Feeling cramped in a pair of leggings? Here’s a breather. Try treggings, the new buzzword in highstreet fashion that’s high on style and easy on comfort. As a perfect hybrid of trousers and leggings, treggings are all the rage now. From office and late-night parties to lazy brunches and leisure evenings, they fit in everywhere. Stylists are moving their attention from leggings to treggings. Why? Because despite being body-hugging and accentuating your curves, they are comfortable and allow your skin to breathe. Available in a range of colours, fabrics and silhouettes, there’s no dearth of choices — spandex and cotton blends, with leather and denim panels, zippers and jazzy buttons, and much more are in store for the discerning fashionista.
“Treggings have ushered in a new trend in casual wear. It’s a break from leggings, which had become run-of-the-mill. Jeggings give a typical denim look and go well with T-shirts and crop tops. But treggings are versatile,” says fashion designer Mamta Fomra. “Treggings are more like cigarette pants or just a pair of fitted trousers. They can even gel well with kurtis, apart from western tops and tunics. The best part is that treggings steadfastly conceal flab, without you having to hold your breath. That is hard to achieve with leggings,” she adds.
“Essentially, treggings are a cross between leggings and trousers that are firm-fitting from the thighs to the legs, but are more structured along the waistline, depending on the tailoring and fabric,” says designer Narendra Kumar, Creative Director, Amazon Fashion. After a thoughtful pause, he adds: “It’s a relaxed and refined trend seen in tapered, skinny and wide-leg styles and could become a favourite for work dressing owing to its versatility. Treggings are a variation in the line of jogger pants, pajama dressing and innerwear as outerwear. Overall, it follows the global trend of comfort dressing that’s being seen on the runway and on the streets.”
Casual wear brands have launched lines of treggings under comfort clothing. For instance, H&M has a staple line of treggings in a variety of colours and styles. There are black-coated and deep-burgundy pairs with faux-leather finish and zipper details to rock at parties, and crisp-looking and ankle-skimming ones that can do well as work wear. Apart from the comfort factor, treggings are perfect to either dress-up or dress-down. "Treggings can look absolutely formal with a striped shirt. A bit of style tweaks and accessorising gets you ready for the evening,” says stylist Namrata Kedar.
“You can team treggings with feminine blouses and smart accessories for the day or long tunics with high slits and classy stilettos for the evening. Or, you can simply slip on a T-shirt to lounge about in,” suggests designer Anusha Krishnamurthy who has introduced a line of treggings — simple comfy pairs in silk and cotton that go well with printed tops.
Designers also find it easy to customise them. “Treggings don’t follow a single typecast structure. They keep evolving, and one may add details and comfort-giving value additions such as a pocket or a high waistline. Though typically ankle-skimming, the seams can be customised depending on the occasion,” says Mamta. “One can also experiment with colours and prints, as they are essentially casual and meant to give a carefree look.”
Narendra Kumar offers some styling tips: “Strappy heels with extra slim treggings elongate your silhouette, adding length. For a no-fuss yet stylish look, you can opt for a ruffled button-down shirt with loafers. For a formal appearance during the day, add a blazer. And, lastly, a leather jacket would be good for the evening.” So, the next time you go shopping, look out for them.
