Leg warmers are coverings for the lower legs, similar to

socks A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the late ...

but thicker and generally footless. Leg warmers are worn to keep the lower legs warm in colder weather. They can be tubular sleeves, long fabric wrappings, or simple pieces of fur or fabric tied around the calves. They are used in several outdoor activities and sports including cycling, soccer, hockey, hiking, ice skating, and dance. They are used as

dancewear Dancewear is clothing commonly worn by dancers. Items of dancewear include: * arm warmers * dance belts * dance shoes * legwarmers * leotards and unitards * pointe shoes * skirts * tights * tutus See also * Dance costume *Sportswear ...

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...

and other classic dancers in order to keep the leg muscles warm and to prevent cramping or other muscle injuries. No scientific data has been yet collected to substantiate the claim that leg warmers prevent injury. Traditionally knitted from pure sheep wool, modern variants are more typically made of cotton,

synthetic fiber Synthetic fibers or synthetic fibres (in British English; see spelling differences) are fibers made by humans through chemical synthesis, as opposed to natural fibers that are directly derived from living organisms, such as plants (like cotton) ...

s, or both. Some are made of other materials, such as chenille. Leg warmers can vary in length, and in width, due to the material's stretchiness. They are commonly worn between the ankle to just below the knee, though many dancers prefer it to extend to cover the lower parts of the thigh. Some cover the entire foot—these "warmers" usually have a pad that grips the floor so the dancer does not slip—however this has been known to cause career-ending injury. Some leg warmers are particularly short and made of thinner material; these are also known as "ankle warmers". Originally, legwarmers were worn by dancers to keep their muscles from cramping after stretching. In the early 1980s leg warmers became a fad after David Lee and Trisha Kate opened a dancewear shop in the East Village, New York. They mainly sold legwarmers. Wearing them was fashionable among teenage girls; later to be an adopted fashion by boys in the city of Berkeley in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area G ...

. Their popularity was partly due to the influence of the films '' Fame'', '' Xanadu'' and ''

Flashdance ''Flashdance'' is a 1983 American romantic drama dance film directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Jennifer Beals as a passionate young dancer who aspires to become a professional ballerina (Alex), alongside Michael Nouri playing her boyfriend ...

'' and the concurrent

aerobics Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness ( flexibility, muscular strength, and cardio-vascular fitness). ...

craze. They were worn with

leggings Leggings are several types of leg attire that have varied through the years. Modern usage from the 1960s onwards has come to refer to elastic close-fitting high-rise garments worn over the legs typically by women, such as leg warmers or tights ...

, jeans, and tights or as part of aerobic wear. They were internationally popular in the 1980s. Recently, leg warmers have become popular with new parents as a way to keep babies and toddlers warm while making it easy to change diapers. They also have become popular again in the 2010s with girls, tweens, teens, college students and women. They are worn just like knee socks are with boots. Either over leggings, tights or jeans and then a pair of

riding boots A riding boot is a boot made to be used for horse riding. The classic boot comes high enough up the leg to prevent the leathers of the saddle from pinching the leg of the rider, has a sturdy toe to protect the rider's foot when on the ground and ...

is worn and the leg warmers are slouched at the top of the riding boot.

References

Leg warmers of the 80s
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leg Warmer History of fashion 1980s fashion 2000s fashion 2010s fashion Sportswear Dancewear Hosiery 1980s fads and trends de:Gamasche