How To Wear Leggings Multiple Ways

How To Wear Leggings Multiple Ways

We all know why wearing leggings is so great. It is so freakin’ comfortable! I love that I can do pretty much anything in them. No weird fitting to restrict my movements. How I like to say it, it is like being naked with a fabric over your legs. Usually we associate comfort clothes as loungewear. Something we wear at home or on a lazy day. But did you know that if you have a good pair of leggings, especially a good pair of black leggings that they are very versatile? Yes, you can wear leggings to work. I’ve done it in my previous job.

In this post, I will be sharing tips on how to wear leggings in different ways. Like I said, these outfits range from workwear to running errands to date night outfit. The leggings I’m wearing in this post are the Spanx faux leather leggings. Lately, they’ve been my go-to because I love that it is a combination of fashion-forward and classic. Plus, they make your legs look great! Spanx knows what they’re doing and I love that they expanded beyond body shapewear. Their leggings are made for any body type. They go up to size 3X, so it is not just for smaller sizes!

Even though I’m wearing faux leather leggings, you can easily replace it with your classic black leggings. My favorite pair of leggings is the high-waisted seamless leggings. I wear these all the time. It has the magic of Spanx built-in AND is seamless (no camel-toe!), extremely high-waisted (hits right below the bust) so it smooths out the stomach area, and is not see-through at all.

Sizing of Spanx Leggings

Since I’ve been talking about Spanx leggings, I want to quickly go over sizing and fit. When I shared this on Instagram, I got a few questions about it! They do fit true to size. So whatever size you normally get in leggings, get that size. For instance, I’m normally a size small so I got a size small. For reference, I weigh 140 lbs and I’m 5’4″ tall. So for bottoms, I normally wear a size 27 or size 4 or size small. I hope this helps when you are picking out your size. It will feel very snug at first. But that’s the whole point of Spanx. It sucks everything in. However, after the first try-on, I had no difficulties with putting it on.

How To Wear Leggings

Wear Classic

Nowadays, there are so many leggings to choose from. There are print leggings, faux leather leggings, velvet leggings, textured leggings, etc. So if you are looking for new ones, as I mentioned you can’t go wrong with the classic black ones. The seamless leggings are my favorite pair, and I promise you that there is no other pair you’d ever want to wear more!

Wear High Quality

I used to not care about where I bought my leggings because I didn’t see the point of spending money on them. Even though I loved wearing them and pretty much lived in them. So I would go into Forever 21 and buy the $10 leggings. Although right now they’re $3.90 due to store closing. After a couple of washes, the seems come undone, they become see-through, and they get all saggy. So buying a $10 pair of leggings at least 10x in one year is not a great use of my money. That’s basically spending $100/year on leggings! My high-quality leggings have been around for at least a few years and show no sign of disintegrating. Hence, why I gained the courage to wear them outside the house and style leggings with different outfits.

Wear Thick Material

The thickness of the leggings makes a big difference. This probably goes hand in hand with buying high-quality ones. Thick material prevents it from becoming see-through and looking cheaply made. If you live where cold weather exists (ahem, Chicago) it makes them tolerable to wear during Winter. I also love a good fleece-lined legging. The Uniqlo’s Heattech extra warm leggings are my favorite ones to wear during the cold and Winter season. Plus, they’re super affordable. They’re only $25!

Wear To Be Fashion-Forward

After getting a good pair of classic leggings, have fun with it. There are so many different kinds of leggings nowadays that you can let your personality show. Keep the top classic, and spice it up with your bottom. Lately, I’ve been eyeing these burgundy ones!

What to Wear With Leggings

I’m showing 6 different outfit ideas you can wear with leggings. I wore my faux leather leggings in all of these outfits, but like I said you can substitute any leggings you prefer to wear.

Work Style Outfit

Wearing leggings to work is possible. In order to make it work appropriate, it is all about carefully selecting the right pieces, like making sure your butt is covered (so avoid wearing short tops) and pairing it with that one item that looks professional. For me, I like to wear a longer blazer. Blazers look professional and chic.

• Oversized Blazer, similar here || Double Ring Belt, also similar here || Gold Hoop Earrings || Sock Booties

Night-Out Outfit

When I say night-out outfit, I pretty much mean a combination of things like – going out outfit, date night outfit, girls night outfit, etc. The more I think about it, it also can be a work-appropriate outfit too! I love a good long vest and I layered it with a black turtleneck. But you do not have to limit it with long-sleeved tops. You can wear it sleeveless by wearing a sleeveless tank or short-sleeved top – love this puffed sleeved one!

• Long Vest, similar here, here, and here || Black Turtleneck || Cap-Toe Heels, similar here and here 

Ok, so this is another version of the same outfit but I replaced the cap-toe heels with leopard print booties.

Dressy Casual Outfit

When I was sharing this outfit, I was creating a holiday outfit. I paired it with a tunic length sweater and plaid heels. If you can’t tell, I’m wearing the cutest bow-detailed statement earrings and they’re only $12.99. Since the holidays are officially over, I would totally keep the tunic sweater and wear it with a knee-high boot (brown or black) or pair it with these high heels.

• Tunic Sweater || Plaid Heels || Bow Earrings 

Snow Day Outfit

I hate to wear pants when I know I have to wear snow boots. It just doesn’t fit or look right. So here is a cozy, wintery look. I’m all about wearing chunky knits to keep me warm. My chunky knit scarf, chunky knit hat, and chunky knit socks are from the Roots’ Cabin Collection. It’s made perfect for cold climates.

• Sweater || Scarf || Hat || Socks || Winter Boots

Errand Day Outfit

When I know I’m running errands, I for sure just want to be comfortable and can’t imagine wanting to put on pants haha. Since leggings are not pants, they’re the perfect bottoms to wear. You can look put-together without much effort. I put on a thermal sweater (p.s. this is from Z Supply and they make the most buttery soft clothes. I wear this exact one all the time), layer it with a suede moto jacket, and my comfortable white sneakers. I know I raved about these white sneakers too much, but they are so versatile (see my outfits in Rome) and the cushion in the soles is like walking on clouds. You can also replace the Moto jacket with longer cardigans or jean jackets.

• Suede Moto Jacket, also love this one || Thermal Sweater || White Sneakers

More Leggings I Love

So here are all the leggings I currently love. There are more brands than Spanx, I promise haha. If you are looking for more style ideas on wearing leggings multiple ways, I really love how Who What Wear shares chic ways to wear them. They range from athleisure to street style chicness. They also share what to avoid wearing with leggings – super helpful! The Everygirl also shows 9 great outfits you can wear with leggings.

So, how do you like to wear your leggings? Do you have a favorite pair? If you do, please share! I’m always looking for new ones to try!

xo RD