I HAD a strange flashback on the train last week. There I was in my wee commuter bubble, rocking gently with the sway of the carriage, when a young woman got on wearing leg warmers and I was transported straight back to my youth.
Credit to train woman, her leg warmers were a subtle shade of soft cream. Back in the day, they only came in Day-Glo.
But where have these eminently practical items of clothing been since I was 12, when we all kidded ourselves we were just a high kick away from a part in Fame?
Some digging reveals that leg warmers have indeed made a comeback, along with some other surprise woollens, as a must-have accessory this winter.
My research took me down a rabbit hole of fashion publications, another time and space continuum for me, and I’m still feeling a little disorientated.
But there’s more to this look than woolly socks without the feet.
According to Vogue, “if it seems as if the latest wave of designer drops are one arabesque away from being classified as ballet dance gear, there’s a reason.”
New York-based stylist Madeleine Jones tells the style bible: “I see the ballet-all-day movement as the natural evolution from athleisure.”
In the search for “dancer-favourite” crunchy, scrunchy pink leg warmers, it’s safe to “trust Miu Miu to know exactly what a girl wants”, according to Jones. “Wear these hot pink leg warmers over leggings and paired with your favourite ballet flats.”
Maybe not. Anyway, I’m not sure how the ballet-all-day look will fit with the other winter accessory which is whipping up a storm.
According to Stylist magazine, the “fashion cognoscenti” are ditching toorie bunnets in favour of the balaclava. I’m getting all itchy around my chin just writing this, but what do I know?
According to data released by Depop, there’s been a 145% increase in searches for balaclavas in the past month, with the resale site now having been flooded with hand-knitted versions.
Looks like granny was ahead of her time.
Stylist gushes on: “Since Raf Simmons for Calvin Klein first purveyed the trend, souped-up snoods, as they were known in a former life, are back in a big way. All manner of brands, from Shrimps to Paloma Wool and Stella McCartney, have crafted their own takes on the balaclava, which deserves to be worn with your favourite knits and the ultimate winter warmer: a duvet coat.”
I suspect there’s a fine line between vamp and frump with this look, but to top it off, another old favourite has been rescued from the mothballs.
Since the start of September, searches for fingerless gloves have spiked by 106%.
Apparently, according to Stylist, “this will come as no surprise to TikTok users, given the ‘fairy-core’ aesthetic that whipped style-conscious users of the app into a fashion frenzy”.
So it all makes perfect sense now. Doesn’t it?
Never has wrapping up warm in winter clothing caused such excitement.
Keeping cosy has rewritten the fashion wool book.
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