Long Johns as Pants

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Angie is co-founder of YLF and its resident fashion stylist.

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Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Long Johns as Pants

— by Angie

on November 2, 2010

Leggings as pants is old news – long johns are where it’s at now! Seriously, this style is sold as pants and looks just like my skiing underwear. Granted, the model shows them worn with a long tunic, which is at least something. But even as leggings they aren’t so fab. Or are they?

Bottoms

52 comments · Add a comment

Antje

Veteran

Oh my. I’d like to reserve mine strictly for skiing, thank you very much.

November 2, 2010 at 3:03 pm

Teresa

Under a knee length calico skirt with granny boots, Yes! Otherwise, No.

November 2, 2010 at 3:04 pm

taylor

Veteran

Oh goodness, here we go again!!

November 2, 2010 at 3:05 pm

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

An adament, emphatic, non-negotiable NEVER!!!!! I don’t even think I need to explain myself.

November 2, 2010 at 3:07 pm

Louise

Veteran

My thermal underwear bags out at the knees after a couple of hours and has a holey pattern so I don’t think I shall be wearing them uncovered!!! x

November 2, 2010 at 3:14 pm

Sihaya

Veteran

I’ll definitely pass

November 2, 2010 at 3:16 pm

Marlene

Are you going to put those in your store, Angie

November 2, 2010 at 3:18 pm

Laurinda

Evidence that leggings have jumped the shark.

November 2, 2010 at 3:21 pm

shana

Veteran

Hey, I’m wearing my long johns as pants today – I must be ahead of the curve for a change But seriously, I am wearing mine today as pants because I am behind on laundry and I didn’t have any comfy lounge pants to wear for a day at home (sick child at home). But for leaving the house….as pants…um, that would be an emphatic NO!

November 2, 2010 at 3:29 pm

Becky

Veteran

Ick! But I’m sure we’ll be seeing the look sported by high school and college age girls soon. It’s only a step behind pajama pants in public, after all.

November 2, 2010 at 3:32 pm

cloud9

Veteran

I think it looks bad only because they are white and thus the long john feel. If they are black, not much different than footless leggings or even some thick tights? Am I missing something?

November 2, 2010 at 3:35 pm

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Shana, you are hilarious. Long johns do come in handy when there’s a bottle neck with the laundry

Marlene, I’m going to pop them into the Store in an assortment of happy colours.

Cloud9, the fabrication of the ribbing is loose and see through like underwear. I don’t think they would pass for leggings in black either. To unsubstantial. Don’t you think?

November 2, 2010 at 3:36 pm

Beth

Veteran

No, no, no. I say that all the time and then change my mind:)

This time, I’m confident that this no will stay a no!

November 2, 2010 at 3:41 pm

Lisa

Veteran

Huh? *leaving computer to check calendar* Nope, not April 1st today. I don’t think I will sport this ahem “trend” sorry.

November 2, 2010 at 3:45 pm

Cricket

Um, I wore that during the early 90s grunge fad while in high school. I’m quite certain not to wear that again!!!!

(I did, however, wear SmartWool black wool leggings as leggings the other day, under a skirt and with boots. It was very warm.)

November 2, 2010 at 3:45 pm

Cricket

I should clarify that when I wore this in the early 90s, it was as a layer under a skirt or shorts. Still … I know … ick!

November 2, 2010 at 3:46 pm

Tara

(website)

Veteran

I had to check the date to make sure this wasn’t an April Fool’s joke.

November 2, 2010 at 3:51 pm

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Just to be clear, ladies. I am not condoning the look. I vote NAY all the way. No need to look at those calenders!

November 2, 2010 at 3:53 pm

theComplex

(website)

Please, dont.

November 2, 2010 at 3:58 pm

Mira

A definite NO all the way, no matter what age a person might be!

November 2, 2010 at 4:11 pm

Kari

Veteran

Eek. Is this some terrible throwback to the grunge era now that we are heading towards a resurgence of ’90’s fashion?
I’ll save my long undies to wear under clothes only!

November 2, 2010 at 4:17 pm

RandomThoughts (Andrea)

Veteran

Not since I was sporting a mohawk would I consider long johns as leggings. “In the day” I wore them with cut off denim shorts and engineer boots. But I was 19 and everything looked good! Now? Hmm, not so much.

November 2, 2010 at 4:58 pm

Velma

Veteran

Yes, late 80s throwback. I wore mine (in about 1987) under very holey jeans. My boyfriend (he of the very tall mohawk) wore his under a kilt! Never, NEVER again.

November 2, 2010 at 5:09 pm

Barbara

Veteran

Yikes! Absolutely not.

November 2, 2010 at 5:34 pm

Kate

Veteran

haha, once when I was studying abroad in Europe I was sick of wearing trousers, but it was far too cold to just wear a skirt. So I pulled out my black thermal long underwear and pretended that I was wearing leggings for the night. It kept me warm, nobody said anything odd about it, and I didn’t have to wear trousers! I don’t plan on ever doing this again, but it was fun to wear my REI gear to a couple clubs!

November 2, 2010 at 5:43 pm

Maya

Veteran

Uniqlo makes heat tech leggings that I plan to try. No need for these.

