Legging

Leggings in various forms and under various names have been worn for warmth and protection by both men and women throughout the centuries. The separate hose worn by men in Europe from the 14th to 16th centuries (the Renaissance period) were a form of leggings, as are the trews of the Scottish Highlands. Separate leggings of buckskin leather were worn by some Native Americans. These were adopted by some Long Hunters, French fur trappers, and later by mountain men. They are the leatherstockings of James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales. The Buckskins, were mostly a dull grey brain-tan, not the bright, glossy vegetable tanned leather commonly used today.
Cowboys wore leggings of buckskin to protect from chapping caused by riding, wear and tear to their pants, and bites from animals, such as snakes or insects in the scruff, such as ticks.
In many places, especially in colder countries such as Russia or Korea, men and women continued to wear wool leggings into modern times, often as an additional outer layer for warmth.
The linen pantalettes worn by girls and women under crinolines in the mid-19th century were also a form of leggings, and were originally two separate garments. Leggings became a part of fashion in the 1960s, as trousers similar to the capris pants but much tighter. Fashion designer, Patricia Field, claimed, while advertising on the Home Shopping Network, that she invented the modern leggings for women in the late 1970s.It was not until the fitness and aerobics craze in the very early 1980s that leggings became fashionable as gym-styled street wear for women. Leggings were worn in the 1980s through the mid-1990s with skirts, and short dresses like babydoll dresses, oversized shirts, sweaters, etc., and with slouch socks and Keds.
Since the late 1800s, soldiers of various nations, especially infantry, often wore leggings to protect their lower leg, keep dirt, sand, and mud from entering their shoes, and to provide a measure of ankle support. At first, these were usually puttees — strips of thick woolen cloth resembling a large bandage — were wrapped around the leg to support the ankle. They were usually held in place by a strap attached to the cloth. Later, puttees were replaced by some armies with canvas leggings fastened with buckles or buttons, usually secured at the bottom with an adjustable stirrup that passed under the sole of the shoe, just in front of the heel. The soldier placed the leggings around his calf with the buttoned side facing out and adjusted them and the strap to achieve a proper fit. Leggings typically extended to mid-calf and had a garter strap to hold them up and were secured with a tie just below the knee. Military leggings only extended to the bottom of the knee and buttoned to the bottom button on the knee-breeches. They are sometimes confused with gaiters, which only extend to the high ankle and are worn with full leg trousers.
During World War II, United States Army foot soldiers were referred to as legs by paratroopers and other U.S. forces that did not wear the standard Army leggings issued with the field service shoe. Late in World War II, after experimenting with general issue of high-top combat boots and jump boots for their soldiers, leggings began to disappear from military service. In 1943, the United States Army modified their field service shoe by adding a taller leather upper that reached to the lower calf; secured by a combination of laces and buckles, the new design was designated the Type III Field Boot. However, the United States Marine Corps retained canvas leggings throughout the war, and even used them in combat as late as the Korean conflict; they were referred to as Yellow Leg troops by North Korean and Chinese Communist forces.
By the 1960s, the old style of field shoe had given way to combat boots in most military forces, and leggings of any kind were obsolete. Leggings, usually bright white and often made of patent leather or buff are now worn primarily for ceremonial purposes

Leggings in the form of skin-tight trousers, a tighter version of the capris ending at mid-calf or near ankle length, made its way into fashion in the 1960s and were worn with a large belt and slip-on high heels or ballet flat-styled shoes.
Leggings made from a nylon-lycra blend (usually 90% nylon, 10% lycra) have traditionally been worn during exercise. Nylon lycra leggings are often referred to as bicycle or running tights, and are shinier in appearance than those made from cotton. Some have racing stripes or reflective patterns to further distinguish them as athletic wear and provide extra safety. However, beginning in the 1980s exercise-style leggings have also been worn for fashion, and as street wear.
Leggings made from cotton-lycra, or a cotton-polyester-lycra combination, are more typically worn for fashion, but are also worn as exercise wear. Cotton-lycra leggings are available in many colors, prints and designs; but black, navy and various shades of gray remain the most commonly worn.
Wearing black leggings under long, often diaphanous, skirts was part of a general fashion trend of wearing gym or dance clothes as street wear that evolved along with the fitness craze and under the influence of the movie Flashdance and the long-running Broadway show A Chorus Line. A more recent trend has been the wearing of black leggings with miniskirts.
Opaque leggings are sometimes worn by women without a skirt. However, unless the woman is also wearing a very long top, her buttocks will be exposed. There may be a visible panty line.
By the early-1990s, leggings were actually outselling jeans in many parts of the United States.It was very common to see leggings worn with long oversized t-shirts, oversized sweatshirts or oversized sweaters, slouch socks and Keds. Fashion turned against leggings in the late 1990s.
In 2005, leggings made a "comeback" into high fashion, particularly in indie culture, with capri-length leggings being worn with mini skirts and dresses. Consequently, leggings are also now popular to wear with oversized, long sweaters, denim mini skirt, plaid skirts, short dresses and even with short shorts. Ballet flats and converse chucks are common footwear with leggings. This trend towards tight pants can alternately be seen in the resurgence of skinny jeans.
Men have also begun to wear leggings more frequently in recent years as long underwear, and for more casual physical activities such as walking, hiking or gardening, replacing the old standby, sweatpants. Leggings worn under shorts are gaining popularity as well. Leggings are also worn as a fashion trend by men on the London electro-music scene.

