The Little-Known History of Leggings

As any true fashion girl like yourself understands, knowing the origin of your favorite trends makes wearing them all the more gratifying. And there's arguably no bigger trend right now than leggings. We're all well aware of the fashion cycle—everything comes back again. (Just take a look at the recent revivals of '70s, '90s, 2000s, and now '80s trends.) But when it comes to leggings, it turns out they've been "coming back" for centuries. While researching the history of leggings, we were surprised to discover that the origin of the trend dates way back to the 14th century, and men were actually the first to wear them. But since the mid-20th century, leggings have been a closet staple for It girls and others who love them.

Given their lengthy tenure, we decided to take an in-depth look into the storied history of the legging craze, which was largely dictated by celebrities then just as it is today. (We're looking at you, Gigi.)

Keep scrolling to get all the fascinating facts about the seven-centuries-long history of leggings and shop pairs inspired by each time period.

This story was originally published at an earlier date and has been updated.