Tight Circle

Today

Fashion, they say, goes in circles. (This is the second time I've started a blog in this way.) I was talking to Paul about the current fashion for leggings and remembered the last time they were fashionable which was back in about 1992.

"The thing is," I said "The fashion isn't identical. The item is worn in quite a different way from the way we wore it in 1992."

"Not so much a single circle as overlapping circles," suggested Paul. Quite

In My Day

I, as has been said before, am not immune to the lure of fashion. Back in the early 90's leggings were indeed fashionable. Every shop stocked them and it was possible to buy a vast range of colours and even some with psychedelic swirls and patterns. I dived into this style with relish. I have long legs and could, I felt, flatter this particular one. One wore them with baggy jumpers or loose shirts finished with pumps or trainers. They were always a seriously casual look; not one for the office.

The leggings were generally made of knitted cotton, like t-shirt material. If I was lucky, I could find a pair that reached to my ankles. They rarely stayed at the ankle; the fabric tending to bag at the knees and ride up above the ankle when one sat down. So the look you left the house with didn't last very long.

Perhaps it was this design flaw that led to the '90s leggings look being rapidly relegated to the "clothes to slop around in" department. And that is death to a fashion trend.

This time around the leggings cling pleasingly, staying where they're put, and are more often worn under pretty dresses and with high heels. Although, when you see the look being worn by two-year olds (with Ugg-style boots instead of high heels), you know it's shortly to be relegated to the "wouldn't be seen dead in" department. Which is death to a fashion trend. Pity, I've just bought a rather nice pair in metallic bronze.