Leggings are a Wardrobe Staple for all Fashionable

 New York women, not just the likes of Miley and models

Long live the legging!

Montana Republican House leaders agreed to amend an asinine one-page dress code last week that declared “leggings are not considered dress pants” for women working on the house floor, after critics dubbed the code sexist and outdated.

 

“After getting much controversy, (the dresscode) has now been revised to business casual,” Chief Clerk of the Montana House Lindsey Grovom told the Daily News of the former guidelines which also stated “Women should be sensitive to skirt lengths and necklines.”

If New York ever tried to do the same thing, the entire city would have to buy a new wardrobe.

As a reporter who writes about food for a living, spandex is my best friend. I live — and breathe better — in a pair of opaque leggings from American Apparel, in the office and everywhere else. I make sure to cover my bits and pieces with a long button-up shirt or sweater. I even sat front row at New York Fashion Week in the same pair. It’s my comfort couture.

“Don’t lawmakers have a better use of their time than worrying about women’s dress code?” asks designer Nicole Miller. “There are dressy leggings and casual leggings ... depending on what they are accessorized with they can go from chic to casual,” she adds.

Leggings come in as many varieties as there are legs: business-friendly, sporty, glamorous and even formal, but there’s a time and a place for every pair.

“Well, there are leather leggings and then there are spandex," Stacey Bendet, CEO and Creative Director of Alice + Olivia told the Daily News. “I don’t want to see pajamas and hoo-ha lines at work, but leather leggings, a sweater and boot are super chic.”

The legging has become a must-need item for contemporary dressing. The form-fitting, high-waisted, stretchy Disco Pant is among one of the best sellers at American Apparel. Overall, legging sales increased 9% in 2013, reaching $209 million in the U.S., the most recent stat available.

West Village media coordinator Sarah Uibel, 30, exemplifies office chic in a pair of high waisted Isabel Marant suede leggings she can’t live without.

“You have to make sure they’re thick enough so that you aren’t giving a free show,” says Uibel, adding that some rookies make fashion faux pas.

“If an intern ever showed up in rhinestone bedazzled ones with ‘Diva’ or ‘Hottie’ on the rear, I would send her home immediately,” she says.

Not only did the Big Sky Country’s dress code make no sense, it made no fashion sense for other young professionals in the Big Apple.