How to Wear a Long Top with Leggings

It’s legging season, and if you’re wondering how to wear a long top with leggings, here are some easy tips!

Long tops with leggings are cozy and easy outfits for fall

We’re all living in loungewear right now, way more than normal, right? Yes! And leggings are a great, comfortable option for fall with a cozy, oversized top. But how do you wear those long tops with leggings well?

Here are a few easy tips to make those long tops and leggings outfits look amazing.

What kind of leggings are you wearing?

Rule #1 of wearing leggings as pants — your leggings must not be sheer. We should all know by now that bending over and see everything through your leggings is a big no-no. Make sure those leggings are nice and thick and opaque! My favorite opaque leggings are THESE ZELLA ONES. Size down. They’re high waisted, super comfortable, and a nice stretchy fabric.

Second, what’s the material of your leggings? The ZELLA LEGGINGS are made with a brushed material that isn’t shiny or slippery, so they look less like exercise leggings and more like everyday leggings. You can wear the shiny, athletic kind, but just know that they’ll look more like you’re headed to the gym.

You can also absolutely wear leather leggings! I shared a few favorites in THIS POST.

Look at the shape of your oversized top

Not all oversized or long tops are created equal. Some have a straight, tunic-like cut. Some cinch in at the waist. Some flare out at the hips.

The widest part of my body is my hips, so if I wear a long top that flares out at the hips, it makes my upper body look smaller and my lower body look larger. This isn’t the proportion I want for my body type!

You’ll have to decide what shape of top will look best for your body type and figure, but pay attention to how the top flatters or doesn’t flatter your figure.

I’ll show you a few examples below, and also in my episode of #GetDressedWithMerrick on Instagram today.

Where does your long top hit on your body?

Can you wear leggings as pants? Yes! Your top doesn’t have to be long enough to cover everything in the front and the back. And as long as your leggings are completely opaque, you can absolutely wear them with shorter tops.

But if you’re wearing longer tops that hit at or below the hips, pay attention to where the end of the shirt hits for the same reasons as the section above.

For me, if I wear a top that ends right at my hips, it creates a LINE right across the widest part of my body and draws attention to that area, making it look wider. So I need to choose tops either shorter than my hips, or longer than my hips.

Choosing the right shoes for a long top with leggings outfit

When you’re wearing leggings and a long top, your body proportions get a little thrown off because your top half looks extra long in a long top and your bottom half looks shorter when only a section of your legs is showing.

So choose shoes that help accentuate a longer leg line!

Here are some shoes that will elongate your leg with a long top and leggings:

• If your leggings are black, black boots or black ankle boots will continue your leg line and help it look longer.
• Any shoe with an almond or pointed toe will give you an elongated leg line
• Anything with a heel or wedge will help give you some extra height and length

Let me show you a few examples of long tops with leggings!

1. A dressy tunic with leggings and heels

• This long tunic has a straight oversized shape, which is really flattering for my body type.
• I chose a pair of heels with a pointed toe, both of which elongate my leg line.
• The slits on the side of the tunic give me a bit more leg line as well!

2. Button down shirt with cardigan sweater

• The chambray top isn’t super long, but it gives me some coverage.
• My button up top has a scoop shape, which is flattering and doesn’t create a straight line across my hips
• A cardigan over the top gives additional coverage, especially with a shorter top
• Almond toe black ankle boots give me an elongated leg line

3. An oversized sweater is more flattering with a scooped hem

• The scooped hem gives me a little extra leg line on the sides so my legs don’t feel squatty
• The shape of the tunic is flowy, but doesn’t flare out and give me weird proportions
• An almond toe shaped sneaker keeps my leg line elongated
• The gap at my ankle between the shoe and the legging keeps my leg line long as well

4. A shorter sweater with a layered tee

• This sweater is shorter, so a layered tee underneath offers a little more coverage
• Even though the sweater is oversized, it hits me right above the widest part of my body, keeping me from having a line straight across the widest part
• An almond toe sneaker elongates my leg line
• A gap at my ankle between my leggings and sneakers helps elongate my legs as well

Need some tunic shopping options? I’ve linked a few good ones below!

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• Black jean outfit ideas