Leggings trend just won't die

Love 'em or hate 'em, leggings -- those stretchy, skintight stand-ins for pants -- refuse to die. In fact, the leggings trend has grown tremendously, with several brands dedicated solely to creating them.

This time around, they are more than a casual look to wear from yoga to the supermarket or when you're feeling especially 1980s.

Several new lines are creating print versions designed to look like tuxedo pants, even denim jeans. Members Only, the revived '80s it brand, offers leggings ($88 to $110) modeled after five-pocket jeans. With no pockets or pocket linings to bunch up at the upper thigh, they create a lean silhouette for people who find stovepipe jeans too roomy.

Costume Dept. is a splashy Bea Arthur-does-Vegas (but, oddly, in a good way) leggings collection. With gold foil geometric prints, Japanese florals and zebra stripes, these pieces, $35 to $79, would certainly be the focal point of any outfit.

And for the right sort of black-tie affair, DL Collection's slick black tuxedo leggings would look perfect with a tux-front graphic T-shirt and a corsage of pink carnations.

"Leggings have become as important to a girl's wardrobe as her favorite pair of jeans," says Kelli Delaney, creative director and designer for Members Only. "And just like you need all kinds of jeans, you now need all kinds of leggings." Members Only's "liquid" leggings have done well with pop stars including Rihanna, Fergie and Miley Cyrus, who appreciate what Delaney calls their "look at me" quality.

Another high-profile fan, Lindsay Lohan, has her own leggings line, 6126 (the name is a reference to Marilyn Monroe's birthday, June 1, 1926).

Lohan made a low-key appearance in Los Angeles recently to promote 6126, wearing her solid black leggings with a rhinestone studded tux jacket and black ankle boots with jeweled stacked heels. This was a relatively subdued choice considering that the majority of 6126 styles, which run $44 to $132, have animal prints, sport metallic details or are made of solid lace.

"I was wearing leggings all the time and wanted to improve the comfort," Lohan said. "Chanel did these great tights that I wished were leggings, so Karl (Lagerfeld) said, 'Why don't you make them as leggings?'"

She also took inspiration from Azzedine Alaia, whose lace leggings cost $1,500, about 10 times more than the ones Lohan designed for 6126.

The super-thin Lohan looks svelte in them (she wears a Size 0 in 6126 and her 14-year-old sister, Ali, wears a Size 1). But on most women, the form-fitting style isn't the most intuitive choice.

Nicole Chavez, who dresses Scarlett Johansson, Rachel Bilson, Katherine Heigl and Catherine Zeta-Jones, calls leggings "a chic alternative to the sweat pant" and recommends layering them with a sweater or blazer and scarf.