It is so easy to manipulate me! To persuade me! To convince me that a hunch I have is more than just a hunch — it’s a premonition.
Last February, I wrote a hate letter to winter after fashion week in a seasonal story about what to stop buying, what to start trying and in it, I half jokingly suggested kneecap leggings as a choice alternative to pants for the following Fall. In April, I surmised that the kneecap-legging hunch was probably tethered to an imminent capri-pant revival and accordingly, turned that into a story only to find myself abandoning said capris and gravitating back towards leggings-as-pants the following month.
Around the same time, resort collections were sprouting like hairs on my chin and Chanel, who showed in Cuba, did this really cool thing. I can explain, but a picture is worth so many more words, so:
Boom. Kneecap leggings. I’d have chalked it up to coincidence if it weren’t for what happened earlier this month in Paris at the Ritz for the house’s annual Metiers d’Art/Pre-Fall show.
More kneecap leggings! Three instances, as a matter of fact. Which is precisely what brings us here, to this post, demonstrating three ways to wear kneecap leggings not for the gym and, as a matter of fact, pretty formally.
Exhibit A: Got a Wedding? Great! I’ve Got an Outfit Idea
Dolce & Gabbana slip dress, Outdoor Voices leggings, Manolo Blahnik heels, Roxanne Assoulin chokers and Agmes bracelets
Do you have a sheer dress? It’s okay if you don’t, you can at the very least steal a slip from someone you know or pull one out a garment you already own. Then, wear it with a pair of leggings underneath and some heels. If you like and take this suggestion, I only hope that to repay me for the favor, you stop drop and bicycle when the cake cutting starts.
Exhibit B: Late for Work But Eager to Get There
Protagonist shirt, No. 21 striped sweater, Outdoor Voices leggings, Rachel Comey socks, Manolo Blahnik mules, jewelry by Aurélie Bidermann
This look is really important to me because for whatever reason, it keeps reminding me of what my dad looked like when he would get home from work and take off his pants — knee socks and shoes still artfully in place. I encourage you to challenge the boundaries of your workplace’s dress code and make a case for The New 9-5 Pant.
Exhibit C: If You’re Going Dancing, I’m Coming
Chanel jacket, Walk of Shame tank top, Outdoor Voices leggings, Miu Miu sandals
And also, I’m going to be the most comfortable disco ball on the g-dang dance floor because I’m wearing activewear. Though I am getting hot while performing my sprinkler. I’m also taking off my jacket to reveal a pink silk tank, looking slightly as though I think I am a board game princess. I assure you, young buck, that I will save myself from the burning castle. Probably with, you know, my sprinkler.
Photos by Krista Anna Lewis.
