TIGHT PANTS: HALF A CENTURY OF CONTROVERSY

1957: Audrey Hepburn, pioneer

It was Audrey Hepburn’s second-skin look in Funny

Face that put leggings on the fashion map in 1957, before DuPont’s invention of Spandex a year later.

1979: Spandex rules

Slinky style is the look of the day, as Olivia Newton John struts around in patent leggings in Grease, while Rod Stewart teams his shaggy peroxide mullet with leopard print pants on stage.

1982: Jane Fonda gets physical

Leggings became the key piece of the aerobics wardrobe, with Jane Fonda’s debut workout video defining the look in 1982. Accessorised with legwarmers and a headband.

2005: The Los Angeles look

Black leggings invade casual wardrobes everywhere in the Noughties, as starlets like Paris Hilton and Sienna Miller adopt their leg-lengthening powers. Suddenly everyone is wearing footless tights and denim skirts or smock dresses.

2011: Health warnings

The dangers of wearing leggings are highlighted as scientists say lazy muscles begin rely on the tight fabric for support.

2013: US schools ban leggings

A high school in California bans girls from wearing this alternative to trousers. Principal Emily Dunnagan says that boy pupils are “distracted” by the look. Another school decrees leggings can be worn, only if “the garment worn on top covers the buttocks”.

2013: Sheer problems

Retailer Lululemon recalls thousands of pairs of its Skinny Will leggings after the fabric is deemed too see-through.

2016: Boom of the Athleisure market

American supermodels adopt a new “athleisure” look, showing off their workout wear beyond the gym. The result is a new market worth some $44 billion in the US alone.

Spring 2017: Balenciaga brings back the spray-on look

Balenciaga designer Demna Gvasalia debuts leggings in candy colours on his spring 2017 runway, offering a whole new way to wear the most divisive style staple.