Can men wear leggings too?

There’s a real name for the particular item of clothing you’re talking about: meggings! It’s a neologism that would suggest that if men’s leggings don’t already exist, they will. After all, if something is present enough in our lives to deserve its own term, it has probably reached, or is about to reach, critical mass.

Maybe it’s time. Men first adopted stockings, or stocking-like garments, back in the 15th century, long before women. Henry VIII of England was often depicted wearing his stockings, as was Louis XVI of France. It wasn’t until the 1800s that they fell out of favor and were replaced by tailored pants. But they’ve been making a comeback for a while now as part of a man’s athletic wardrobe, whether it’s for cyclists like you, yogis, runners, or basketball players.

(Of course, certain groups, rock stars, superheroes, never left them).

Now the question is not so much whether men can wear leggings but how men should wear leggings.

The general rule of thumb, said Warren Alfie Baker, the stylist who helped make Andrew Garfield a red-carpet star last awards season, and who said he grew up wearing leggings for sports, is that “it’s always better to wear shorts on top as a layering piece, with a t-shirt or tank.” Presumably for the sake of modesty.

But as more and more companies spring up to cater to the megging market, Guy Trebay, our menswear reviewer, cited companies adding “built-in cups to men’s tights that give them the softened contours of a Ken doll.” . become increasingly irrelevant. (See, for example, Matador and Kapow, which also offer recycled shims.)

In fact, last November, Gucci’s Alessandro Michele, a designer who has led the way in gender-fluid attire, showed off meggings with formal jackets in his “Love Parade” collection, though Wall Street, Washington, and the more conservative professions probably are not ready for them yet.

For those who want to experiment further, Mr Trebay suggests there could be a possible role model in “influencer Nick Wooster (@nickwooster), who often wears some version of leggings under a skirt. This combo has the dual advantage of providing ease and comfort (just ask all the men in the world who habitually dress in sarongs, dhotis, lunghis, boubous, dishdashas, ​​or similar loose garments) and changing so-called gender norms.”

That way you can have your super skinny stretchy comfy pants and cover up a bit too.

Each week on Open Thread, Vanessa will answer a reader’s fashion-related question, which you can send her at any time via email or Twitter. Questions are edited and condensed.

Source: www.nytimes.com