From: Deirdre To: Stylehog Date: April 1st, 2008 Subject: Pleather Leggings I've been noticing a lot of celebrities wearing pleather leggings. I love the way Ashley Olsen looks in her pleather leggings and I especially like what Sarah Jessica Parker wore to the premiere of her new movie last night. How can I find similar looks to these 2 stars? And what do you think about pleather leggings? Ciao, Dierdre The Verdict: Pleather Leggings It's common knowledge that whatever Kate Moss wears one season is guaranteed to become a trend 6 months down the road. So it should come as no surprise that Kate's pleather leggings first seen in June 2007 at the Glastonbury Festival would trickle down the ranks of celebrity and eventually end up on the racks of retailers worldwide. We have harnessed a secret love for pleather leggings since we noticed them all over the Fall 2008 runways but we have yet to take the plunge and actually buy a pair. Why? We aren't convinced they will look as good on us as they do on the likes of Ashley, Sarah Jessica, Mischa and Kate. This is one trend that looks best on those thin, leggy types and we're afraid on us, the look might range from cheap prostitute to slutty Halloween costume. For those of you brave enough to try it, we give you props and a few tips on how to ensure you look the best you can in your new second skin. Both Ashley and Sarah Jessica have intermixed contrasting textures with their pleather leggings. Sarah Jessica mixes a satin tunic with her leggings while Ashley goes for a ruched clutch and chunky knit. This mix and match attitude adds more dimension to the leggings. As well as using contrast, their use of layers with the volume focused on top helps to bring sophistication to a pair of pants previously reserved for women of the night. Keep this in mind and avoid anything skin tight on top. Lastly, the girls mixed different colors into the mix, most importantly brown. The addition of brown changes the look from washed-out groupie to daytime chic. Looking for a cheap alternate to the trend? Look no further than the 3 pairs we discovered at Shop Intiution (Kova & T $113), American Apparel ($44), and Karmaloop (Tripp NYC $52). With these tips in mind, we only have one word of warning when it comes to pleather leggings: Watch out for hot days! These pants are not breathable and you may end up needing scissors (and the help of a really close girlfriend) to cut them off your body!