What are the keys to making leggings not look too young? - YouLookFab Forum

Category

Dressing

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

What are the keys to making leggings not look too young?

April

Veteran

There has been so much buzz around here about leggings lately that I'm eager to give them a try and have been enjoying the outfits everyone has posted. Now I have ordered a pair, but am finding myself a bit stymied as to what should go with them that wouldn't look too young on me. (I am also reading Kendall Farr's Style Evolution, which may be increasing my hesitancy.)

Are there guidelines for putting together an age-appropriate leggings look for a petite in her mid-forties?

For example, what about this top: http://www.express.com/catalog.....878dd5337d (They are calling it a dress, but please...)

Dressing

21 replies

Latest reply was from April

Anonymous

That is a beautiful top April. I agree calling it a dress is a stretch.
From what I have read, leggings should never be mistaken for pants, so this top might look better with skinny jeans.
Hope you post pics.
I very often am way off base with my calls, so do wait till you hear from Angie and the others, and take my words with a grain of salt.

April, I also want to say, in regards to the title of your post, I don't think leggings look too young. I am 54 and I feel that when you wear this look, the dress should cover the bum and more, so as not to give the impression that a gal has forgotten her pants, it is a look that all ages can all wear.

April

Veteran

Hee hee, san -- you are so right, the last thing I want to look like is that I've forgotten my pants.

I think my concern is less looking too revealing or tarty (by exposing too much of the legging) than just not to look too juvenile. By juvenile, I mean more little girl than teen; since I'm short, "juvenile" can quickly tip over into "Baby Jane."

I have been searching for the perfect short shirtdress to try with the leggings, which I think would avoid the little girl look, but don't think I've found it.

rute

Veteran

Hi!

I have the same problem, I'm petite too and everyone says that leggings make the legs even shorter..

Love the top! Gorgeous but I think it is a little bit short to use with leggings .. what about a skinny black denin Jeans?

Anonymous

Perhaps the top you have chosen above would work for you. Angie says it's all in trial and error. That top might be just the right length. Angie also has said that petites can wear shorter skirts because there is less leg showing than with a tall gal with a lot of long leg showing.
The top you have posted above does not say teenager to me. You describe the concerns of a petite woman very well.

April

Veteran

I see what you're both saying about the length of that top perhaps being a bit short for leggings. My hope was that it would be slightly longer on me than on the model, since things usually are.

So comforting to know that others are wrestling with similar issues!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Good question, April. The secret is to keep the look sophisticated. That’s the key.

I have a 65 and 68 year old client in leggings and they look sensational. Vera Wang is 60 and look at her! I’ll admit that it’s not for everyone, but it’s fabulous once you’ve accomplished the right ageless look. We’ve kept the dresses (not tunics) plain, woven, belted, sleeved and a little longer (a few inches above the knee). We’ve added dressy flats and a dressy handbag. Uber polished. Shiny is in her mid 40’s (almost) and she got it right. Plenty of women in Paris and HK wearing leggings in their 50’s and 60’s. Think of it as an accessory and not an item of clothing. San, when I see you today, you’ll see what I mean because I’ll be wearing this formula.

Kendal loathed leggings until a few years ago. The penny dropped when she saw Vera Wang do the look so agelessly at a joint fashion show they attended. This is info we shared on the phone but I did not include in the interview. I guess Kendal is a little more conservative when it comes to ageless dressing cause I also have plenty of women in their 50’s and really 60’s in sleeveless items. But I also have clients who refuse to wear sleeveless.

The top you have selected is gorgeous but too young for leggings. To San's point, it will look great with skinny jeans. You’re after a frock and not a top. I hope that there is method to my madness.

As for the length of the leggings, sometimes you need to add a bit of a heel, or lengthen/shorten the length of the leggings themselves. Rute, try your leggings shorter and your dress a little shorter too.

shiny

Veteran

I am seeing leggings EVERYWHERE here, and on women our age and height. This is not just for young women.

I think the number 2 rule (after making sure your top isn't too short) is to wear BLACK leggings. Dark, opaque ones. It goes without saying that brightly colored leggings in pink look too young. But while other women may be able to get away with brown or gray leggings, if you are short and worried about looking age appropriate, I'd suggest sticking to black leggings only - just to be safe!

You need to play around with the length, but I personally think that a more grown-up version of this look is with a dress that hits just a few inches higher than the knee, instead of a tunic-length (mid-thigh). Of course there are going to be women who will blow this "rule" out of the water. But an inch or two above the knee is a good place to start.

Since you're petite, do try leggings with a sheath dress. Otherwise, once you get your leggings, just try them on with all the dresses in your closet! You may be surprised. I've discovered I have several dresses that work.

One thing I have yet to try is leggings with heels. I know Angie says this can work, but I'm dubious. The women my age that I'm seeing in leggings are all wearing ballet flats. It's the younger women who are wearing them with heels. But I am planning to try them with the cedar city wedges so we'll see.... I'm keeping an open mind!

So basically the rules seem to be ... go for modesty. Opaque leggings, a dress not a tunic, something with structure (like a sheath) or not too body hugging, and with flats instead of heels.

I do like that express top but not only is it too short, I would be concerned that the band is too booty hugging for leggings. Let the leggings hug your legs, leave the rest of the top more flowy with volume, or skimming with some structure. Make sense? I think this is why shirt dresses work so well with leggings; they add structure and in general tend to be a modest type look.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Good additional point, Shiny. Choose black and go up a size for extra thick coverage.

shiny

Veteran

I posted the same time as Angie!