Sometimes I suspect the fashion industry just likes to mess with us, and this is one of those times.

November 2, 2010 at 5:56 pm

rae

(website)

Veteran

I think I just had a stroke…

November 2, 2010 at 5:57 pm

Someone

Sure enough, they’re just going down the “90s list” and pulling out everything regardless of whether it makes any sense at all or not. YAWN.

I’m with many above, who say that these only go as underlayers with maybe a 90s tiered skirt and granny boots. Which, since I left the cold Northeast behind, isn’t likely to be needed much at all in my area. In any case, it would only be on weekends. Visible long johns are never work-appropriate!

November 2, 2010 at 6:17 pm

D'Ellen

Veteran

Ridiculous? Yes. Fab? No.

November 2, 2010 at 6:42 pm

Steffie

Active Member

Negatory!! This is not so good.

But long johns at home, or for sleeping? Yes, PLEASE!

The Victoria’s Secret Long Jane Pajamas are my favorite recent purchase. Perfect!

November 2, 2010 at 6:43 pm

Dani

Veteran

I will confess I wore them in 7th grade (1987) under denim mini skirts but it is definitely not a look I will be repeating. I remember my mother wasn’t keen on the look and I had to sneak out of the house in it Sometimes fashion can be ridiculous!

November 2, 2010 at 6:46 pm

Sharon

Veteran

Haha. My best friend wore these out to a casual dinner once in the early ’90s. Her husband was so adamantly opposed to the look that he got a pair of her underpants and put them on over the top of his jeans to demonstrate how “underweary” he thought her look was, and to embarrass her into changing. She called his bluff. He wore them for about a block before caving in!

November 2, 2010 at 6:55 pm

MsMary

Veteran

Somebody get that poor girl some clothes…

November 2, 2010 at 7:13 pm

Joy

Veteran

Maybe with the top as the basis for a Halloween mummy costume? Even that would need more layers to be decent in public.

November 2, 2010 at 8:11 pm

Queen Mum

Veteran

oh my word.. clicked through to the website and I’m too stunned at the prices to have anything intelligent to say…..

November 2, 2010 at 8:26 pm

Meredith

Active Member

I like the texture of these as leggings…kind of cool!

I must adhere to my strict rule that leggings can not qualify as pants and shouldn’t be worn without covering your bum in some fashion. I think these long johns are just another type of legging and would look fab with a long belted denim dress and chestnut brown boots.

The tunic pictured above is too sheer to be of good taste when worn outside the home.

November 2, 2010 at 8:32 pm

Meredith

Active Member

Oooh! Did you see this outfit in the Dark Dust color? This would be gorgeous with knee high black boots.

November 2, 2010 at 8:33 pm

Jonesy

Veteran

I wore real long johns under vintage dresses (with either big black boots or Converse high tops) all the time in college, but it was the ’80s. Enough said.

November 2, 2010 at 9:09 pm

DanaLynn

It brings back the early nineties for me- plaid over sized shirts, long john leggings and ripped up cut off jean shorts. We were soooo cool.

November 2, 2010 at 9:39 pm

Veteran

Ack! I suppose next we will be seeing the updated version of the pointy bras that Madonna sported back in the day?

November 3, 2010 at 12:24 am

RoseandJoan

Veteran

The concept, the price & the care instructions lead me to believe that fashion has finally lost hold of it’s senses. Not Fab.

November 3, 2010 at 1:02 am

Debora

Veteran

A big NO from me!

November 3, 2010 at 6:53 am

Margot

Oh my. This is a bad idea. It falls under the 3-strike rule. Strike 1: white. Strike 2: semi-transparent. Strike 3: clingy. There’s no way you can look good in these if you have one ounce of body fat, even if you wear a tunic.

November 3, 2010 at 9:43 am

RandomThoughts (Andrea)

Veteran

Sharon, that is hilarious! When I lived in NYC, I saw some dude walking around with his tighty whities on outside his jeans. Pulled up too high, twisted and stained as well. YIKES! His friend didn’t seem to mind at all as they carried on what seemed to be a very normal conversation. I really miss that city sometimes.

November 3, 2010 at 9:43 am

Debbie

Veteran

Just awful!

November 3, 2010 at 10:05 am

Cecilia

This is a fad that I personally will not be repeating. But it does bring back good memories It would be fun to see it again in the streets, but as tights, not as pants… Oh, and I second the Long Jane pjs @ VS. So comfy!

November 3, 2010 at 10:16 am

Srujana

Veteran

Growing up in Chicago, my mom would force me to wear these under my snow suit, and under my jeans….she would just never believe me that I wasn’t that cold (actually, she still doesn’t believe me when I say I’m not cold, and insists that I bundle up). I hated the feeling then and I can remember it to this day. They will never again be touching my skin, and definitely not as a fashion statement!

November 3, 2010 at 10:45 am

Auburn

Veteran

I feel the same way about these as I did about some of the white leggings that I saw make an appearance this summer: NO. White + opaque + form fitting is a lethal combination for ANY body type, in my humble opinion. And most definitely for MY body!

November 3, 2010 at 12:38 pm