I am becoming quite obsessed with graphic print leggings at the moment... beginning to build up quite a collection now! I recently saw these in Topshop and thought they were amazing!
But for someone who has a particular insecurity surrounding her legs, an ownership of over 20 pairs of leggings, a garment which is renowned for its body-shape-revealing-tightness, may seem slightly bizarre. My fanatical collection of the twenty-something pairs consist of both vintage and brand new as well as the weird and the wonderful. A splash of colour, a bold print or possibly an unusually shiny fabric most definitely attracts interest to an area where attention is most unwanted. Well, in my case anyway.
This rather contradictory way of dressing is reminiscent of how stereotypically some people, who expose themselves as loud, bubbly and confident are actually secretly very timid, self conscious and insecure, who are just simply trying to cover that all up and ‘act the part’. But could a fashion garment be used in the same way… as a concealed defence mechanism?
As a child, growing up in the 90’s, leggings were often a key piece in day to day wear; just as they are now. Memories of my leggings back then are rather vague, although I can vividly remember my mothers. My favourite, a nautical inspired pair; bold blue jersey with large red and gold coloured prints of anchors, ship wheels and ropes, which gradually descended down her leg, a style which I would long to own and wear during today’s fashion. Perhaps I have never fully unleashed this particular garment from what I perceive as my own personal style, in a desperate attempt to seize these treasured childhood memories. But is it really possible that someone can successfully and fashionably relive, at age twenty, their same style and fashions that they displayed between the ages of 5 and 10?
