For a few years now, I’ve been inching closer and closer towards a uniform. I’ve experimented with styles, and pondered the versatility of various tops, bottoms, dresses, etc. I’ve pared down to One Shoe, One Coat, and One Handbag.
Well, as of late, I’ve taken another leap forward in this initiative—I believe I am down to One Bottom. To be honest, this happened by accident; one of the unintended consequences of my Eating Less experiment is that most of my clothes no longer fit. And just when I nailed down a great capsule wardrobe—argh!
Pants (trousers for my UK readers) have been a particular problem. While a slightly-large top can still be wearable, saggy baggy bottoms just look bad. For that reason, I’ve grown quite fond of leggings; they’re the only bottoms that have stayed with me through thick(er) and thin.
I’ve worn black leggings every day for the last five months. (They’ve even replaced my beloved yoga pants.) I think that qualifies as a uniform, yes?
They’re actually ideal for my rainy climate; I can’t believe it took me three years to discover this. Every winter, I’ve struggled with pants; they drag through puddles and look weird with my boots. My leggings, on the other hand, work perfectly well with both boots and ballet flats.
I also like how they don’t have zippers, buttons, or belt loops that cause weird lumps and bumps under my tops. It makes for a smoother, sleeker silhouette.
Let’s see, what else…. They don’t wrinkle, they pack like a dream, they don’t need hemming, and they let me wear cute mini dresses without baring too much leg. :) They’re so comfortable, I even wear them to bed.
What started out as laziness (I didn’t feel like shopping for new pants) has grown into a full-blown leggings love affair.
And really, I should have remembered this. I’ve come full circle back to my UK days, when I wore a dress with leggings or tights every day (like in this post from 2011). I’m not sure why I expanded my wardrobe when I stopped living out of a suitcase, but I’m excited to re-adopt the uniform of my nomadic years.
Of course, leggings require a top that covers your bum, but that’s perfectly in line with my uniform goals. On that note, if anyone can recommend some lovely tunic tops or short dresses, please share. I see leggings worn with a lot of loose and flowy shirts, but I’d love to find something more fitted.
I’m not sure where leggings puts me on the fashionista spectrum—probably clear off of it. But Audrey Hepburn (my fave style icon) wore them fabulously in Funny Face, and I’ve pinned some other chic outfits to my Pinterest board. I’m curious: do any of you swear by leggings, for fashion, comfort, minimalism, or other reasons?
In fact, let’s open up this discussion to all things uniform: let us know in the Comments if you have a favorite style (bottom, top, dress, etc) that you could (or do) wear everyday!
I wear leggings frequently. I have found a brand that has a fleece lining (GMI), which actually makes them warmer than pants. Recently, Soft Surroundings had a sale. I bought a long vest and a tunic from them that both cover the bum. I have several pair of leggings, to make different outfits with. I still have all my pants, too, which I will no doubt go back to in warmer weather. Great post! I always enjoy your writing :)
I decided to start wearing leggings after reading this post!
I’m thinking this might be the way to go!
I follow your blog since a long time and I think I never leaved a comment! What a shame!
I decided last summer to wear only my dresses and skirts at work (because I love them so much, and I didn’t wear them enough!), and when cold weather came, I naturally went for leggings. I still haven’t wear trousers at work since then and I love my leggins. I bike to work, so leggins are a real plus for this too.
I am not the leggings typ. I just prefer jeans. At the moment I have two of the same model and size. One in dark blue and one in dark grey.
That’s so since years. Wearing just some jeans until I get rid of them due to holes and so on. And then buying two new ones.
I think Leggins are just special and not anybody can wear theses.
I am not fat or anything alike. Just with my female body form I don’t feel comfortable with leggins. And with a big feet like 41 (10) I think with skinny jeans or leggings the feet look longer than with my bootcut jeans.
As you can see I am also cutting down to “just one”. That’s the jeans.
I am not wearing skirts or dresses. I don’t like the feeling of my inner legs to touch each other. So pants are just the best for me.
I’m a Canadian reader and have been living in leggings for years but have always struggled to find tunic tops to wear over them. Ever since discovering this sustainable, slow fashion Canadian company: https://voiladesigns.ca/ I have managed to pair down my wardrobe a lot buy buying a “bum warmer” from them.
https://voiladesigns.ca/products/bamboo-fleece-bumwarmer-best-seller-winter-mini-skirt-voila
It’s essentially a skirt that you wear over your leggings that actually extends any top so it looks like you are wearing a tunic! They come in printed and plain designs. Now I don’t have to worry if my top is long enough and I have been able to salvage some shorter tops that I was going to donate because I never wore them.
The leggings from this company can all be folded up for shorter people. (I think I remember someone asking about leggings for shorter folk).
Just wanted to share :) I’m over the moon that my wardrobe has become to simple.
I have worn nothing but black leggings for just about five years now. I never look at anything else while out thrifting and I ditched all my other pants, such as jeans etc a long while ago. I also love how they never drag on the ground, offer a large range of movement while chasing my toddler around, go with everything, and compliment the flowy tops I lalways tend to wear.
