Our man in meggings! Whether strolling across Sixth Avenue, getting cash in Midtown or waiting in line for a snack, Erikson’s form-fitting fashion choice was greeted with approval. (Michael Rudin)
(Michael Rudin)
(Michael Rudin)
The Post’s Chris Erikson and his skintight style scored a rave review from these teens. (Michael Rudin)
It’s often said that fashion requires sacrifice. This axiom has been around at least since the days of the corset, but it only hit home for me recently, when the pursuit of style forced me to give up something I’ve long been attached to.
I call it “wearing pants.”
Fellas, let me introduce you to meggings. While the word suggests something needing the attention of an ear-nose-throat specialist, the reality is arguably worse: We’re talking leggings for men. And many seem to think it’s a look whose time has come.
Among them are Justin Bieber, Lenny Kravitz and Russell Brand, who’ve all been spotted wearing man-hose. Shops from Barneys to Uniqlo are stocking them, and they’ve spurred major Web chatter, here and in the UK.
So a recent afternoon found me in the office men’s room, ditching my Levi’s and donning a pair. (This required using a side zipper, an action that prompts the kind of bold, manly feeling one might associate with a “Downton Abbey” marathon.)
It didn’t help matters that my stylist had opted for a pair with a leopard-spotted print. The photos of Brand and Kravitz showed basic dark numbers, and I’d pictured something similarly dignified. (Though that’s obviously a relative term — like calling a rodeo clown’s get-up “fairly somber.”)
Co-workers were quick to lob cracks (“Hey, it’s Rod Stewart!”), and while I wasn’t anxious to go out in public, I figured it couldn’t be much worse. So I headed out onto Sixth Avenue.
There’s been a lot of talk about the bland-ification of New York, but I can report that it’s still a place where a man in leopard-print meggings can walk unmolested. In fact, I barely drew a second glance. A cabbie idling on 45th Street eyed them, and I asked what he thought. “Good!” he said. “Very nice.”
Hmmm, score one for meggings. I headed into Bryant Park, and when I paused by the fountain for a photo, Eileen Draizin of Queens snapped a shot, and proclaimed herself a fan.
“They’re great,” she enthused. “They go great with the sneakers.”
Had she seen many guys sporting meggings in Queens? “Not yet,” she said.
For a younger perspective, I queried a group of teen girls, students at La Guardia High. The response: a vocal and unanimous thumbs-up.
“They’re awesome!” was a typical comment. “It’s a bold fashion statement,” Manna Kim of Washington Heights said approvingly.
Now, I have no plans — and I really want to make this clear — to try to score dates with high school girls, but teen males take note: They seem to be a winner in your demographic.
I needed a tougher audience, so I queried a pair of park maintenance workers. To my surprise, they were nearly as positive as the girls. “Yeah, man. Those are cool,” said one, Brian Fisher.
Would they consider wearing something similar?
“With some black-and-white Nikes they’d be great for spring,” said Joseph Rice. Fisher agreed: “With a pair of Jordans, definitely.”
I took them for outliers, but when I hit West 47th Street’s Diamond District, I got more of the same.
“Not bad, papi,” said local worker Miguel Manuel, who didn’t rule out donning a pair. “For springtime, yeah; they don’t look bad.” His buddy Mel offered props as well: “You be different, baby,” he called out.
Down the block, I finally found a naysayer, store worker Ali Abunagimov, who said politely that he’d be sitting out the trend.
“It looks like ladies’ stuff, to be honest,” he said. “Maybe in California,” agreed his shop neighbor. I asked the neighbor what exactly he thought of the look. “I think you’re cold,” he said.
That was a point beyond argument. Love them or hate them, meggings aren’t made for an arctic day. So, with teeth chattering, I retreated to the warmth of the office, wondering if I’d underestimated the odds of meggings becoming a trend with, uh, legs.
Time will tell. But, in the meantime, let it be known: If men’s corsets heat up in the fall, I’m drawing the line.