Not-your-eighties Leggings

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“I love leggings. How can I wear them without looking like I’m stuck in the eighties?”

Leggings are great. They are very versatile, can be worn with almost anything, and can easily update something that you already own (smart fashion is key!). Worn correctly, they can appear to slim and elongate the gams and to appear taller and/ or slimmer is usually not a bad thing!

My response to this question/comment was longer than the comment box permitted so I decided to upload it as a post instead.

If you are having any difficultly with rocking your leggings, and want to dodge looking like you are stuck in the eighties, here are some of my tips:

DO:

1. Pair plain dark/neutral coloured leggings (black/ navy/ green/ wine/ brown/ grey…) with summer frocks and chick smart heels to transition a day look into a night one. This also applies to tunics and long jackets.

Related: As a twist on the classic monotone office look, do wear opaque stockings in the same colours mentioned above with traditional office suits/ attire to give a subtle update to your look. These need not match perfectly with the suits, however do match complementary colours. For example pair dark green opaque opaque tights with a camel coloured suit, and dark brown heels, or perhaps a wine one with a navy skirt and dark grey pumps if your personality will allow it.

2. Rock brightly coloured (including Fall ’09 neons for the more adventurous among us, though this is really better suited as a club look) or subtly patterned (read small grey/black herringbone print) with an otherwise simple and classic look, like all black everything, to shake things up a bit.

Understand that here your legs are the focal point so if you aren’t quite there yet with accepting your legs as they are, you can opt to wear leggings in more a more neutral tone, like black. (See ‘D’o #1)

Also, because you don’t want to look like you are competing with yourself, do keep accessories minimal, makeup natural, and cleavage under wraps.

3. Pair leggings with whole shoes like dressy flats, peep toe pumps, stiletto pumps, booties, boots etc, rather than with delicate strappy evening shoes. If you are going with a strappy look, do opt for shoes with thicker straps.

4. Understand that lighter coloured leggings (white/ yellow/ neon etc) do draw attention to your legs/ lower half and, much like lighter coloured (and skinny) pants, will accentuate any potential ‘flaws’ you may have in this area… like cellulite.  They will also make your butt look larger. Unless this is the look that you are going for, cease and desist. Darker coloured leggings allow for a sleeker more slimming effect.

5. Do ensure that leggings fit properly, especially in the knee area (no bagginess) and, for those rocking the leggings with the long jacket and long-ish tee, the crotch area (no camel toe!).

AVOID:
~ Pairing leggings with:

~ White trainers, unless of course you are exercising in them
~ Short tops/ navel breakers. Cover your rear.
~ Delicate evening shoes
~ Any throwback eighties trend including, but not limited to, balloon sleeves or hems, scrunchie leg warmers, strong shoulder pads, neon anything  (unless it’s the leggings themselves), acid-wash anything, one-shouldered oversized sweaters, teased hair.

~ Combining patterned leggings with patterned clothing. Way too much can go wrong.

~ Wearing ‘capri’ leggings/ tights – those that cut at the knee, or just below them, especially with flats. They abruptly cut off a streamlined look, making you look shorter than you really are.

~ Two toned leggings – stripes, polka dots for example, as this makes it very difficult for people to take you seriously.

~ Color block leggings (one leg a different colour than the next). Too clownish.
I have seen colour block leggings where the front half of the legs are one colour and the back half of the legs are a different colour. This is a little tricky but if one colour is the color of your skirt, for example a black pencil skirt with a two-toned black and wine tights/ leggings with black pumps it can work, so long as the blacks match. The idea is if you are walking the line of the clown look on the leggings keep the rest of your look tailored/sophisticated to balance it. If you are unsure of what I am talking about just skip this look altogether.

Thanks for the question!

I hope this helps.

.

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Inky Decisions

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So ink is on the brain and you are wondering, “What should I get? I will just search the Internet and find a tattoo  that someone has that I love, and get the exact thing.”

You have no idea what it means, why they got it, or if it would even look good on you. Yes, if it would even look  good on you. Some may say it’s not like clothing or jewelry.

One question, you wear it don’t you? I believe that  nodding of the head up and down is the international signal  for yes.

At all times, remember that tattoos are permanent. Unless of course you are a faker who uses temporary tattoos only to have it redone ever so often – shame on you. Now, back to the real inkers . Figure out why you would like to get a tattoo and do your research. If you saw a picture of a tattoo on the Internet that someone else has, strive for understanding and figure out what it means. Ask questions. Do your research. You wouldn’t like to realize two years after having inked yourself that THAT particular lightning bolt displayed on your arm gives the impression that you are racist, or that the 88 on your ankle can also stand to mean HH, Heil Hitler, or worse. A Russian friend from school once explained to me that in Russia, a huge castle on your back is understood as a mafia tattoo. If you find yourself in a jam or in jail and you don’t belong to a mob, you will find yourself deceased. The world is getting more and more connected my people, lets be smart.

So if this happens to you, you say it can be removed. Simple. No it isn’t. Removing a tattoo is more painful than putting it there! Not to mention the issue of scarring.

Again, tattoos are about research. Just like you would buy Prada from the Prada store and not from a vendor selling oranges, do the same with your tattoos. Have a look at the artist’s work, do research on the shop, and look at the surroundings. Have a consultation with the artist, figure out if you are comfortable with his/ her point of view. Take a look around.

~ Is it sanitary?

~ Are they using clean needles?

If you feel uncomfortable with the artist, find another shop and another artist. You can get a lot more out of a tattoo shop than tattoos.

Many times I have seen people frequent the tattoo shop where I get all my work done at, (yes I am always there, My name is Elroy and I’m addicted to ink). They either need a cover up because it is the wrong tattoo (a whale looks like a frog), or they have been scarred and want a cover up. Remember folks, cover-ups mean bigger tattoos; you pay twice for one tattoo, spending a lot more money all because you haven’t done your research.

Research. Research. Research. Ensure that the tattoo will look good on you. This is no joke. I mean, guys with tramp stamps, NOT COOL!!! Your complexion determines what colors you can use in your tattoo, if you can use color at all.Tattoos are not for everyone, make sure it’s for you, know what your health is like, make sure the shop is licensed and so are the artists, and ALWAYS get something you wouldn’t mind gawking at for the rest of your life.

It’s Elroy b!*ches, saying Be smart. Tattoos are a taboo lifestyle. YES you are marking your skin for life, the least you can do is make sure it looks good and you know what the hell it means. Take my stupid advice and then let’s get inky!!!

P.S.: Be aware of where you are putting your tattoo, I mean, don’t tattoo your eyelids or your wrist and you work as a bank teller, the corporate world hasn’t caught on to the lifestyle. Plus you wouldn’t want to put yourself in an unwanted confrontation with the cheque writer.

Elroy Jackson

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