By Whitney Kiepura
Executive Opinion Editor
I am like a tiger. I stalk trends through the seasons. When I first spot a new idea, I must watch it from afar.
If it’s a young trend, sickness or a lack of interest might kill it as they might kill a juvenile animal. If it’s an ancient animal, or a trend that’s lasted more than a season, it might also fail due to age. For example, no one wants to wear ponchos anymore. Frankly, I can’t blame them.
However, if a trend has passed a three-month mark, a time where weak trends will fade, it is deemed strong enough to deserve attention from my wallet. Only the strongest trends will make it this far.
And thus, as October rolled around, I decided to make my move and claim a pair of jeggings for my own. They have matured past the point where only celebrities will wear them, but not so embraced by the fashion society that everyone will wear them.
Jeggings are “jean leggings”—  just like regular leggings, but with the material mimicking the look of denim.
But this trend is an off-shoot of an earlier object of desire: the skinny jean.
Which brings us to the question of which is better: skinny jeans or jeggings? And, is it worth buying either now, months after they originally became popular?
As the returning fashion icon, skinny jeans are comfortable and much warmer than  their jegging opponents. My personal favorites can be found at dELiAs for as low as $39.50. They come in a variety of washes, but unlike jeggings, it can take a long, tiring search to find the right fit. Finding a pair that’s long enough, short enough and that fits in the waist, thighs and calves can take an all-day search in Woodfield, and sometimes even after all that time, girls can still walk out with an uncomfortable pair.
On the other hand, jeggings stretch to fit. The pair I own came from American Eagle, for $39.50. Other pairs can also be found at Forever 21, Abercrombie and Fitch, Urban Outfitters and Hot Topic. Basically, almost every store in Woodfield that caters to teenagers will carry them. They feel like fitted sweatpants: comfortable, yet loose enough that you won’t have trouble breathing when wearing them.
Jeggings are also superior when it comes to wearing boots. Anyone who owns boots that go up over their ankles knows the irritating sensation of having jeans bunching up in their shoes, not to mention the awkward scrunching that occurs by the knees. But with jeggings, that issues disappears.
Even if skinny jeans are warmer, they are simply a left-over from last season. They have not yet outlasted their usefulness in a girl’s closet, or like a deer, they won’t be left by the herd. So don’t throw them away yet, but don’t be surprised when fashionable girls start kicking them out of their closets either.
Instead, all fashion predators should turn their attention to the fresher prey in view.
These jeggings aren’t the newest prey – they were actually spotted in early April, but they won’t be abandoned either. So to all the fashionable tigresses looking for a new object to spice up their fashion palette, look no further than jeggings.