Got Me In My Leggings is ELLE.com’s leggings review column.
I love leggings. I own 25 pairs. Yes, it is more than any one person should have. No, I do not feel like I have enough! That’s my cross to bear, thanks to the human condition. Look, leggings are perfect. They are skin for your skin. They are unutterably comfortable. I want them in my life. I want them in your life. This is why I have deemed myself the leggings expert at ELLE.com. Luckily, nobody else wanted that position. Thanks to all my colleagues!
For my first ever foray into leggings service journalism, I knew I needed something special. It couldn’t be a run-of-the-mill pair or even an old stalwart. I would have to venture boldly into the lycra atmosphere. With the help of our Style Director, Nikki Ogunnaike, I landed on the Ronda legging, a high-rise, 7/8 length style from the Veronica Beard x Bandier collaboration. Here’s what I thought!
Do they look good?
Are you kidding? These improved my day by at least 7 percent (that’s a lot!) when they arrived at the office. I was curious how Veronica Beard, an editor-esteemed brand known for tailoring and delicate floral prints, would approach athleisure. The results are a surprise, but a welcome one. Design-wise, the direction is so much louder and racier than I assumed it would be: a photorealistic leopard print broken up by neon pink and black side stripes (a detail that could be, I acknowledge, too zingy for some). But it just made me feel happy.
If they were a Spice Girl, what would they be called?
Extra Spice.
Which celebrity would wear these?
Khloé Kardashian in Revenge Body mode.
What activity should you do in these?
Pretend to be super rich.
Are they comfortable?
Super comfy. The polyester/nylon/elastane blend feels like it’s great quality: thick, but it doesn’t restrict your movement. Wearing these for a whole day was a cinch. Honestly, I could have worn them for a week.
What other designs do they come in?
Just this one, although there’s a capri featuring black fabric instead of the leopard. The range also contains sweatpants and bike shorts in the same colorway.
Are they flattering?
I got compliments from three different co-workers about these, specifically about how flattering they are. The thick side stripes create an optical illusion that your legs are smaller from the side. This is counterbalanced by the fact that the stripes follow the curve of your hips and thighs, which makes you look shapely as hell from the front. Bam!
Are they cameltoe safe?
The Ronda’s fabric is super thick and stretchy, meaning no cameltoe. But the design is so distracting that nobody will notice if you do have one.
Can you wear them to work?
Only if you’re me and have a leggings column, or probably if you work in “sports.” But this is certainly a RAH RAH RAH I’M WEARING LEGGINGS–type deal. Save ’em for SoulCycle.
How can I style these?
I’m not in charge of your life, but I wore these with an Adidas track jacket and people were into it. Then I borrowed a cow-print cowboy hat from a fashion shoot and people started fainting all over the place. Sorry ’bout it!
