Leggings vs Jeggings: What’s The Difference? How To Choose?

With summer approaching fast, now it’s the perfect time to change up our wardrobes and bring out the breezy, comfortable and colorful clothes.

While dresses and skirts are great for a hot summer day, those among us who prefer wearing pants turn to lightweight jeans, wide, loose pants and leggings. Ladies, real talk, who doesn’t love leggings?

Seriously, they are really comfortable and, unlike many other types of bottom wear, they shape the legs and back beautifully.

In our previous comparison, we took a look at the differences between leggings and tights.

Today we will be going through the differences between leggings and jeggings. These two are very common in the wardrobes of many women, be it for casual wear or for exercise. Being elasticized and so comfortable is a great quality of leggings, because they make perfect gym wear.

What about jeggings? Keep on reading to find out more!

1. Leggings

1.1 What Are Leggings?

We know what we call leggings, but what exactly are they and how are they made? We won’t be getting that technical, don’t worry. But, in our opinion, it’s quite useful to learn a bit more about some of the common clothes we use on our day to day lives.

So here it goes, what are leggings?

Leggings were originally worn by men when going horse riding and the material used to be cloth or leather. As you know, times have changed quite a bit.

Leggings are nowadays immediately associated with women, because they are the ones who wear them most often.

Leggings of today are made of either cotton or polyester, with a blend of elastane or lycra (spandex) into the fibers, which helps give leggings their elasticity.

The fabric is typically thick and durable, not prone to tearing easily and is more often than not opaque. There are some translucent options and those are typically made of thinner materials, more suitable to be worn under pants as an insulating layer.

Leggings can have a high waist or a low waist and, while usually they are ankle-length, sometimes they can also be mid-calf in length.

But the difference in material is not the only thing that has changed about leggings, they come in multiple patterns, colors and prints nowadays, in various lengths and waist heights. There are so many options available, it can sometimes be a bit too much navigating through the extensive range of designs and styles.

1.2 When And How To Wear Leggings?

Image: pinterest.com

There are other pants on the market that are also made of the same materials that leggings are made of, yet they share very few similarities. Most pants fit loosely on the body, and even when they don’t, such as in the case of skinny jeans, they are still not as tight as leggings are.

With that being said, leggings come with their own characteristics that make them more suitable to wear in certain situations than in others.

One such feature is their cut. Being so tight-fitting, leggings are not the best choice to wear to a professional or formal occasion.

They are not work-appropriate, unless you work at the gym, as a yoga teacher, or in a setting where the work attire is very casual. Even then, there are certain things to keep in mind as not every outfit combination is a smart choice.

Leggings go great with long tops and tunics, because they help provide cover to the back. Because leggings shape and enhance the shape of the body, they can be a tad too exposing, and a long top helps mitigate that issue by covering the back and front.

You might also like: 8 Best Faux Leather Leggings You Should Try this Year

With that being said, leggings are a great choice for casual wear due to their comfortable design.

The numerous colors and prints available also help a lot as there are many options to choose from and you can match and combine leggings into different outfits with a number of tops and footwear.

Speaking of which, footwear that are appropriate to be worn with leggings come in all shapes and designs. Sneakers, vans, ballerina flats, boots and, occasionally, heels, all go pretty well with leggings.

They are quite easy to work with as long as you keep in mind to cover properly and to avoid professional settings.

2. Jeggings

2.1 What Are Jeggings?

Well, the short answer is they are leggings. Yup, and you may have already known this. Besides, the name sort of gives it away, doesn’t it?

Jeggings are leggings that are made to imitate jeans in regards to how they look.

They feel just like leggings, are also made of the same cotton, polyester or spandex blend and provide the same stretch and comfort. What is the difference? In their appearance, really, that’s about it.

Some jeggings are so well-made they can pass for skinny jeans and no one would be able to tell.

What’s the point of this, you may ask? Why invent a new name for an already-existing type of garment?

Well, why not, really. It’s fun and besides, jeggings are a bit more specific in style and look than typical leggings, thus requiring their very own name.

So, to conclude, they are leggings that imitate skinny jeans, sometimes to the point of having pockets, washes and colors identical to jeans.

2.2 When And How To Wear Jeggings?

Image: pinterest.com

Now, we know about leggings, what to wear them with and where to wear them to, but what about jeggings? Is there any difference in this regard? Surely!

Because jeggings are made to imitate jeans, they also wear a bit differently than leggings.

They provide a lot more coverage and provide somewhat better shaping than typical leggings. For this reason, unlike leggings, they can actually be worn with shorter tops, such as T-shirts, for example.

Looking like jeans, makes them “pass” with a variety of tops and the shaping of the legs and back help enhance the curves more so than regular jeans do. Practically you get the best of both worlds.

In regards to where and when to wear them. Just like jeans, they are not the best choice for professional settings, but they make great casual wear and the variety of tops that they can be worn with makes them a lot easier and more versatile to style.

As for footwear, they are a lot more suitable to wear with heels than regular leggings, while also looking great with other types of shoes and boots.

In short, you can style jeggings the same way you would a pair of skinny jeans, with some adjustments, of course.

3. How To Choose Between The Two?

In order to determine which one would be the better choice for you to wear, leggings are better suited for practical settings where you would like to bring more focus to your top and just relax and be comfortable.

For example at the gym or when running errands, or to match them with long tops.

Jeggings, on the other hand, are suitable for those who enjoy the style of jeans but cannot give up the comfort of leggings.

Both are appropriate for casual wear and fit super comfortably, but jeggings provide a lot more variety due to their style. Therefore, opt for jeggings if you want a choice that gives you more freedom in styling and does not limit you to tunics and long tops.

With that we conclude today’s topic. We hope you enjoyed spending time with us and we will see you in the next one!