Long confined to dance studios, leg warmers are gearing up for a major comeback. A beloved 80s accessory, forever linked to the aerobics aesthetic, stepping back into the spotlight. Spotted on runways, in music videos, and of course, all over Gen Z TikTok mood boards, this revival fits perfectly into the ongoing balletcore trend.
From studio to the street: legwarmers reinvented
Originally designed for function, these knitted tubes were used to keep dancers’ legs warm between rehearsals. Today, they’ve become a statement piece, blending Y2K nostalgia with sportswear codes. It’s no longer about warmth or performance, it’s all about style.
Back in 2022, the trend had already begun to resurface but in a different form: chunkier, more colorful styles in crochet or thick wool, echoing mountain legwear or rave culture. In 2025, a whole new silhouette is taking over: the second-skin effect. Sleeker, body-hugging, sometimes graphic, leg warmers now blend into the outfit without adding bulk. The goal is no longer to create volume, but to layer, to play with textures and proportions.
The Legwear Piece, a Gen Z Staple
It’s hard to understand the leg warmer revival without mentioning Miu Miu, a true breeding ground for trends. The Italian house, in close collaboration with star stylist Lotta Volkova, has already brought back ballet flats, knitted tights, and a whole wave of balletcore and officewear staples. In 2025, it fully embraces leg warmers as a key element of its visual language. In its latest campaign fronted by French icon Lou Doillon and Kylie Jenner, leg warmers naturally blend into a retro aesthetic, where 50s and 60s references meet the evolving tastes of a younger, style-savvy audience.
Another house to jump on the trend: Chanel, which confidently revisited the legacy of the 1980s, the iconic leg warmer decade, popularized in part by the film Flashdance in its Resort 2024 collection. This visual repertoire is now being revived by a new wave of young fashion creatives, including Belgian designer Julie Kegels. It’s impossible to talk about this trend without mentioning her eponymous label, which gives officewear a fresh twist by subverting its sometimes-rigid codes. Among her standout creations are the surprising “thong socks”, minimalist leg warmers that cover the leg while leaving the foot bare. A conceptual reinvention of the leg warmer, often worn by content creator Lara Violetta, a devoted ambassador of the brand. To further emphasize the uniqueness of this piece, Julie Kegels has teamed up with Converse to create an accessory that blends the shoe and the leg warmer, a purely decorative item that perfectly captures this new era of accessories: boldly offbeat.
How can we embrace this trend?
Maxi or mini, subtle or colorful, in fine or ribbed knit, leg warmers have become a key mid-season accessory. They dress up the leg not just to bare it, but to highlight it, through texture, color, or layering. French content creator Lilas Villeneuve gives them a neon twist: a pair of fluorescent leg warmers paired with a grey strapless dress, for a spot-on throwback to the early 2010s.
An unexpected accessory, the leg warmer has now become an essential styling tool. Far from its original utilitarian purpose, it’s transformed into a creative statement piece. It’s worn where least expected under Bermuda shorts or paired with Mary Janes. The idea? To create a bold visual twist: a vibrant color, a contrasting texture (velvet, mesh, crochet), or a striking pattern, like the offbeat checks favored by Julie Kegels, to catch the eye… and leave a lasting impression.
