It doesn't matter what the airlines say, leggings are here to stay

We face a new tyranny on the female wardrobe: leggings. A few weeks ago a furore unfurled across social media as two teenage girls were barred from boarding a United Airlines flight for their "form-fitting spandex pants".

The airline explained that the girls were guests of employees and thus subject to company dress code - regular passengers would not be prevented from wearing leisure attire.

But it still begs the question: have the fashion throwbacks taken over the world again? And where on earth do we stand on them now?

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The hosiery/pants hybrids were born in the 15th century (and originally worn by men) but leggings are enjoying the kind of omnipresence - at work, at leisure, even at night - that they haven't since the 1980s.

"I fear I will never invite zippers and buttons back onto my crotch," says leggings fanatic and founder of the Man Repeller website, Leandra Cohen.

Leggings were on the catwalks of Balenciaga, Celine and Maxmara; Chanel even plonked Moss Jr, Lottie, in a pair of cropped sequined leggings at their inaugural Metiers d'Arts show.

Nike and Helmut Lang are making them, as are power designers The Row and Gucci. Gucci's pearl-embroidered striped jersey leggings sold out a few weeks ago. At R12,500, they were billed online as a ''skinny pant", however, perhaps proving that it's all in the nomenclature.

Top tip? Size up. Leggings are tight by definition, but you want a pair that won't dig into your stomach or pucker around the crotch in that unflattering modern affliction known as ''camel toe".