pants. I hate seeing women wear them with short shirts on them exposing their butts and you know what. It looks disgusting in my opinion and I’m not sure why they don’t know that it’s not appealing at all. I’m a huge leggings lover and I have a large collection of black colors and just recently bought a floral one haha.
I am age 58 and totally agree with your comments. Thanks for putting it out there. Leaving for Europe soon and have pulled out leggings to pack. Thanks.
Have fun in Europe Ruth! Thanks for poppin by!
I love the black leggins with the denim shirt and leopard print flats. where can I find this outfit?
Enjoyed reading your article! Can’t believe how rude some people are with their comments. It’s tips take what you want from it people . It helped me to pack smart on my next travels. Thank you
Its too hot wearing leggings between the crowd. But article is awesome i really enjoy during reading your writing always.
I am 63 years old. I wear leggings. Leggings are not PANTS. Thus their name… Leggings.
Thank you for a great post. I feel young again.
Blessings,
Dee
Wonderful article! Keep up the good writing.