Often, being fashionable means sacrificing comfort, but that certainly isn’t the case when it comes to leggings, one of the many style trends borrowed from the realm of professional dancers. And with the astounding ability to stretch like nobody’s business, comfort was almost always assured - even if modesty was sacrificed in the process.

The elasticity of these remarkably expandable stretch pants were the result of a space-age fabric called elastin, the generic name for most people know as Lycra. And what makes Lycra so special is its ability to expand up to six times its size and still find its way back to the original shape without unsightly stretching. Fashioned after dance tights, with the feet cut off, leggings were offered in a variety of sizes, ranging from down to the ankle to thigh-high lengths. Offered in a large array of colors and patterns, from the conservative to the outrageous, they were a must have for any woman who valued having a little comfort mixed into her fashion style. 

In to the 80s, leggings were most commonly worn with an oversized tee-shirt and day-glo high tops. Then, along came Madonna, working her fashion magic as she is apt to do, and soon, the style had shifted to the high calf variety, worn under a micro-mine mesh skirt. In later years, the style became even shorter, as the bike style ultra-short versions gained popularity.

If the fashion world has learned anything about comfort, it is from those that dance for a living. They design out of necessity and everyone else enjoys the result. And when it comes to sheer comfort, good ol’ stretchy leggings have few peers.