Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Comfort AND Style?

Draft:

Composition:
eyeglasses (kate spade)
silver earrings (gift from sister)
black henley (Old Navy)
gray oversize knit sweater (Charlotte Russe)
dark wash skinny jeans (American Eagle)
gray slouch boots (Steve Madden via Zappos)

Usage:

There's an undergraduate dressing epidemic on my campus.  The number of girls wearing leggings-as-pants tucked into Ugg boots is alarming.  I have spent a considerable amount of time thinking about why I despise this look.  The reasons include:
1) My abhorrence of Uggs goes back to my childhood, when my mom returned from a trip to Australia with a pair.  They were yet-unknown in my neighborhood in the late 80s, so I was horrified by the special powers they wielded to induce my embarrassment.  Try explaining to the other girls on your soccer team why your mom is wearing sheep on her feet!
2) Uggs never look great, but they seem to lose all shape and structure after the third or fourth wear.  Nine out of ten pairs I see look slubby and misshapen... especially if the wearer happens to drag her feet and/or wears them in the rain frequently.
3) Leggings are NOT PANTS.  I am adamant about this.  I love leggings under a dress, a tunic top, a long sweater... the list goes on.  I hate them as a substitute for pants, particularly when they are especially saggy or stretched out across the rear.  Where's the modesty, ladies?
4) It just looks lazy.  Since I regard leggings as akin to undergarments and Uggs as akin to slippers, I feel like these girls just rolled out of bed.
5) The look has absolutely no personality.  These girls look like lemmings.  It's the same brand of "shoe" and the same black leggings on every girl.  When I was in undergrad, we all wore jeans, hooded sweatshirts, and tennis shoes, but at least those offered some choices for variation.

All that said, I understand what these girls are going for: comfort.  So for today's look, I'm serving up an alternative to the leggings and Uggs combination that, in my opinion, is equally comfortable but actually looks like I got dressed to leave the house.

It took me weeks, but I finally found a pair of skinny jeans that fit and were not made with stretch denim.  The denim's also really soft and comfortable, so I've been living in these jeans.  I'm wearing fuzzy socks under my boots, which keep my feet cushioned and warm.  The long-sleeved henley and the sweater's thick knit and cowl neck are as comfortable as any hooded sweatshirt I wore in undergrad.

I'm hoping this look, while casual and really comfortable, still suggests that I put thought into what I was wearing.

Prompts:

  • Am I wrong about Uggs or leggings-as-pants?  If you can make a case for them, please enlighten me! : )
  • What items do you wear when you want to be comfortable without sacrificing style?

3 comments:

Amanda said...

"Leggings are NOT PANTS"
A-freaking-men and thank you for addressing this distressing trend. It's not just an undergraduate phenomenon, though--young hollywood is full of perpetrators, with folks like Lindsay Lohan leading the charge.

Leggings *are* comfortable, though. In cooler weather I like to pair them with a dress and boots, which also negates the end-of-legging-at-ankle, legs-resemble-sausages-in-black-casings effect. Chic, comfortable, but NOT PANTS.

Scholar Style Guide said...

a. Also, Uggs emit a foul odor after only a few wears.
b. This outfit is adorable.

Scholar Style Guide said...

Amanda, thanks for commenting! I'm afraid you're right about young hollywood. While I think those girls can pull off plenty of looks that we can't wear in regular life, I don't even think the leggings look good as pants on them!
-Liz