A Stirrup Skeptic’s Hunt for Stirrups

I gravitated toward these stirrup leggings for their seam running down the front of the leg. I think that always makes a pant look more polished and considered, even athletic styles. Alas, these weren’t long enough to get up over my hips, but they’d make a terrific and versatile entry-level pair of stirrup pants for someone just a few inches shorter.

Aside from the length issues I had with these, I’m just not sure I could have pulled off their slick faux-leather look. Although I really did love the buttery-soft, smooth texture and how closely they resembled actual leather.

Similar to the above style by Zara, these also have a piped seam down the front. Of all the pairs I tried, they were the most lightweight and probably the softest, which makes them a good piece for traveling light and even wearing en route (so much more stylish than airplane sweatpants).

Like the neoprene option I tried from Commando, these had a great body-contouring quality, but they were a little too densely knit for my liking. To me, the best pants and leggings are the ones you forget you’re wearing. I did appreciate the high-rise waist, though, which made for smoother lines all-around.

Leset’s stirrup pants have been popular among several girlfriends with whom I share shopping notes, so I was excited to take them for a spin. The fabric is a viscose-based stretch ponte (a densely knit, more substantial cousin to jersey) that’s conforming and pretty comfortable once you’ve got these fully on, but you have to work for it. Like a good pair of compression stockings, I really had to tug to get these all the way up my legs.

I liked their deep brown shade and matched them with a taupe suede button-down from Arma and brown zebra-print d’Orsay flats by J.Crew from forever ago. I’d also style them with dressy open-backed heels or even a pair of Birkenstock mules in a matching taupe for a casual day of be-bopping around town.

I felt like an off-duty dancer in these sheer tights, which bore more of a full open foot than a stirrup, leaving mostly just my toes exposed (kind of like leg warmers when they’re pulled over the foot). As far as tights go, these are a medium on the opacity scale — still too sheer to wear as pants alone, so I wore mine with cut-off shorts, a T-shirt, and mesh mary-janes. I loved them. However, they didn’t make the winners’ circle on the technicality that their sheerness disqualifies them from the “leggings” category. Despite their description online, these are 100 percent tights in my book.

Similar to the sheer H&M leggings I tried on, this heathered-gray pair by Zara feel more like stockings to me than advertised. Made from an acrylic-poly blend, they’re easy to get on and seem like they’d be a really cozy option for keeping my legs warm in the winter, except I already have an overabundance of (fully closed-toe) tights that do the same thing.

I laughed when I first held these Commando leggings up wondering how far I’d actually manage to yank them up my legs — and if I’d lose a fingernail in the process. But wow do they stretch, and with remarkable ease considering the compressing qualities of the neoprene.

As far as leggings go, I found them the most supportive and flattering thanks to the weight of the material. You feel really “held in,” but not uncomfortably. I wore these with an Adidas windbreaker and Birkenstock sandals for a post–hot yoga look and loved how sleek and long my legs seemed in them.

Without question, the Frankie Shop’s ribbed knit leggings were the most comfortable of the options I tried on — and they made me genuinely excited to wear them. While most of the other candidates comprised synthetics or cotton blends for stretch, these are entirely made from merino wool, and have the same pull-on ease as a beloved ribbed turtleneck. That said, they’re definitely better-suited for “sweater weather,” which is fine in my book — those days are coming, and these pants check a lot of boxes in terms of dressing options. I’d wear them for weekend errands as a stylish alternative to sweatpants, maybe with an oversize chunky sweater. But they’d also work with a slim knit top or T-shirt, tucked in and layered with a blazer, for a dressier look.

Yes, these are a lot pricier than the other pairs I tried, but I loved them for the unique sporty aesthetic of their jogger-style silhouette and the smart adjustable stirrups, which allowed them to be worn over heeled shoes or boots. Also, I appreciate anything with pockets.

From the waist, these seem like your typical pair of athletic pants, thick waistband and all, so I paired them with a relaxed-fitting white T-shirt, tucked in. There’s something about that superfluous stirrup detail that makes you look twice, but it’s refreshing when a garment reminds you that you can wear things simply because they look interesting and different, and sometimes that’s enough — no radical function required.