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COOL 2 WEAR: The look of leggings

You can spend less than $20 or more than $1,000. Does it matter?

BY ANNE BRATSKEIR and MARYELLEN FILLO

October 30, 2006

Is it true that black leggings are black leggings are black leggings?

To the untrained eye, and maybe leg, this may seem so, but this season's layering staple, turning up under dresses and chunky sweaters, peeking out of ankle boots and cropped pants runs the gamut when it comes to fabric and price. A basic footless tight-style may cost you as little as $8 while a cashmere designer type can go for - egads! - more than $1,000.

"I lived through the '80s, and I don't remember this kind of variety," says Hope Greenberg, fashion director at Lucky Magazine. "Today the question comes down to: Where are you going to invest your money? If you're somebody who only wants to have designer in your closet, then I guess there's a reason to buy something like $750 leggings. But for well under $100, you should be able to get the look you want."

That said, Greenberg acknowledges there are differences in the second-skin styles and to prove the point, she put out a little questionnaire in her fashionable office, filled lately with legging-wearing women. Among the comments: "More money doesn't necessarily mean better quality. I've seen leggings around $100, but the best I've found are from American Apparel - a tightly woven fabric, cotton/Lycra mix, long (to my ankles), and they're $26."

Another take: "thicker is better because thinner ones snag the same way tights do. I like wool or wool-blend ones... they don't tend to have as much of a sheen as all-synthetic ones do, which looks cheap."

The worst legging offense? Not enough stretch, and - yech! - the dreaded "bagging around the knees."

At Scoop NYC, where the look of the season is leggings and ballet flats, there are 16 different legging styles available, ranging from $68 to $170. "They are definitely considered a must-have item this fall," says Stacy Vale, Scoop's director of personal shopping. "They're supposed to be almost a comfort piece, layered with sweaters and very Audrey" (as in Hepburn). Vale recommends a slightly thicker fabrication such as a wool-cotton blend and most important, a little Lycra to eliminate the droop factor. Her favorites are brands by Alice & Olivia, $128, and Scoop Private Label, $75. "You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars to get the look," she says. "We view leggings as a staple this season, but, ultimately, they are still a trend."

Stephanie Solomon, Bloomingdale's fashion director, says that legging purchases are all about "personal choice. A lot of it has to do with comfort and the feel on your body. If there's a lot of nylon in the legging, then it could cling to your clothes."

According to Solomon, the brand Hue ($17 for two pairs) is the simplest, but you'll need more than one pair: Like hosiery, they run and catch. If you want to go all out, she says, buy the Ralph Lauren cashmere legging (a bit over $1,000). She likes Wolford leggings, $38, for their velvety feel. "Most everybody in the fashion office wears them," she says.

Perhaps the most sage advice was whispered to us by our favorite saleswoman in the dressing room of an upscale store. "Look, if you don't have anything to do with your money, then buy the most expensive leggings," she said. "Otherwise, keep it relatively inexpensive. It's just a trend."

How do they fit?

To be honest, I haven't yet donned leggings and there's no particular reason. Maybe it just takes me longer to try out trends. But in the interest of journalistic research, I hit the dressing rooms recently to figure out what makes one legging stand out from another.

Bottom line, for the most part it was the fashion equivalent to "Ground Hog Day." They all were pretty much alike - black, slim on the leg, fitted on the hips and waist, looked good with a chunky sweater. Here's our list:

Ralph Lauren: The store was actually sold out of the Purple Label $1,098 black cashmere ones, so I tested them in loden green. They featured a higher waist and were cozy and thick but form-fitting, thanks to a touch of nylon and elastane. I'd rather buy a new coat, but the saleswoman said she couldn't keep them in stock. I preferred Lauren's $398 Pink Pony style, with its wider waistband and drawstring pull. They were long - good for slipping into a boot and a little less stylized.

Marc by Marc Jacobs: The skintight cotton-nylon-spandex featured a stiff pinstripe down the side, showed every curve of the leg, every fold of an undergarment and looks like gym pants for $98.

Graham & Spencer: Deliciously soft, light and nonbinding, this luscious wool blend, $112, was No. 1 in comfort but required dry-cleaning and was a little thin. You could see skin through the black.

Vince: For glam holiday looks, this inky black velvet, $140, was very flattering and featured a soft sheen. They'd look really pretty topped by a ruffled shirt.

Splendid: From the company that makes some of the best T-shirts, this cotton-Lycra capri-length style, $54, felt good, but didn't really distinguish itself from others.

Wolford: These feel great on and are like a pair of panty hose, holding you in; solid black and incredibly smooth; $38.

-- Anne Bratskeir

High Comfort

When I heard that Nike and Cole Haan had collaborated on a new high-heel collection, called State of the Art High Heel, I'll admit I was curious but skeptical.

Not possible, I thought, as I perused an article touting them as being "like walking on air" and "shoes with looks and comfort." There is no way to make high heels that can be comfortably worn all night long. It's an unwritten law that high heels mean pain. Period.

But after a trial run, I am here to say the impossible has been achieved - in my case, anyway. I tested the black suede Carma air pumps with 4-inch heels, and after nine hours that included going out to dinner, sitting through a movie, and a couple of hours of "working the room," I went home with two happy feet that were not cramping, burning, blistering or begging for their fluffy slippers.

The State of the Art collection addresses the physics of forcing a foot into a shoe that rises from toe to heel at a 45- to 90-degree angle. Since it is the weight transfer from the raised heel to the toe that causes the pain every time a step is taken, the idea was to counterbalance the stress by lining the interior of the shoe with strategically placed Nike Zoom air bags, used in golf, football and other athletic shoes, topped by foam pads to cushion the ball and heel of the foot.

Expertise for the new line came from Gordon Thompson III, Cole Haan's creative director and executive vice-president, who had trained as an architect.

"I had women coming up to me at the time, begging me to create a sexy high heel they could actually walk in for more than an hour," said Thompson, who spent two years developing the stilettos with air-filled soles. "I wanted to prove that fashion and technology can, indeed, work together." While the suede black pumps, $265, I tried were your basic, must-have, pair of shoes, Cole Haan and Nike have taken the technology and applied it to other footwear in the collection that includes boots, open-toed pumps and wedged heels with exotic sounding names like Takoda, Latasha, Jayma, Tivona and Cyrilla.

So will you be seductively walking in heels that could do double duty on the basketball court? Come on, be serious. But can you make a fashion statement with really sexy-looking shoes that aren't killing your feet within a few hours ... absolutely.

And then some.

The shoes, which cost from $265 to $485, can be found at Cole Haan retail stores, or online at colehaan.com, and nordstroms.com.

-- Maryellen Fillo