I had a friend and blog follower ask me a question the other day-
"Where, other than thrifting, would I recommend she buy a pair of leggings? And how can she wear them as a 47-yr-old, without looking silly- or like she's trying too hard to be young?"
Well, I really don't consider myself an expert on fashion. At all. I'm more of an 'expert' on dressing well wearing only second-hand items and hopefully inspiring others to think about where we are all spending our clothing budget dollars.
But, I will share my two cents anyway.
First of all, of COURSE I am going to recommend thrifting those leggings. Why would you NOT want to buy your leggings at a thrift shop?
I recently picked up a black pair and an olive pair of leggings that I hope will get me through this pregnancy. The black pair was $3.99 at a Salvation Army Thrift Shop and the olive pair was $5.99 at Value Village (btw, you need to look in athletic bottoms at V.V. for leggings).
Here is the $3.99 olive pair:
Unfortunately I don't have a full-length of them, but you get the idea. :)
Leggings- $3.99
Sleeveless sweater- thrifted YEARS ago
Cropped sweater- $1 at a Bibles for Missions Thrift Shop $1 Sale
FYI- Leggings are one of my favourite things to wear. They are JUST as comfy as sweats or a maxi skirt, and you can wear them to work.
But, if you really don't want to purchase your leggings second-hand, my recommendation would be to go with Efforts Women's Bamboo leggings. They are environmentally responsible leggings made with a blend of bamboo and spandex in Canada! Gotta love that.
As for her 'age' question.... I think, if you feel comfortable wearing leggings- do it! If you are in doubt- ask a friend, or two....or three. Hopefully we are kind enough to our girlfriends to tell them if they should NOT be wearing leggings....Just be sure they are meant to be worn as pants. There are leggings that are simply made to wear under skirts or dresses and are much too sheer to wear as bottoms. Take a good LONG look in the mirror while wearing them- bend over- do some squats...if they stay opaque, buy them!
But, since she asked, I have put together what I deem to be age-appropriate leggings outfits:
In Your 20's:
In your 20's you can absolutely get away with shirts that skim your hips with leggings. When you are older- I believe you should cover those hips and that bum up...unless you visit the gym daily...
You can also pull off the fun, brightly-coloured, patterned leggings and actually make them look good. When you're over 30....well, that gets tougher to do....
In Your 30's
I think these photos are perfect examples of how to wear leggings in your 30's. Cover up those hips and bum. Wear a flow-y top with them so you aren't wearing skin-tight clothes from head-to-toe. Pair them with some gorgeous boots. And layer, layer, layer with a sweater, jacket or scarf.
In Your 40's
(all photos from Pinterest- of course)
Again, to me- these photos are all age-appropriate ways to wear leggings in your 40's (and 50's, and 60's.....)
You can wear them with a longer sweater- not too long, though- don't go past mid-thigh...you will look frumpy and dated.
Add a woven belt- a thicker belt at the hips or a skinny belt at the waist.
Add a scarf and some great riding boots and Voila- you look fabulous. Put-together, comfy and not at ALL like you are trying to look younger than you are.
Hope that answered your question, friend.
Again, I don't believe I'm an expert- but I DO believe that you can pull a great outfit together AND look age appropriate AND shop second-hand.
If not second-hand, you can shop Canadian-made and environmentally responsible (which USUALLY translates to being socially-conscious, as well).
Blessings.
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