Shiny leggings 
 

Shiny leggings — leggings that have a shiny, metallic (Lamé), or wet-like appearance — emerged as a popular fashion trend in the late-2000s, particularly in 2008 as reported by Stylesignal and other trend forecasters. These leggings are most often a blend of nylon and spandex and come in a variety of colors, although most commonly in black, silver, or gold. These types of leggings are notable for their leather, or even latex-like appearance and are most often worn as evening or clubwear.
Shiny leggings were featured on fashion runways by many leading designers and were further popularized by celebrities such the Lauren Conrad, Kelly Clarkson, Demi Lovato, Olsen Twins, Rihanna, Lindsay Lohan and Frida Sanden. Popular makers of shiny leggings include Members Only, Kova & T and American Apparel.

 
Jegging


Jeggings are a recent variant of leggings. They are leggings that take certain attributes from jeans, such as colour and style and particularly a coloured seam down the side, thus a mixture of the two and hence the adoption of the name 'Jeggings'.

 
Sports and leggings

Leggings are also often worn during sporting activities. Runners, dancers, and those exercising wear them; particularly in cold weather under cheerleading skirts and under soccer and field hockey shin guards and knee socks as leggings are excellent in retaining body heat. Usually a synthetic material.

Antic Denim

Antik Denim has quickly become a recognized premium denim brand in the U.S. and internationally. The manufacturing of the collections is distinguished by a craftsmanship and care reminiscent of a lost art. Each pair is individually decorated, chasing an era when things were made by hand. Exclusive Japanese and Italian fabrics are used for their quality and comfort.

Antik Denim is a favorite among style-conscious men and woman. The brand offers a complete wardrobe in addition to jeans, including vintage-styled T-shirts, boots, and belts. Red Carpet celebrities who don the threads include: Johnny Dep, Kate Hudson, Cameron Diaz, Teri Hatcher, Julia Roberts, Hilary Duff, Lindsay Lohan, Ashlee Simpson, Nicole Richie, Paris Hilton, Eva Longoria, Jennifer Lopes, and Vince Vaughn. Antik Denims advertising includes stylish and bold print ads in major magazines such as Vanity Fair, Vogue, and In Style, and on cabs in New York City.

The Antik Denim brand is fast expanding. The companys to-do list includes licensing jewelry, shoes and other products, and developing childrens clothing, an Elvis Presley-inspired collection, and two new lines: Antik Kargo and Antik Vintage. The company recently opened its flagship store on Hollywoods chic and swanky Melrose Avenue. Antiks one-of-a-kind denims, T-shirts and other novelties are available there, or at any of these luxury retail stores: Saks, Bloomingdales, Barneys, Neiman Marcus and Kitson. Antik Denim went public in 2005, and boasts strong worldwide sales.

Antik Denim is destined to become the new American classic. Its not about denim: its about the pleasure of denim. Antik Denim's comfortable fit, premium material, and an attention to details has raised the bar. According to Naouri and Caugant, ethnic cultures, vintage, art, and basically everything artistic with a soul", is at the heart of their designs. To this they add, We believe in authentic products, originality, and perfection. Antik Denim is reinventing denim for the 21st Century, and becoming a statement in the world of fashion.

Philippe Naouri

Designer, Vintage Denim King, left
Designer Philippe Naouris 20-year commitment to vintage denim, measured by his obsessive knowledge of detailing and craftsmanship, earned him the title, "The King of Vintage, in the fashion industry. His passion for denim design was evident when he was only 15 years old. The year was 1985, and he was working at the only store in his hometown of Marseille, France, that carried authentic American denim. That store became the first vintage shop he would own. At barely 17, and with little capital, he roadtripped across America, uncovering rare vintage treasures for his store.

Naouri grew to be a sought-after expert in the fashion business. Reputable companies such as Replay, Diesel, G-star, Levis and Chevignon, bought his most exclusive and inspirational vintage pieces for their designs, and hired him to consult on style, details and wash. In 1991, he organized the first ever antique Levis auction held in Drouot, France, in partnership with Levis. In the book, Jeans of Heroes, Lincoln Editions, 1994, Naouri was dubbed the French Connection Of Denim. He also contributed to an event in honor of denim for the city of Nimes, France, where denim was supposed to have originated. In Texas, where he lived for 16 years prior to Los Angeles, his warehouse became a virtual Ali Baba cavern for antique denim buyers the world over. The future holds plans for this connoisseur of denim to open his own jeans museum.

