Wednesday, February 16, 2011

3 Ways to Wear Yoga Leggings -- A Guide for Petite Girls

For years I avoided leggings like the plague. Like many women, the last thing I wanted to do was draw attention to my hip and thigh area. I thought that anything with a tapered leg would just bring attention to how wide my hips and thighs are--in relation to my calves and ankles, anyway. I'm all about using yoga fashion to accentuate the body parts I feel good about, but I think I got this one wrong.

Not only do boot cut yoga pants tend to make petite people look like they're swimming in Spandex--and make it harder for your teacher to see your alignment--they also make already-short legs look even shorter. Add to this the extra hassle of taking a new pair of pants to get it hemmed and it's almost enough make me a total leggings convert.

Hemming isn't necessary for leggings--even if they're way too long! Here are three adorable ways I've found to make leggings even more flattering (and more versatile) on a petite frame-and they utilize the most current yoga fashion trends!

I Gathered That
I Am Beyond Gathered Leggings
Almost every yoga fashion line includes a pair of gathered leggings. (My favorites are these by I Am Beyond, formerly Beyond Yoga, because they're soft, squishy, and super flattering.) But if you're on the shorter side, you can just as easily buy a regular length pair of leggings and simply use your fingers near the ankle to make the gathers where you want them, and Voila!

(Just to clarify, my suggestion is for gathered leggings that are pant length--if you try to do it to the capri length (so it looks like the picture) they WILL slide down and drive you crazy the whole time you practice!

Cold Feet
Kathryn Budig rocks a long legging
Is it a sock? Is it a leg warmer? Are those stirrup pants? No! It's just a yoga legging that's a few inches inches too long hooked over the curve of the heel! It's great for cooler weather, keeps your leggings in place, and leaves most of the foot exposed to provide plenty of traction and feedback from the floor.




Covered Up
Zobha's legging look for Spring 2011
One of my favorite things about having yoga leggings is that they are so versatile! You can easily get away with wearing them under a skirt or dress in your everyday life, too--and no one will even question if you're on your way to or from the yoga studio. That means more bang for your buck and more creative mixing and matching options.  For me, that's a win-win.

What's your favorite way to wear leggings?

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