Black Leggings – The Basis of Your Wardrobe

Short answer: Black leggings are the item in the wardrobe worn most often across a year. They go with everything, they hide wear, and they can be worn for training, for everyday and at home. The only thing separating a good pair from a bad one is the density of the fabric.

Why they get worn most

Black matches every top, which means a pair of black leggings never requires you to think about the rest. They can be worn under a long jumper, under a dress and for training, and that flexibility makes them the most worn pair in the wardrobe.

Quality shows most clearly in black

Cheap black leggings turn greyish within six months and go see through across the seat when the fabric stretches. A denser fabric holds both the colour and the coverage, and the difference between the two only shows after twenty washes, not in the shop.

See the range

There are several thicknesses and rises in bamboo leggings for women, and the thinner alternative for wearing under dresses exists as bamboo tights for women, if leggings become too much under a thin fabric.

The test to run

Put them on, stand in front of a mirror in daylight and squat down deeply. If you can see skin tone through the fabric, they are too thin to be worn alone. That test takes ten seconds and saves a lot of annoying days.

The rise

A high waist is what most people return to, because it stays put when you bend over. A low waist only works if the top always covers the hip, and that is rarely the case across a whole day, whatever you planned in the morning.

For everyday

Under a long bamboo sweatshirt for women or a bamboo hoodie dress, black leggings work as trousers. The rule is the same every time: the top has to cover the hip, or they become underwear rather than clothing.

The rest of the wardrobe

The black leggings are the pair the rest is built around. See bamboo clothing for women for the tops with the length leggings require, and which do not need adjusting through the day to cover as they should.

How to avoid fading

Black fades from two things: water that is too warm and too much detergent. Wash at 30 degrees inside out and with half the detergent the packet suggests. The colour then holds for two years rather than six months.

How many you need

Two pairs. A thick one to wear alone and a thinner one for under dresses and skirts. Three only makes sense if you train several times a week and cannot wash between two sessions.

When to replace them

When the fabric no longer returns to shape after a day's wear, or when the knees stay baggy in the evening. The elastane is spent, and that cannot be fixed by washing. See also bamboo leggings and tights.