Naouri says he is inspired by, vintage movies, fashion furniture, and music. He also notes his affection for perfection and authenticity. What motivated this perfectionist to create Antik, along with his friend Alexandre Caugant, was his experience working for other designers, timing, and his desire to gift the world with his fresh approach. Naouris vision for Antik Denim is to build a brand which, as he puts it, will last for another 150 years, and mark its time just like Levis did.

Alexandre Caugant

Fashion Designer, right
Alexandre Caugants reputation for innovation has made him one of the hottest fashion designers today, and is one reason Antik Denim has won the affection of some of the limelights hippest stars. Its a characteristic he shares with his co-designer Philippe Naourithe ability to invent designs that revive the past and connect with people. Of his designs, Caugant says, I bring out something different all the time. I like to surprise, and always keep it fresh.

At an age when other kids went off to college, Caugant began his career working at a Levi's store in his hometown of Marseille, France, and screen printing original T-shirts for fun. He went on to dress store windows throughout the South of France. In the '90s, he moved to Paris to work for the successful brand Chevignon, where he added a vintage flair to his designs. Other companies who tapped his talent include: Bisous-Bisous, and Morgan De Toi. He says he learned a lot from colleagues in the fashion business, especially Guy Azoulay (Chevignon), Christian Audigier (Von Dutch), and Jeannot Elbaz (Chipie). Caugant claims that modesty, and being open to learning new things is a secret to success.

Caugants dream of seeing his own brand sold in stores worldwide, was to be realized in 2004. But before coming to Los Angeles, where he now lives, he traversed South America, China, and Japan, and absorbed the beauty and passion of different cultures, colors, and life. He developed styles that looked sexy on women of many sizes; in Brazil, he perfected the ever-popular super-low jean. He worked with the high-profile brand Goa, in Columbia, where he invented his signature stitching and customized jeans. That led to his work with ABL Couture, at which time he became reacquainted with his old friend Naouri. About what inspires him, Caugant says, I believe fashion is on the street, fashion is people. The media inspires me, TV, movies, and music.

Caugant is perhaps best appreciated for his passion for perfection, and the details he gives to his designs. Caugant remarks, I think I have achieved one of my goals, which is to make a true denim line that suits everybody.

Low-rise jeans

 

Low-rise jeans, worn by both men and women, are jeans intended to sit low on, or below, the hips. They are also called lowcut jeans, hipsters, hip-huggers and lowriders. Usually they sit at least 8 centimetres (3 inches) lower than the belly button. Low-rise jeans have existed since the 1960s, but regained popularity in the 1990s and 2000s.

 

Measurements

The "rise" of any jeans is determined by the distance between the crotch and the waist and is usually around 30 cm (12 inches) on regular pants. In comparison, the average measurement of low-rise jeans is roughly 20 cm (8 inches), with some as little as 7-10 cm (3-4 inches). Several jeans brands also reflect the rise on the zipper, by creating pants with zippers far shorter than regular pants, usually between 5 and 7 cm (2-3 inches), and some manufacturers, such as Dorinha Jeans Wear, even provide 2.5 cm (1 inch) zippers. The latter can also be classified as "ultra low-rise jeans", and the small zipper no longer has its traditional function, but rather becomes a display of fashion: an additional marking of the jeans' low-rise nature.

 

History

 

1960s and 1970s hip-huggers

Hip-huggers, the precursor to low-rise jeans, rose to popularity during the late 1960s, with the ascendance of the hippie counterculture and psychedelic music. Often worn with light-cotton, paisley-printed tops or nehru-collared jackets, bell-bottomed hip-huggers were popularized by rock icons such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Robert Plant. Later, hip-huggers became a staple of popular culture and were incorporated into the disco scene of the 1970s.
During the early 1980s, however, waistlines moved higher as wide, flared, bell-bottoms gradually gave way to designer straight-legged jeans. Throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s, as more women entered the corporate workforce, the high waist design remained predominant, with commercial designers such as Gloria Vanderbilt and Calvin Klein at the forefront.

