There’s been some recent debate over fashion’s newest experimental fad. Jeggings. A portmanteau derived from jeans and leggings. And the critics have not being entirely kind. 

More specifically, the issue has been whether so called jeggings should be donned as pants alone. When the traditional black legging appeared (a time long before floral and digital prints made their way into the spotlight) we were pairing them with dresses, flowy tops and oversized cardigans. Now it seems we are sporting them with tops that barely reach our waistline – and not en route to the gym!

As a self-confessed leggings fanatic, who’s possibly already worn out about fifty pairs, I must admit I too have left the house with every contour of my bumpy thighs visible underneath the addictive garment. There are possibly only a small handful of women on this planet who can genuinely get away with this look. And they all belong to a small sorority called ‘Victoria’s Secret’. 

I have to agree that leggings worn as pants can look more drab than fab, again, unless your name is Miranda Kerr or Heidi Klum. However, for us mere mortals, there are alternatives to working this new look sans the bumpy thighs! Simply keep in mind the golden rule - cover up your, ahem, front bits with a long or oversized top piece to avoid reincarnating yourself into the camel toe queen.

Viewed objectively, jeggings could be rather a godsend when compared to the torturous strain of those painted-on jeans we absolutely insist on wearing. Jeggings have the ability of still retaining that ‘painted on’ look without strangling your stomach after two hours wear. They look every bit like jeans, some even exhibiting stitch lines but rarely pockets or zips, and can be worn for hours on end thanks to their incredible stretch fabric. And unlike skinnies, they slip comfortably into your winter boots without scrunching up. 

So just as walking out of a Chanel boutique, purchase in hand, purports to ‘you have arrived’, so too does being accepted into the Oxford English Dictionary. According to the UK Guardian, our favourite new lexicon is on the waiting list for entry. Jeggings. There’s a name you surely won’t forget.

You can find some great looking pairs at Urban Outfitters, TopShop, Asos and Citizens of Humanity.