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by Megan Hasche, Mirror Staff Writer
Ladies, you've seen them on the catwalk. You've seen them on TV. You've seen them paired with short miniskirts or boxy dresses and with slouchy boots or sassy flats. Textured, patterned or solid, they come in every color imaginable.
Tights are in this year. Tights are high fashion. Dress them up or down, they can be edgy, cutesy or just plain comfy.
The same can be said about tights' trendy counterpart: the leggings. These versatile footless versions pair nicely with your strappy gladiator sandals on a summer day or your cozy Ugg boots when the temperatures drop.
But what about the dark horse of the tights family?
Oh yes, I'm talking about the dreaded, controversial stirrup pant.
These notorious bottoms from our iconic '90s upbringings are making a comeback, and I say bring them on. What other pant can go with your ice skates or your five-inch stilettos?
First things first, let's talk about those often misunderstood, highly contested foot straps.
Here, convenience is king.
When the day is cold, you've got to wear those warm furry boots. But when you try to stick your foot in, your leggings get stuck and bunch up uncomfortably. All day you'll be pulling them down and trying to shove them into your boots so they don't pucker, making you look silly.
With that ultra-convenient foot strap that only beloved stirrups can provide, you will no longer have that problem. The handy foot strap ensures that your pants will not bunch or gather, keeping your look polished all day long.
I often find myself in the quandary of wanting to wear tights but also wanting to wear sandals. With tights, this is not possible. With stirrups, it is. I would even dare to say it looks pretty trendy with the foot strap peeking out from under the sandals.
I beg of you, don't let your childhood babysitter or your elementary school music teacher ruin stirrup pants for you. Instead of the off-the-shoulder, baggy sweatshirt circa '92, try them under a fitted dress or trendy high-waisted pencil skirt, or try them with your favorite pair of heels.
Go ahead. Embrace the foot strap.
Fashion blunder
by Jenny Lockhart, Mirror Forum Editor
On my first day of kindergarten, my mom dressed me in an oversized purple sweatshirt and stirrup pants.
Even then, I knew this fashion trend just wasn't for me. Fifteen years later, I still hate stirrup pants.
I'm not holding a grudge against my mom for dressing me like an extra in Pretty in Pink. I can't deny that my mom's fondness for eighties fashion affected my opinion of neon spandex, but my hatred of stirrup pants is something I've cultivated all on my own.
Let's start with the simple issue: Why are the stirrups even necessary? I've never been wearing pants and thought, "Oh. My pants are riding up my legs. If only I had a stirrup on the bottom to ensure that they stay put." I remember having to take the stirrup part off anyway, because my pants were usually falling down.
The actual stirrup part of the pants seems irrelevant. Much like leggings or, well, pants in general, I think that they would be just as effective without the stirrup.
I may not be a fashionista, but stirrups don't add an element of style.
Stirrups are only effective when horseback riding and it's actually important to tuck your pants into your socks.
The pants themselves are as confusing as the unnecessary fabric foot holder.
Sometimes people wear them to exercise. Sometimes they're dressed up with leather jackets and heels. The true purpose of stirrup pants is cloudy, but I really don't think they work for dressing up or down.
Nearly any person wearing stirrup pants looks awkward because of the spindly-leg effect of tapered pants - that's just not attractive.
I hope the reappearance of these pants is just a passing fad. Unfortunately, it's a fad that everyone seems to be embracing.
Tweens can buy stirrup pants in a variety of terrible colors (from pleather black to hot pink leopard) for just $6 with the new Miley Cyrus line. Coming in much more sophisticated colors, stirrup pants can be purchased at Bergdorf Goodman for as much as $895.
Despite the reoccurrence of this fashion terror, I am holding strong to my stirrup-pants hatred. I refuse to join in those favoring these ridiculous pants.
They weren't good in 1985 when my mom wore them. They didn't look good in 1994 when I started kindergarten. And they definitely haven't improved any since then.
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