Welcome back, Spandex! We missed you?

By Chloe Gallo

In the 1980s, females wore spandex with their leg warmers and sneakers. Today they wear leggings and with their UGG boots. Although 25 years has passed, the only difference in females’ choice of pants is that in the 1980s they labeled them spandex and today we say “leggings.” Whether you call them spandex, leggings, stirrups, footless tights, or even stretch pants, they all are the same thing: tight pants that contour every inch of your leg.

Spandex pants are back in style but with variation. The once fluorescent, Lycra of the 1980s used by people who wanted to keep fit, has shifted gears to in terms of color, material, and purpose.

“I don’t think the leggings I wear from Abercrombie are even close to the tacky ones my mom wore,” says senior Victoria Kloss.

The birth of this fashion came about in the mid 1950s when it was worn by lean dancers and other athletic women at this time. The trend then resurfaced in the beloved 1980s for the same exercise purposes creating what was called the Spandex Revolution.

“It was all spandex,” says 45 year old, former exercise instructor Heidi Lee Faller. “Jazzercise was big and leotards and spandex were little — in size terms, that is.”

Jazzercise as the 1980s knew it, however, has died. Unlike its previous appearances in history, the spandex/leggings of today do not serve the exercise function. Now people wear them causally.

At this year’s Olympus fall Fashion Week, top designers such as BCBG, Mark Jacobs and Ralph Lauren broadcasted this mushroomed silhouette with their collections. Leggings were paired with tunic tops, jackets and cardigans, under dresses, and under skirts.

“The spandex look today is somewhat more sophisticated than it was back in 80s,” says Faller.

By combining them with classy items such as simple, flat shoes and a knit dress, leggings are becoming office-acceptable.

They come in a variety of colors, patterns, and lengths making them conducive to many outfit options. In popular female clothing stores such as Forever 21 and American Eagle Outfitters, a customer can see and buy leggings in almost any solid color, or ones that are striped, ones with prints on them (skulls are extremely popular), ones with lace on the bottom, and so on.

Senior fashion merchandising major Daniela Maurizi explains that in terms of fabric, leggings today are mostly a blend of 90% cotton and 10% Lycra. Although tight and binding, this combination makes them soft and comfortable.

“The length of leggings, where they hit on one’s leg, usually differs depending on the look someone is trying to achieve.” Maurizi says.

Leggings that go down to the ankles are usually worn with long tops in the fall and winter time. Ones that come up right above the knee are usually seen with skirts and dresses in the warmer months.

“They make clothes a lot more functional,” says Kloss. “For example, my old mini skirt that got way too short, I can now wear. All I have to do is put leggings on underneath and I am good to go.”

They are also cheaper than the “skinny jeans” that are in style. A customer can achieve the same skinny-pants-look for $29.50 by buying Abercrombie & Fitch’s Classic Katarina leggings as opposed to buying designer jeans such as the Citizens of Humanity’s Ava Stretch Skinny Jean for $146.

Not everyone has jumped on the fashion bandwagon with leggings. Maurizi, a fashion literate, refuses to wear them. She explains that due to their “binding” nature, they are not a trend that all people can pull off.

“My body, along with many other people’s body types, is not made for wearing spandex,” she says. “Leggings are not like baggy sweat pants — one size does not fit all.”

Aside from personal choice, some girls today are not wearing leggings because they are not allowed to. The skintight spandex material is being brought up as dress code violations especially in schools of which younger girls attend.

Spandex pants are currently all over runways, on college campuses, and are even trying to make their way into middle schools. How long are leggings here to stay? Senior fashion merchandising and design major, Jaclyn Jones claims that despite its hype, this style is fading out.

Jones obtained an Associates degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. She explains that once a trend hits mainstream in the fashion cycle, the trend in fashion time is becoming ancient history.

The fashion cycle she describes is how a trend comes in and out of style. Innovators start the cycle by wearing clothes that are seen almost as tacky.

“I saw girls wearing this trend as far back as two years ago when no one could find them in stores,” she says. “Those people were the trendsetters.”

Then, the trend is labeled as a fashion item once it is adopted by early adaptors and is seen on the fashion runways and/or is worn by high fashionistas. Next the trend is everywhere — in fashion magazines, newspapers, the internet, movies, and on TV. Finally, in the mainstream phase, the trend becomes saturated in the market, usually at very low prices. At this time, most people get the opportunity to flaunt the trend, but then it loses its appeal.

“Although they’re on their way out, leggings always find a way to somehow come back.” she says.