 

1990s and 2000s revival

 

The revival of low-rise jeans can be credited to British designer Alexander McQueen, who first showed his famous low-rise "bumster" trousers in his 1996 "Dante" collection show, with Kate Moss and others modelling the bumsters. One commentator observed: "The bumster for me is what defined McQueen. For me it was the look that put him on the map because it was controversial. Those little bumsters were in his first shows. It was like 20 people in England were wearing them back then. Following McQueen's lead, the fashion of low-rise jeans gradually spread, though not many women dared go as low as McQueen's signature buttock-bearing style.
In America the fashion emerged five years later in 2001, particularly among girls and boys between the age of 14 and 23, and here Britney Spears is most credited with popularising the fashion after she started wearing it in 2000. Although its popularity also increased among women and men of other ages, the major focus of advertising is still directed at teenage girls and boys, with typical teen stores selling low-rise jeans in different styles and colors. Most American teenage and twenty-something-oriented retail stores that carry jeans (e.g., Guess, American Eagle, Abercrombie & Fitch, Stitches) only or mostly carry low-rise jeans.)
Currently, low-rise jeans are manufactured in many styles, and though tight jeans are usually the most popular, they also exist in loose, baggy, flare and destroyed style. Due to the popularity of low-rise jeans, manufacturers have also begun making low-rise styles of other kinds of pants. In the stores today, there is an immense variety available. Indeed, low-slung jeans, especially tight black styles, have become increasingly popular in the more recent hipster scene.
Low-rise jeans may be worn to display more skin at the waist, torso, and hips. Accordingly, they are sometimes worn in combination with shorter crop tops, giving a glimpse of skin between the jeans and the top, or (more commonly in the summer or in warmer countries) showing their entire midriff including the belly button. Low-rise jeans may also partially reveal the buttocks when the wearer sits down or bends over. In many cases, cleavage becomes visible. When a thong is exposed above a pair of low-rise jeans on the back, it is commonly referred to as a whale tail, due to its somewhat similar shape. When boxer shorts become visible this is known as "sagging". Because underwear was no longer always hidden, more men and women choose their underwear to function with their low-rise jeans.

 

Legal matters

Legislator Derrick Shepherd of the state of Louisiana in the USA made an attempt in 2004 to outlaw the fashion of low-rise jeans, particularly to bring a halt to the display of underwear under the pants, claiming it to be disrespectful and obscene. People spotted with their "whale tail" or "boxers showing" would be fined $500. The bill, HB 1703, was rejected by the Louisiana House of Representatives.
A similar bill was attempted in Hampton Roads, Virginia, USA, charging a $50 fine for anyone deliberately showing their underwear. The bill was rejected in February 2005.
School dress codes sometimes also banned pants of too low a rise, or visible underwear.

 

Medical concerns

In the Canadian Medical Association Journal 2003, Dr. Malvinder S. Parmar pointed out that wearing tight low-rise jeans may put pressure on a sensory nerve, the lateral cutaneous nerve of thigh, which can cause pain and paresthesia in the nerve's area of distribution. This is known as Meralgia paresthetica and is associated with a tingling or a burning sensation on the lateral aspect of the thigh. The condition was diagnosed in three mildly obese women who had worn low-rise jeans for 6–8 months. The condition resolved itself after they avoided wearing low-rise jeans for 4–6 weeks.

Apple Bottom Jeans

This is the new and fashionable lifestyle brand.

Which comes with the mission of energizing as well as celebrating the curves of the body of women.If you are looking out for a new brand of jeans that is stylish as well as extremely comfortable, I bet you should give a look at the Apple Bottom Jeans Clothes. This is a new brand that has its own style statement and gives you a perfect look. These jeans are specifically designed for women and focuses largely on their looks and style. The best part about these Apple bottom jeans clothes is that they have the pockets shaped specially in the pattern and shape of an apple. The left pocket specifically has an apple pattern on it while the right pocket says “Bottoms”.

These jeans offer you various colors like gold, blue, etc. inside the pockets and also have a zip fly closure and a button in the front faced scoop pockets. The brand has been one of the hottest brands in urban clothing styles and range that offers its customers just what they have been looking for in their jeans. The cloth and the style used to design and make these jeans make them one of the most loved brands amongst women across the world.

Usually, a large number of women face the problem of finding jeans that suit their style and plus size in the market. But Apple Bottom jeans clothes offer you a style that suits nearly all women and also fits well according to their sizes. You no longer need to keep searching the various stores for the plus size clothes that suit your style and fashion. Instead, you may avail a huge range of the various Apple Bottom plus size clothes of various patterns and styles that suit your need perfectly. You can avail all these clothes either from the apple Bottom jeans stores that are located in the various markets or even from the online stores that offer you this range of clothes.

Following the latest style and fashion, even this new brand offers you smart looking denim clothes like denim jeans, mini skirts, sweat shirts, jeans denim jackets, and a wide range of variously styles tops and shirts. Apart from the highly stylish casual clothes, you can also look at the simple formal clothes and the highly sexy looking attires that help you to explore a wilder part of you. So, enjoy the new style of clothes and the wide ranged apple bottom plus size clothes to stylize yourself just like the new generation.