I love these shoes with no socks the way you wear them. I have just started a blog on psychology related to minimalism. It might be interesting for you, maybe, I will post articles on a weekly base. https://minimalistboy.com
I love leggings! I’m no minimalist in terms of my wardrobe. However I have streamlined and leggings were part of that process. While I do have a few tunics, I adore dresses and have finally accepted that dresses are my staples (& not separates as many capsule wardrobe posts & pins would have you believe). Except for a few pairs of jeans I’m not much of a trousers gal anymore and the weight fluctuation is definitely a factor (the perfect fitting pair of pants only stays that way if the body within stays the same). Most of my dresses are oversized/architectural shaped which looks fantastic with leggings. I live in Hawaii but work in strong AC (my office is next to archived art so it must be kept very cold), so I just throw a pair of leggings on under a linen or gauze dress. I may layer a kimono jacket or oversized sweater on top if needed. If I need to go somewhere warmer or want to take a walk outdoors on a sunny day during lunch I can pull off the leggings and the sweater. I’m also 49 now and I don’t like to show my knees much anymore but I do have slender calves. Leggings allow me to do a shorter dress every now and then and still stay covered while having the nice proportion with the slender calf and loose fitting dress. I’m also short so the legging also prevents a black shoe from cutting off my shorty legs. I don’t just have one but have one of each type: one plain black jersey, one faux leather (Spanx), one merino wool for cold weather travel (IBEX) and a cheapo brushed jersey one (sleeping/lounging). I have two for working out. I do try to buy good quality as I wear all of these frequently (except the merino of course) and try to avoid inside seam as that can irritate the skin.
I like your simplifying experiments like this one! After years of pregrancy-breastfeeding-pregnancy-breastfeeding I’m currently building a wardrobe of a “free” woman and I chose dresses. They’re simple and easy. They make one outfit, without the problems “does this top match this bottom?”. During winter/spring/autumn I need tights and a jumper. And in the summer: underwear, dress, sandals and I’m ready to go out!
My uniform staple is slim-straight leg jeans. As much as I appreciate the easy comfort of leggings, I always come back to the pockets in jeans! Slim-straight gives me the lean silhouette I like with all pockets and the option to wear shorter tops.
I’m moving into oversized tunics & jumpers as my go-to tops (depending on the season). I can layer under and over them. I can dress them up and down (even in jeans!) And they work well with my definitely non-minimal collection of shawls (the hazards of being a knitter!) I can also make them for myself, so i get exactly what i want (or as near as my sewing skills allow!)
As a non-binary human with female tendencies, I’m enjoying the relief of not ‘having’ to wear fitted and ‘flattering’ clothes. Over-sized is a nice relief from my younger days of trying to be more feminine!
Not a fan, I just think they’re not that versatile. They’ve always had a bohemian vibe to me. I wear a sleeveless sheath dress in a solid color every day anyway, if it’s cold I wear tights with it. For evening, I can wear pantyhose with them. Otherwise I just go without anything on my legs.
I don’t have the figure for leggings and very seldom wear a dress. I have 2 pairs of jeans and 2 pairs of nicer slacks. 6 T shirts and 2 nicer shirts. A nice cardigan and 2 sweat shirts. In the winter, I wear more sweat shirts.I have never been interested in clothes. I have a lot of earrings. I get most things I own second hand so I don’t do any damage to the environment. M kids give me things and I go to thrift shops, garage sales and rummage sales.
I love leggings! Check out Pact’s new dresses…there are some cute options. They are made from fair-trade cotton, are made with fair-trade labor, and are quite well-priced! Also…they make some of my favorite leggings! :)
Im moving back to jeans from leggings. I missed my smaller cardicans and sweathers (i find they work better with a skirt, too). Long cardigans are bulky. Also, simpler shorter t-s are easyer to find in better quality, easyer to care for. I still wear leggings at home, though.
I am a leggings fan for several reasons. Laziness being the biggest. I have arthritis that makes any transition to a change of clothes an uncomfortable one. My job also is rather diverse in that I may be at a desk all day, and sometimes visiting homes in the inner city. The range of physical activity, temperature, and time frames vary spontaneously, but always requiring a minimum of office casual attire. My weight also fluctuates with being back in school and a variable of exercise dependent on pain level. I have numerous tunics and just started mixing some color into my traditionally neutral collection. I have many long cardigans to go over the more hugging tunics, that allow for layering and mix and match. Scarves are a great tool for tying together that last pair of leggings and tunic that otherwise wouldn’t match, when January’s been delayed.
I wish I could point you to desirable purchases, but admittedly, the majority of my items have come from thrift stores, but don’t look like it.☺
Where do you buy your leggings? I used to buy TWIK organic cotton but they are discotinued! I’m so sad Its the only onw I had I had 10 of them now i’m down to three ( since like 5 years)… I don’t know which brand to buy?
I wear Gap Pure Body leggings.
old navy rockstar denim, sleeveless tops and cardigans are my go to uniform
I have several Yala tops. I am trying to pair down to one as well. I think I am going to try your legging idea, and try one of the Yala tops. Mine have held up really well and hang very nicely
I started wearing leggings a few years ago. They keep me warm during the winter and the cool months. I get a lot of looks from men and women. I wear them more than sweat pants.
I have been wearing leggings when at all possible for about 2 years. I’ve developed a loose uniform style in that I almost always am wearing a tunic top or dress with an irregular hem with leggings. Mostly mixing up black, navy blue, burgundy, brown and olive green.
I have a pair of skirted leggings that look nice with either a tee or tunic. They’re very comfortable and versatile.