Impromptu shots of me on the phone. I’m wearing a Karen Millen Indian inspired tunic over a pair of grey ruched leggings. The shoes are by Marc Jacobs and the Gobelin backpack in the second picture is from the Epi line, Louis Vuitton.
Photo for CMC by: Jan-Erik Nilsson © 2009.

I have had more than a few fashion faux pas now and then, but I have never had someone literally keel over in laughter because of something I’m wearing – until I had put on these grey ruched leggings.

If there’s any person whose opinion matters to me on what I’m wearing, it would be my husband’s. I’d come home from a bout of shopping in the city, put these on, walked over to him and asked, “So, what do you think?”

My beloved husband’s face was briefly a surprised *blank* and I hardly made a full turnaround when that dude absolutely fell over in laughter! After composing himself some, he explained that there was something in the design of the leggings that visually took off inches from my legs, so that I – lacking better words – ended up looking like a wrinkly sausage!

Well, I’m glad he’s in a secure enough marriage to pull off this behaviour, or he’d be sleeping on the couch tonight!

After much consideration, I must admit that the Sass and Bide idea of ruched leggings, does take some doing to wear. This pair of grey ruched leggings is one of the warmest, most comfortable pair of leggings I own, but the visual appearance of a horizontally wrinkled material like this gives an optical shortening of appearance, however thin and long-legged you are. I’m afraid only professional models of the stick thin type could wear this – without some precautions – without looking like a Shetland pony.

Extreme draping as seen in Viktor & Rolf, Fall 2009 RTW, Runway. Model: Maryna Linchuk (VIVA). Photo: Marcio Madeira.

But unflattering or not when worn on average height women, the fashion houses are seeing the ruched trend to the extreme this Autumn / Winter 2009. Viktor & Rolf has the exact same ruching effect – extreme ruching or draping – on a dress.

Ruched thigh-high boots by Rodarte, Fall 2009 RTW. Models: Elsa Sylvan and Siri Tollerød. Photo: Marcio Madeira.

Rodarte likes the same effect on thigh high boots for Fall 2009.

Well, there is one important pre-requisite when wearing ruched leggings / dresses like these – to have pencil thin long legs / body . Failing that, you could also be absolutely insouciant and wear them anyway! I think I might go for the latter, out of lack of options. But then again, wrinkly or not, I find these leggings so irresistably cool!

The precaution I was mentioning, is that you can do as I did above; combine them with a hip length tunic or long line top, and high-heeled shoes or boots. Then they should be fine on most of us but still, a critical glance in the mirror could be a good idea so we don’t end up looking beyond bootilicious.

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