In Praise of Tights/Leggings Under Shorts!

It's back to school month! And in the midst of all the catalog specials and TV commercials of middle school girls jumping around in their new flowered t-shirts and jean jackets, I'd just like to take a moment and give a quick shoutout to leggings and tights for being the perfect summer to fall transition garment. September in Boston (where I'm unbelievably a senior in college this year) means the weather is constantly fluctuating between sunny and warm, sunny and cold, cloudy and warm, cloudy and cold, and raining. The astute reader will recognize that those are pretty much ALL of the weather options that exist. That's true. And they happen at unpredictable intervals, sometimes over the course of a single day (thanks for nothing Weather App). But, I no longer have any cause to fear or debate what to wear on any given day - because I have recently discovered magical versatility of wearing leggings or tights with shorts. Those of you already on board know exactly what I'm talking about - but for you skeptics out there, here are 3 reasons why leg wear under leg wear is the way to brave the unpredictable this fall. 1) The combo is AC and Heat Friendly: Wearing full pants to walk between classes is exhausting and turns every dismissal bell into a potential heat exhaustion alarm. But the decision to wear just shorts means that once in the air conditioned classroom, your legs will be colder than any setting of a Jack London novel. But slap on a pair of tights underneath your shorts and the light fabric does just enough to keep the cold of the library away without trapping in the heat of the day. 2) It adds style to monochromatic summer outfits! One disadvantage to wearing less clothing in the summer is that it offers less of a chance for fun, stylistic choices beyond wearing a cute tank top or maybe a particularly floral skirt. Dress up the most boring white tank and jean shorts combo with some wild pink or patterned leggings to keep the cool in …well… cool. 3) It increases footwear options! Wearing combat boots and shorts is kinda weird… but wearing them with leggings? But you could also wear flip-flops! Or wedges! The options are endless. If that's not enough to convince you - you're silly. But it'll be pants season soon enough, and I'll be back to extol the virtues of wearing leggings under PANTS. (It gets pretty cold in Boston) -TKP