The Verdict Is In: This Is the Future of Leggings

Whether you're a fan of the leggings trend or not, there's no arguing with the fact that they've all but dominated 2016. It girls like Kendall Jenner, Hailey Baldwin, and Emma Roberts wear them all over the streets of Los Angeles (regardless if they happened to work out that day or not), and almost every retailer is endorsing them, from high end to high street.

When a trend gets this big, we can't help but wonder what's next. Will it last? How will it evolve? Has it reached staple status? To get the answers, we turned to two in-the-know sources, Melissa Moylan, creative director of womenswear at trend forecasting company Fashion Snoops, and celebrity stylist Anita Patrickson, whose clients include Olivia Culpo, Julianne Hough, and Jamie Chung.

Patrickson's thoughts on the subject are good news if you're a leggings fan. She told us, "I think more and more people are leaning towards athleisure… Adding a leather jacket to your gym leggings and tank and creating a fashion moment. Leggings are comfortable AND sexy! A unicorn of a combination." She continued, "Workout legging are becoming as much of a trend item as any other piece in your closet. Sheer panels, cutouts, prints, and color—the options are endless. With leggings even being rotated seasonally, I don't see this new 'wardrobe staple' going anywhere."

Moylan is on a similar page, telling us, "Leggings are still very much a part of our wardrobe, no matter how active we are. The fact that they've outperformed jeans in the U.S. is a testament that they're here to stay and on the rise. And the fact that skinny jeans are still around also means that the silhouette is happening, even if a more forward trend in pants is volume—as in wide-leg pants or culottes. Newer developments in leggings veer more performance sport than casual, with properties like moisture wicking and compression." She also spoke to how people are wearing leggings, saying "A lot of celebs are spotted in L.A. where it's perfectly acceptable to pair high waist leggings with crop tops or sweatshirts. Athleisure is trickier to pull off in the workplace, so in most cases, it's best to leave leggings out of the office. If you do decide to rock leggings in a fashion context, solid or neutral colors are preferred to loud prints."

So there you have it! The consensus is clear: Leggings are indeed here to stay, so you might as well stock up! Shop our current favorites below! 

Related: I Tried the Internet's Most Highly Rated Leggings—Here Are My Favorites

Tell us your thoughts on the future of the leggings trend in the comments below! 

Opening Image: AKM-GSI