Is it frumpy to wear leggings under a dress..?

[MHA65]

I have a couple of nice summer shift dresses that I bought last year and then didnt really wear...they are slightly too short (Im in my early 50s and dont want to show too much lily white leg!) Can I wear them with leggings? This would get me around the blue white legs and being too short issues in one go! But no idea if this is considered acceptable! If not, what do older/larger women wear in the summer??

It's tricky! I always used to just have bare legs buts as I get older unless I'm on holiday or wearing a maxi dress my legs just aren't up to it! Maybe a midi dress with trainers if I've managed to get a tan.
It's not the shape, I have great legs ( if I say so myself 🤣) but thread veins, age spots etc I couldn't go to work in a knee length dress with nothing on my legs.

I do tend to wear footless tights and sandals though rather than leggings, the other alternative is nude tights and shoes and actually I think that's worse!

The alternative is of course the other Mumsnet sin of a pair of linen trousers! 🤷‍♀️

I live the zebra leggings!

Midi dresses are not a fits-all solution. I can carry off most things ok I think but midi dresses look hideous on me. Absolutely hideous. And they wouldn't keep my legs much warmer against the Scottish weather (highs of 16c lows of 1c yesterday. One degree Celsius! That's not bare leg weather )

My point is, "frumpy" can Get In The Sea as a way of insulting perfectly normal, practical, comfortable clothing.

I happen to like my clothes. They flatter my figure and they reflect my personality. I don't give one single fuck about the worthless opinions of a bunch of randoms who would probably wear a dress made of tea towels if the right magazine told them to

Just wear what you feel comfortable in. I honestly don't understand all this angst over what other people might think about ones clothing!

If you don't care what people think, why are you getting so worked up about posters thinking leggings under a dress is frumpy? It certainly reads like you care - a lot.

Obviously leggings under dresses are dowdy, dated etc etc as many have pointed out. Don't bother to defend that, if all you are after is "practical, comfortable clothing." Same category as fleece jumpers and crocs.

Obviously leggings under dresses are dowdy, dated etc etc as many have pointed out

I don't really agree, I think they can look great. They can be practical, stylish, warm etc but I don't agree they look frumpy. Some people clearly do but thats the joy of the world we live in.

@Elllllle

Obviously leggings under dresses are dowdy, dated etc etc as many have pointed out. Don't bother to defend that, if all you are after is "practical, comfortable clothing." Same category as fleece jumpers and crocs.

As PP pointed out, Chanel seems not to agree with you

My early 20s DD wears Capri leggings with dresses and I definitely wouldn't call her frumpy!

I like to wear 80 denier footless/cropped tights with my dresses in the summer (I get them from Snag, but I've also been known to chop the feet off regular opaques). It's a bit lighter than leggings and I like having my feet 'free'. In the winter it's 200 denier tights (complete with feet!) or leggings all the way. Comfort and warmth and with boots it looks like I'm wearing thick tights either way.

Also, some of the comments on here are unnecessarily nasty.

Not even slightly frumpy

What a horrible, ageist word 'frumpy' is, anyway. Just another stick to beat women with.

I've got a dress on today that comes below my knees and have cropped leggings on that have lace round the bottom. I am curvy and have a medical condition with my skin that means bare legs can't be done so this is my only option now the weather is warmer and I can't get away with tights.
I don't care what anyone thinks, I feel good.

I do. I’m 6 foot tall, 35 and need to be able to keep up with DS and ride my bike to school/the shops etc. “Normal” length dresses are too short for that on me, so leggings it is.

Got complimented yesterday on how lovely and summery I looked 🌞

Never capris though, because of the leg shortening affect.

Nice to hear some people with some independence of thought re sartorial matters rather than the HUSH bots that proliferate this site.

I don't know about the word "frumpy" - is it so specifically attached to women? I have used it to describe all sorts (including certain jackets on certain men in the media) but maybe I shouldn't?

@ithoughtisawapuddycat

I've got a dress on today that comes below my knees and have cropped leggings on that have lace round the bottom. I am curvy and have a medical condition with my skin that means bare legs can't be done so this is my only option now the weather is warmer and I can't get away with tights. I don't care what anyone thinks, I feel good.

This outfit sounds lovely! Can I ask where you got your lace trimmed leggings? I can't find any anywhere and I love them.

HUSH bots

It depends on what style of dress @MHA65
Could you do a link to the style of dress you had in mind ?

I'm not "getting worked up" about anyone opinions on leggings under dresses. I couldn't give a toot what anyone thinks.

I'm furious though, at seeing women deliberately undermining and belittling and insulting other women for their (perfectly normal) clothing choices. It's disgusting and the posters doing it should take a long hard look at themselves. You're welcome to your opinions. You're not so welcome to try and make other women feel shit about themselves and you deserve to be pulled up on it.

Give it a few years and someone somewhere will decide that leggings under dresses is The Next Big Thing and write about it in a style supplement and all the posters deriding it today will be slavishly buying leggings to wear under their dresses

Very well said @MowldyStupidAndAssive

So many unkind people.

@MowldyStupidAndAssive

I'm not "getting worked up" about anyone opinions on leggings under dresses. I couldn't give a toot what anyone thinks.

I'm furious though, at seeing women deliberately undermining and belittling and insulting other women for their (perfectly normal) clothing choices. It's disgusting and the posters doing it should take a long hard look at themselves. You're welcome to your opinions. You're not so welcome to try and make other women feel shit about themselves and you deserve to be pulled up on it.

Give it a few years and someone somewhere will decide that leggings under dresses is The Next Big Thing and write about it in a style supplement and all the posters deriding it today will be slavishly buying leggings to wear under their dresses

👏👏👏

I certainly didn't mean to demean or belittle anyone, I hope I haven't. I have noticed that the OP asked whether the combo is "acceptable" rather than stylish and I guess we should take note of that. I hate the feeling that other women care whether I (or anyone) finds them acceptable for the way they dress (or don't dress).

I do too. I'd prefer not to but I just do not have the legs for going bare.

@TheVampiresWife

Not even slightly frumpy

What a horrible, ageist word 'frumpy' is, anyway. Just another stick to beat women with.

Not a single 'frumpy' look there. And all very wearable. The perfect combo.

Half of those looks are leggings with a coat, not a dress, and the rest are catwalk looks/street style/high fashion. I would guess most Mumsnet posters’ outfits do not fall into these categories.

Not passing comment on whether it’s frumpy or not, but you can’t use that article as proof that real people who are not models or fashion bloggers should wear leggings under dresses, lol.

@BlairWaldorfLovesShopping

Half of those looks are leggings with a coat, not a dress, and the rest are catwalk looks/street style/high fashion. I would guess most Mumsnet posters’ outfits do not fall into these categories.

Not passing comment on whether it’s frumpy or not, but you can’t use that article as proof that real people who are not models or fashion bloggers should wear leggings under dresses, lol.

Why wouldn't MN posters' outfits be high fashion or street style?