the great leggings debate

Last week i had what can only be described as a leggings revelation.

There i was frantically packing for sonisphere festival, (for some reason i left everything until the last minute this year which is very unlike me) when i faced the fact that i would have to sew together the remains of several old pairs of leggings to make a sturdy new pair for the weekend. Then, my saint of a mother suggested i nip 5 minutes down the road to Sainsburys because TU had a sale on and their leggings looked 'nice'. In a slight state of desperation (and because i wanted to buy some sweets for the journey) I took mothers advice and ended up purchasing the new loves of my life, hoorah!

These lycra lovelies cost me £10, that's £5 a pair! And they are just perfect! I dread to think how much I've spent on damn leggings in the past, I've owned just about every pair on the market and have had an on going legging debate with the girls forever.

I thought I'd put together this mini review of some of the brands I've tried in a bid to destroy any legging woes that are still out there...

So, starting off with New Look:

 

These babies cost £7.99, not a bad price but no, just no. Not only are New Look's leggings ridiculously seamy (it literally bulges) they are the most transparent of all. Seriously, you'd get more coverage from snipping the feet off your 40 den' opaques.

Next up is River Island:

Now, i don't know if it's just me, but i struggle to find a pair of leggings in RI that aren't high waisted. Yes the added support of a high waist is appreciated from time to time, but a girls got to breathe! These tummy tucking bad boys will set you back £9.99- again, not a bad price, but RI leggings are another culprit when it comes to flashing a little too much on the goodie front. You can even see the transparency of these in this photo taken from their website- probably not the best selling point.


Here's an old fave, Topshop:

I have always sworn by Topshop's leggings and if I hadn't been in such a rush last week I probably would have purchased new ones from my trusty high street faves. At £12.00 a pair, Topshop aren't great competitors in the value for money game but they do know their leg wear. I fully appreciate the petite option for pint sized lasses like me and have always found them to be relatively hard wearing...ish. They do go a bit misshapen after a while but they don't go see through and flash your polka dot pants when your dress is just a little bit too short for
leggings.


And H&M:

H&M's leggings cost £6.99 and are long, so so so long. I fully appreciate that at 5.2" i may have to tuck things under a little bit, I've come to terms with this, but these had to be tucked half way up my calves! I actually asked a member of staff in H&M once if their leggings came in different lengths, she sent me in the direction of what she referred to as the 'petite selection' where i found knee length leggings that were similar to something you might see Lance Armstrong rocking in the tour de France.


Lastly, American Apparel:

Before i started saving for a new car/flat/pug etc i decided to do something crazy and spend £24.00 on leggings, yes i know *slaps wrist* I learnt my lesson the hard way and should have read the online reviews before i purchased. Everybody really slates AA's leggings and to be fair they're not that bad. I mean, yes they did go insanely bobbley after one little wash, and grew air vents in areas one does not need air vents... but i did have thirty colours to choose from!

So that's my little homage to the leggings i have tried and tested over the years. I urge you to get a pair of Sainsburys TU leggings, you can buy them individually as well so if you don't want to take the plunge and be lumbered with two pairs you don't have to.

I'd love to hear other peoples opinions on the leggings matter as if there are a pair out there which can better my new TU loves, i need to know about it!

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