5 Easy Ways to Look Stylish in Leggings

I love leggings. I just do. They are comfortable, match with most things in my closet and generally hold everything in place (I’ve had two babies, enough said).

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Last year when I became a stay-at-home mom, leggings became a huge part of my daily mom uniform. Some might say I took the legging fad a tad too far because I frequently took off my leggings to shower and immediately replaced them with a clean pair. I can probably count on two hands the number of times I wore jeans last year because they just weren’t comfortable.

My go-to pair of leggings are the Zella Live In leggings (regular here and high waist here). I own two pairs of this exact style and find they are perfect for pretty much everything. I even wear them to work out and actually like them a tad more than the pairs I own from Lululemon. Yes, they are that good.

Here’s the thing. Since I’m a seasoned legging wearer (is that a word??), I’ve mastered the ability to look stylish in leggings. It is absolutely possible to look cute and put-together while wearing our favorite stretchy pants. Here are my five tips:

#1: Throw on a pair of boots and a cozy cardigan. I personally love cognac colored boots with black leggings. The contrast works well and you tend to notice the boots instead of the leggings. I’m wearing the Sam Edelman Penny Riding Boots (wide calf here) in the picture above.

I also love longer cardigans because they cover my behind, which is important when wearing leggings. They aren’t meant to completely replace pants, so go for longer shirts and sweaters. I just bought this Open Cardigan last weekend and I can tell you, it is going to be my favorite sweater for winter. I love it with a plain black t-shirt underneath, but it will easily match with plenty of other things in my closet.

2. Add a jean jacket. Even if your daily routine doesn’t call for boots and a sweater, a jean jacket is an easy and cheap way to dress up your leggings. In the picture above, I’m wearing a pair of cozy slip-on Toms and a bright fuchsia t-shirt with my jean jacket. My jean jacket is from Gap and is a couple years old, but I really like this one, which is also on sale! This look would also look great with Converse or any other non-athletic sneaker.

3. Wear leggings with a plaid shirt. Plaid is huge again this year which is great for me because I wore a plaid shirt with leggings multiple times a week last winter. You can probably say I’ve got this look down pat. My favorite plaid shirts are the popovers from J. Crew Factory because they tend to be a tad longer and don’t button down all the way (make sure to size down). Find my exact top here and similar booties here.

4. Add a scarf. Isn’t this outfit cute? The best part is I’m still super comfortable. I added a colorful scarf (this exact scarf was purchased at Francescas a couple years ago) to my plain grey t-shirt and quilted Vans. Voila, I instantly look more stylish.

5. Wear a textured vest. Whether you choose quilted, puffy, shearling or fur, textures goes really well with leggings. I snagged this fur vest (similar here) at Target last year for under $20 and it is perfect because it is a tad longer (it covers my booty) and glams up my entire outfit. I added my favorite Kendra Scott Aiden necklace and black booties and I’m ready to go. Only problem with the fur vest is people want to pet me all night long.

In case you haven’t noticed, layers are the key to dressing up your leggings. Pile on the scarves, vests, jackets and accessories and you can easily get away with wearing your favorite stretchy pants every single day.

What tips do you have for styling leggings?