History of Leggings
Women of all time have searched for beauty and fashion, and are still looking for it! And from different regions of the world emerged new movements and modern fashion different simulate that era!
As you understand any real fashion girl like you, knowing the origin of your favorite trends makes wearing them more pleasing. There is no greater trend now than leggings. We are all well aware of the fashion cycle - everything is back to the time. (Just a look at the recent revival of the trends of the 1970s, 1990s, and 2000s, now in the 1980s.) But when it comes to leggings, it turns out that they are "coming back" for centuries. While searching for the history of leggings, we were surprised to discover that the origin of the trend dates back to the fourteenth century, and men were the first to wear it. But since the mid-twentieth century, underwear leggings have served as a basic wardrobe for It girls and others who love them.
Given their lengthy tenure and the history of leggings, we decided to dig deeper and deeper to discover these historical facts.
14th century the first appearance era for leggings
In the 14th century, the first Leggings fashion appeared on men, in Scotland. Initially, the leggings they wore were two separate, hip-high, boot-like apparatuses made of either leather or chainmail, intended for both casual and military garb. They eventually evolved into thick clothing, such as tights, men wore under their clothes during the Renaissance times.
Leggings remained a predominantly male trend up until the 19th century when women began wearing iterations of their own.
1950s modern-day evolution
The modern-day evolution of leggings really began in the 1950s. The original fashion girl, Audrey Hepburn, is associated with wearing Capri pants with her signature sunglasses. Hepburn wore Sabrina's tight black waist pants in 1954, and many women have followed suit throughout the decade. While they were not the long pants that come to mind today, they were a distinct departure from the wide leg patterns that were common in the 1940s.
1960s invention of Lycra
Following the invention of Lycra (aka spandex) by chemist Joseph Shivers in 1958 and the first Lycra leggings made in 1959, the fashion industry embraced the slim, stretchy pants in the '60s, with designers like Mary Quant and Emilio Pucci even pairing them with the decade's mod shift dresses.
1970s full-blown trend
Leggings became a full-blown trend in the 1970s. Thanks to some of the decade's biggest celebrities like Debbie Harry, Olivia Newton-John (and her iconic final costume in Grease), and the stars of the popular Charlie's Angels TV series, leggings took on a very Studio 54 vibe, which was quite different from the styles of the previous two decades. This iteration resembled shiny, high-waisted (often colorful) disco pants.
1980s transformation of the legging
The transformation of the legging craze of the 1970s carried over into the 1980s when Madonna adopted them as one of her wardrobe staples, frequently wearing them on stage and infamously featuring them in her Like a Virgin video. The aerobics craze of the 1980s also fueled the fire—Jane Fonda made a leotard worn over leggings her signature look. During the '80s, the Capri length became popular, and leggings were often colorful and patterned in keeping with the bold look of the decade.
1990s trends cool down
The legging trend started to cool down a bit in the '90s. There was that iconic Cindy Crawford Life magazine shot (below), and jersey-knit versions popped up on Saved by the Bell from time to time, but baggier pants had become a trend for the decade. The now-polarizing stirrup leggings (which made an inevitable return in 2016) were perhaps the biggest takeaway from the decade.
2000s back with a vengeance
After fading from relevance for a few years at the turn of the 21st century, leggings were back with a vengeance, as the decade's biggest It girls started wearing Capri versions of the trend again, often under dresses and skirts. Nicole Richie, the Olsen twins, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan were all on board. Toward the end of the decade, full-length liquid leggings replaced pants for the most part.
Present Day back to the seen
Circa 2015, celebrities like Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Hailey Baldwin, and Bella Hadid reintroduced leggings into our wardrobes. Like it or not, these athleisure-loving It girls have made them acceptable to wear as pants. Currently, the most popular iterations of the trend are high-waisted, streetwear-inspired styles and leather leggings, both of which enforce that it's once again acceptable to wear leggings outside the gym. As long as the fashion world continues to embrace comfort, we don't see the centuries-old trend fading anytime soon.
