Trend: Leg warmers

Xanadu may have boogied off Broadway, but in the city’s trendiest corners, the ’80s look survives in the form of Jazzercise’s best legacy, the leg warmer. Once favored by dancers, the loose kneesocks (minus the foot) now come in all forms, including stiff, scaly and furry—and they’re all over New York’s clubgoers and clotheshorses.

Prada’s fall 2007 line included graphic, minimalist leg warmers, and contestants on So You Think You Can Dance busted a move in furry Bootzwallas, chichi leg wear in materials ranging from leather to Muppet fur. Even mall couture has embraced the trend; both American Apparel and American Eagle Outfitters stock basic leg warmers.

“What happens is if you have slouchiness around the ankle, it makes your legs look thinner,” says Ann French Emonts, owner of West Village boutique Darling. The accessories allow fashion types to transform a summery outfit into an appropriate look for fall, she says, similar to layering with other types of clothing. Fashion designer Rick Owens, who included futuristic leather leg warmers in his fall 2008 collection, agrees. “There’s something about weighing down the bottom of the leg that isolates the thighs,” he says, “then having it drag on the floor implies an attractive sense of abandon.” In his spring 2009 collection, he moves beyond the simple leg warmer to spatlike foot coverings.

Not everyone’s a fan, however. “Unless you’re a dancer, I don’t think one needs leg warmers,” says Rita Brookoff, owner of Legacy boutique in Soho. “They’re ugly, they look ugly, and they’re just not fashionable.” Ella Goldin, founder of New York styling company Chic Inspiration, doesn’t recommend them for anyone who isn’t “superskinny-model tall.” The danger, she adds, is that “the additional detail will just weigh you down.”