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??

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie

Frumpy is such a ridiculous word.

That is all.

Completely agree. It’s used so often here it’s lost all meaning.

This thread seems to have just attracted loads of people who already wear dresses and leggings, who seem absolutely determined to either prove 1. They’re comfy and don’t care how they look or 2. They look amazing and are fashionistas/“on trend”/loads of people tell them they’re stylish (they also seem to go hand-in-hand with denim jackets and animal print, for some reason).

Oh. That last comment was meant to be in reply to/quote @Alsohuman and @Doghead.

I do but not in the summer. I'm 52.

No! Wear what you feel comfortable in!
Who cares what anyone else thinks?!

I wear leggings under dresses

In the winter to keep warm with dr martens and a coat
In the summer because I burn horrendously so can't expose and skin. Also my legs sweat and I cannot cope with bare sweaty legs so leggings help with that

I'm 38, and with the right dress, leggings can look good with a denim jacket over a dress and nice sandals

But actually, I'm not paid to wear clothes or be fashionable so I don't care what anyone else thinks

Personally , I think it makes an otherwise pretty dress look too heavy and overly casual but then again, I don't wear leggings, so have no idea what you would wear with them.

My 65 year old DM wears leggings with dresses because its comfy, she does a lot of walking and likes them to cover her bum, she wouldn't give a flying turd if people thought it was frumpy/trendy or not!

Yes, leggings under a dress is a pretty frumpy look in my opinion.

Especially in summer where they make a person look apologetic about having legs.

I do, all year round, but I also wear boots all year round so 🤷🏻‍♀️. I have horrendous varicose veins that end up like golf balls sticking out my legs and nobody needs to be seeing that!

Have you tried footless tights? They are thicker than normal tights but not as thick as leggings and cone in all sorts of colours and patterns.

Just thinking they might be a bit more spring/summer.

Wearing leggings under dresses is perfectly acceptable if that’s what you want to do and you feel comfortable. It’s not the height of fashion so depends how much you care about that. I only ever wear trousers/jeans so have never done it myself.

@BackyardDeckchair yeh definitely add warmth, and also make me look more dressed, so I'd wear them with a dress for work when I wouldn't go bare legged.

Why not wear tights with a dress?

How do you feel when you try them on and look in the mirror? If you think it looks ok, then go for it! Might also be worth considering if it would look better if you shortened the dresses a little, so they look like long tops rather than dresses?

I'm surprised people think that wearing leggings is hot. I have wicking ones that are quite cool in the summer. I went to Glyndebourne on one of the hottest days of last summer and wore a pair of plain black Lulu Lemons under my floor length evening dress and it was much more comfortable than having yards of silk clinging wetly to my sweaty legs.

I agree @Londonmummy66. I wear cropped leggings if it's warm, couldn't bear the thought of wearing tights. or bare legs if wearing a slightly longer dress.

Oh I just love leggings! I wear them with dresses that are too short. I mostly wear them with boots and dresses. I hate tights with a passion.
In summer I will wear a dress, leggings and chunky sandals. It balances the whole look imo.

I also wear leggings with black socks and trainers so they look like tights.
I think leggings are great. Its all in how you wear them.

I haven't show bare legs since I was 14 years old. Leggings under a dress are my normal. At my age and weight probably frumpy but I don't care. Living in London means I know a lot of women that for religion reasons also don't show their legs. That makes me feel less self conscious. Especially in the summer months.

@Thereoncewasahorridmama

I feel obliged to shout Snag Tights at you *@Sparrowfeeder*. I have their skin tone shorts on, they come quite long as I'm short so don't tend to ride up and solve chub rub.

I have a pair of snag tights and they snagged the first time I wore them! Not my favourite ones actually, I love the luxury M&S tights that last me years without laddering!

I have chub rub shorts from Big Bloomers which I love in the summer but it doesn’t hide my varicose veins and bruised pale legs!

I wouldn’t say frumpy but I don’t think it looks good. The pregnancy thing rings true to me too.

If you’re not comfortable with bare legs I’d just go longer on the dress, it’s much more modern (young?).

@MrsMaizel

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

What's wrong with being post- menopausal?? How does one avoid becoming such? 🙄

I think there is definitely a style that looks good with leggings.... a Studio Nicholson / Cos minimalist look worn with chunky shoes or Tevas. I would say that’s a pretty cool and current kind of Scandinavian look. Colourwise I would want to keep it monochromatic. I couldn’t say about these particular dresses without seeing it on because a lot depends of the cut of the dresses - a fit and flare wouldn’t look right I don’t think. However if you like it what does it matter what I or anyone else on this board think about it? Go for it if you love it.

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

Vile comment. Reported.

I think it looks frumpy.

I wear calf/ankle length dresses in summer.