April, I forgot to take a pic, but this dress works well with leggings (worn with white cami and jean jacket):

http://www.anntaylorloft.com/c.....ory=Petite

If you want something more floaty, this dress would probably work (I tried it on yesterday but for me I need a thicker knit or something with more structure because it just accentuates my bulgy areas):

http://www.anntaylor.com/catal.....ory=Misses

or this one, which has cute pockets (unfortunately I don't think it comes in petite):

http://www.anntaylor.com/catal.....ory=Misses

These from BR would probably be adorable with leggings!

http://bananarepublic.gap.com/.....pid=671763

http://bananarepublic.gap.com/.....pid=671765

You'll drive yourself crazy looking for appropriate tunic-length tops. The pickings are slim and even slimmer for petites.

rute

Veteran

Thank you Angie for your advice!

I will show you the results!

April

Veteran

Ladies -- this is an incredibly helpful conversation. I am taking all your advice to heart and will let you know what I come up with.

Shiny -- gorgeous dresses! Alas, when going sleeveless, I stick with things that cover that little area between chest and underarm. In other words, nothing strappy at the shoulders; the "sleeves" need to be wider to hide some unflattering crinkly bits. (They are what they are. but I see no reason to highlight them with dresses that are scooped out in that section.)

The ATL one looks totally right in that regard -- do you find it flattering in the midsection? The description says it is A-line, though the photo makes it look more snugly tulip-shaped. So hard to tell from pictures.

Joy

Veteran

Angie and Shiny, your comments are so helpful!

Kristen

(website)

Veteran

For myself at 41, I prefer leggings under dresses only. (Then again, I haven't seen any tunics out there that I would consider long enough to wear with leggings, so maybe that will change if I ever find one.) Most casual dresses are too short for my height and long legs (I'm 5'7") so leggings seem to fix that problem. I am looking now for a brown pair to go with my blacks, and if I find navy I will scoop them up too, but I think those are as "light" as I plan to go.

Beyond that, I think it's the dress/tunic style that causes the issues of looking "too young", not the leggings themsevles. So it's a matter of finding the right top piece.

shiny

Veteran

April, it's not an A-line at all. That's so weird. It tapers in just a bit, so yes, sort of a tulip shape. I forget what body type you are? I have a thickish waist and a tummy with slim hips, so this type of waistline works well for me. It defines a waist while the little pleats disguise tummy bulge. I would NOT recommend this for a pretty pear, because not only is it cut for someone slim-hipped, it has pockets. They would poof out funny for anyone with hips. I personally like having the pockets because it gives the illusion of curvier hips, which I need.

The other thing about this ATL dress - and ATL dresses in general - is that it is generous in the chest area. This is always my biggest problem with dresses - they'll be too tight to zip all the way up. But something about ATL ... their dresses always have an extra inch or so leeway. (I'm not talking about cup size but band size)

What I like is that this dress without leggings and with strappy heels is the perfect summer cocktail dress/date-night dress. But add leggings and a jean jacket or cardigan and cami, with flat shoes, and it dresses it down and makes the outfit a lot more casual.

The first and second AT dresses come up fairly high on the underarm area - so no flabby bits! I did not try on the BR dresses, and you are probably right about those. I was hunting for one I did try on, but I don't see it online. It was a silk BR Monogram dress... hard to describe.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Right ladies! April, Joy, Rute and Kyle - I want to see you do the leggings look. I'm sure you'll get it right.

April

Veteran

Okay, so here is what I have picked up from this thread:

First, a woman in my age bracket is looking for a short-ish dress to wear with leggings rather than a tunic (and therefore the one linked to at Express, above, does not qualify, no matter what they call it in their description.)

Second, keep it elegant. Nothing romper-ish or Raggedy Ann-ish because I am short and do not want to look as if I should be swinging a lunchbox at my side and wearing ponytails.

Third, size the leggings up to ensure appropriate coverage and prevent them from looking like hosiery. (Okay, I got this piece of wisdom after I had already ordered my leggings, but let's see how it goes.)

I have some dresses in various shopping carts and the leggings are on their way. Any other 40+ women care to join me in posting our attempts to style these, after my purchases arrive? Stay tuned for a challenge along these lines... (Shiny, you've already nailed it, but I hope you'll participate anyway!)

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

You've got it, April. Post a separate thread on your leggings challenge!

Mac

Veteran

I don't even own a pair of tights at this point but after reading this thread (a little later than the rest of you, since i only joined YLF recently), I'm eager to give them a try. April, I certainly hope that you and other 40+ women here will post your photos here and inspire the rest of us.

I'm a tall size 16; can any of you -- especially those of you in Canada -- suggest a brand I might try that would fit my ample curves?

Mac

Veteran

Angie has mentioned Vera Wang and her fabulous leggings looks a few times but I didn't see any photos of her rocking this look. So, in case you're interested, I dug up a few pictures of Vera insome wonderful leggings looks:

http://d2g465z57r2u8t.cloudfro.....raWang.gif

http://www.wmagazine.com/image.....wang_v.jpg

http://www.popsofa.com/wp-cont.....a-wang.jpg

April

Veteran

Here you go, Mac: http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....replies=13

Also, I know when I was looking for the cropped leggings with zippers that Angie was wearing, I could only find them in a plus size, from INC. (Check Macy's.) Also, Angie says something that I've founs very helpful to remember: leggings are not pants, not clothing, but an accessory. They should peek out rather than being the bottom half of the outfit. Make sense?

April

Veteran

Also, check this out: http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....?replies=7

(Since you're new to us, let me tell you that KristenKP had, until very recently, a plus-sized figure. Kristen has made an amazing transformation!)