Fashion Friday Myth: Jeggings Are Only For Skinny Girls

Giving credit where credit is due, it was my friend Colleen who first tipped me off that denim leggings, or jeggings, were going to be a hot trend for 2010. I was certainly skeptical, since I still had not even gotten on board with the skinny jean movement. Boot cut jeans are a curvy woman’s best friend.

So when I got together with my favorite blogger girlfriends at an Ann Taylor LOFT store on the Main Line of Philadelphia, the last thing I planned to try on were skin tight jeans. One by one I watched in the dressing room as my friends tried on the brand new pants and raved over how they fit. Finally they talked me into trying them on myself, despite my being several dress sizes bigger than nearly everyone there. I am no skinny mini. I’m just happy that LOFT sells clothes big enough for me, unlike some stores. 
If you’ve been following me on Twitter very long or reading my fashion friday posts, you almost certainly have heard me rave about the jeggings I bought rather tentatively that day. They are beyond comfortable, yet not sloppy at all. Here is the blouse that I bought with the jeggings that same day, the one that convinced me to buy them. 
The store associate encouraged wearing this outfit with a wide belt around the blouse, but I didn’t love that look, so I just wear it like this. 
I even converted my much skinnier neighbor from a jeggings skeptic to an adopter when she saw me wearing mine. She actually went to LOFT the very next day and bought them. I think this is the outfit I was wearing when she noticed them. 
Yet I still run into those women who are less than stick thin, some even fairly curvy and pear shaped like me, who refuse to believe they can wear them. I’m here to hopefully dispel that as a myth. 
Aside: I swear I’m not a narcissist, but I needed to model the clothes myself to prove my point. I don’t know why the picture quality is so poor, my husband shot these late last night. 
The key to dressing well on anybody, but especially a curvy body, is balance. This is why boots are ideal for wearing with jeggings, they are a bit bulkier and create some balance so you don’t always look like an inverted triangle from the hips to the ankles. The length of the top is also key when wearing jeggings, because nobody really wants to see unattractive bulges around the middle. For most people that means finding a tunic or mini-dress that covers the butt completely. Here’s an example of a summer dress that I’ve turned into a winter outfit just by wearing it over jeggings and boots. 

Another aside: Those brown boots are my latest super awesome bargain find. I had been searching for knee-high, high-heeled brown boots for literally weeks, but I really didn’t want to spend more than $100. I kept coming up with boots in the $200 range that I loved, or really ugly fake leather cheapos. So when I saw these in the window at my Nine West Outlet store with a big fat $59.99 sale sign on them, I ran in. Of course they were sold out of everything except size 10, but the manager said she would search other stores and ship them to my house for nothing. Sold! They arrived this week and I lurve them.

Other ways of pulling off the jeggings look without looking like a stuffed sausage include wearing oversized sweaters, sweater dresses, jackets and even a well placed scarf. I like wearing long fitted lightweight sweaters over the jeggings with a longer scrarf tied around my neck to bring the eye up and away from the mid-section.  I personally don’t like very chunky sweaters or sweater dresses because I think the added thickness just makes you look even bigger, but that’s my preference. I do love jackets of all kinds, but especially classic blazers like this one.

Heels are always good for lengthening the whole body and giving the illusion of being taller and more slender. This blazer was less than $50 at the GAP…yes, really. 
Ok in going through my wardrobe to dispel the myth that only toothpick women can wear jeggings, I had discovered that I could use a darker pair of Uggs, like maybe charcoal gray. So we’ll see if I can fit that into the budget this month or maybe next. This month’s clothing budget is pretty much spent on those brown leather boots and new running shoes and bras I need in my attempt to be a little less curvy. More on that in another post. 
Hope I’ve convinced you! Happy Fashion Friday!

17 thoughts on “Fashion Friday Myth: Jeggings Are Only For Skinny Girls”

  1. I love the outfit in the top picture – the blue/lavendar top with the jeggings. You look fantastic! I agree that even us curvier women can totally wear them. I often wear my jeggings with a longer sweater. Do you have a Nordstrom Rack? I can often find Uggs pretty cheap there…

  2. Yes! I was a jeggings skeptic too but got a cheap pair at Target a few months ago and they are my new favorite pants! They’re denim and have pockets and a button, but they’re as comfortable as wearing yoga pants. I almost feel like I’m cheating :o)

  7. This is an awesome post. You are so right – it’s all about proportion. When I mentioned jeggings on Twitter yesterday, I had several girls say they weren’t for curvy girls. I’m so glad you addressed this! 🙂

    You look awesome in all those outfits, by the way!!

  8. Love this post! I didn’t even try jeggings on that night, but later converted and now I wear them ALL the time. LOVE them. They look great on everyone in my opinion with the right tops/shoes. I adore all the looks you put together, and I’ve been known to do the summer dress trick too.

  9. Thank you so much! I know there will always be women who say “But Sarah, I’m much bigger than you!” and that may be true, but it may also just be that I disguise it well LOL.

  10. Thanks! After I saw the post about black jeggings on Chic Critique the other day I am now wishing I had a pair of those! I’m always on the hunt for great tunics too. That purplish one with the beading is from Macy’s, I find their INC brand always has gorgeous tunics.

  17. As a woman who is either your size but probably bigger you have me thinking maybe just maybe I should give these jeggings a look at. I mean I wear a size teetering this size of “woman” size. I mean I tried skinny jeans (which I NEVER thought I’d wear) and they look great. I’m going to head over to Ann Taylor Loft very soon and check them out.

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