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??

When I was younger, leggings and Lycra didn't particularly exist.
They started off with the unflattering slacks with stirrups, which produced the effect of having no knees, and no one wanted to wear them beyond the age of about 12.
They finally morphed into the better fitting ones we have today.
So I wear them under dresses of whatever length, and bare legged in summer. I only ever wear tights for quite formal occasions now.
But then, I'm old and into lagenlook as well. However, not depressed or droopy. - and even I wouldn't wear them as my sole nether garment!
Leggings are such an unfettered, comfortable garment that I’m not giving them up due to fashion whims.

If it is then I’m a frump. Rather be a frump than be uncomfortable in tights

Oh no I’m in my 30s and had no idea this combo is considered frumpy, it’s one of my standard looks.

can you get so;me footless tights that match the dress? Might look more of a style staement and less of a pragmatic course of action.

Is it frumpy? I think it is very practical for shorter dresses- my toddler is wearing leggings with a dress today, in fact. Admittedly with her it's to reduce the risk of skinning her knees when she falls over, whereas when I do it it's usually because I've not shaved my legs or am a bit chilly, but it's an excellent way of wearing dresses. Go for it!

I wouldn't want to wear opaque tights in the summer. Thin leggings would be much more pleasant to wear.

Mumsnet hates anything like leggings under dresses and tunics, etc.

But in real life you see people wearing such things all the time and often looking nice doing so. Most people really don't care what you wear so long as it's not so,etching offensive.

Wear what you like and what you feel comfortable in.

I don't care if it is or isn't, I do it anyway as I like lagenlook. My legs are so white they're blue, I have a few spider veins and fake tan always looks too orange/yellow on me. Tights are a faff and uncomfortable in hot weather. Leggings feel more comfortable. Do what feels best for you, OP.

I always love to see little girls in leggings under their dresses. So much better for exploring, climbing trees and so on. Why shouldn't they play in pretty dresses but adapt the look to not rip their skin off bare legs if they fall.

And going by the replies on this thread op, there's a cohort of no nonsense women who think it looks great. Dress for yourself, not others.

I'm in my 30s and wear this a lot, especially as it's often not actually hot enough to go bare legged! I like it with sandals or ballet pumps.

Happy to be comfortable and warm enough and I think it looks nice!

Is it frumpy ? Yes I think it is more of a post menopausal woman who shops at White Stuff type look .

Crikey. I must be wearing the wrong things then. I'm not post menopausal and have never even looked at White Stuff, let alone shopped there.

I’m wearing leggings and a dress as I type, I think it looks fine! I’m wearing socklets and trainers but think it looks fine with Sandals too.

It's the sort of thing that isn't high fashion but lots of people (including me) wear it because it's practical and comfortable. Wear it if you want to - no one is going to look at you and think you look weird.

Hmm I've done it twice this week and I'm 30 so I probably look a right state. But it's cold and tights aren't what I want right now

I don't think it looks frumpy, but then my teenager wears all her dresses with leggings - and all her dresses are the strappy short summery ones. My 11 year old's favourite outfit combo is a short dress with tracksuit bottoms - though she says it's partially because then she has really big zip pockets.

My skin has become more sensitive to temperature over the years and I just feel more comfortable and me in layers. Thermal leggings are one of my staples after experiencing cold burn on my thighs once after a late night in a kilt and with the weather where I am, I use them most of the year under everything including ankle length skirts (even if by this time of year every year, I'm complaining that I shouldn't still be needing layers to be comfortable this late in the year, knowing I'll still be doing it for months).

Is it frumpy ? Yes I think it is more of a post menopausal woman who shops at White Stuff type look

Such a horrible bitchy comment on a thread of many women saying they dress like this.

I'm in my 30s and wear dresses and leggings a lot, no problem getting my legs out but it's rarely warm enough here and I like wearing dresses

My office dress code doesn't let us have bare legs, so if I want to wear a knee-length dress on days it is too hot for tights I do pop a pair of capri-length leggings on with it, and then a pair of sandals. As far as I can tell I look fine and presentable, certainly no one has remarked that I look scruffy or droopy, or like a post-menopausal woman who shops at White Stuff*. If you like the look and feel comfortable then wear it, OP, and ignore the tights on a hot day brigade - they're probably grumpy from the yeast infections that gives them.

• I have never shopped at WS and until recently thought they sold kitchen appliances.

That combo is all the rage on the Popsy dress Fb page.
Personally I think it is a very dated look and not one I go for but each to their own and I can see where its a useful look ( nursery teachers and the like)

I do this sometimes and wouldn't think twice about it! I'm in my 20s and neither droopy or depressed - and recently won 'best dressed' in my workplace!

I particularly tend to do it when wearing something more boho like @TSBelliot mentioned. I've had to change my style a few times due to chronic pain and can honestly say I really don't care if some shallow idiot is judging me for wearing leggings. I think I look good and I'm comfortable, end of

I think it looks awful at any age OP but my opinion should matter not a jot to you.

Men don’t have these dilemmas to anything like the same extent. Maybe we should all just wear what the fuck we want.

Of course its fine.
Thats how leggings are meant to be worn!

But for some reason, girls now think its okay to wear skin tight leggings in lieu of jeans, dress, shorts, or trousers.

I think thick 3/4 length tights look better.