Cheryl Shops

Cheryl shops for...leggings
Maybe it's my New York City Ballet Workout DVD, or maybe it's the fact that Big Boss suggested I style miniskirts with them for my next photo shoot, but all of a sudden, I have an inexplicable urge to buy leggings. Yes, I know Sienna, Kate, Mary-Kate, et al. have been wearing them for months, and they're ridiculously trendy, which is reason enough not to wear them. (There's also the issue that I wore leggings the first time around, in the '80s, and they say if you wore it the first time, pass on it the second time.) But I feel like leggings haven't yet hit the mainstream, so maybe they're still ok. And they'll look so cute paired with the ol' denim mini, flats, and a flowy, feminine boho tunic (very Marissa on The O.C.). So, I did some research.

Now, there are leggings, and there are footless tights. As for the former category, there are websites such as Blair that have probably been selling these since the '80s. I would not recommend ordering from here, as today's legging is cropped, the better to show off your dainty ankles and Marc Jacobs flats, and to not make your legs look like sausages. I found that Abercrombie and its crazy younger sibling, Hollister, both carry a heather gray pair for $24.50. For basic black or brown, celebrity favorite Intuition has hopped on the leggings bandwagon. There's also Victoria's Secret, my #1 source for leggings back in the early '90s. But I think the best bet is Cheryl Shops fave American Apparel, whose $26 style comes in nearly every color in the rainbow.

As for footless tights, I think these are a wise decision, because they can be had for under $10. Urban Outfitters's footless tight is $10 and comes in a variety of colors. This lovely style from My Tights is a mere $7.75. Another great source for footless tights is dance catalogs and websites; All About Dance has an Ultra Soft Hip Rider Capri tight for $7.90 (which comes in the classic ballet pink, suntan, and black colors); Cheryl Shops fave Danskin has the ultra-high-quality low-rider tight from the NYCB collection. And, hey, if I buy anything from the NYCB collection, I can always repurpose it for my ballet workouts, right?