Hate and leggings

My mom always told the child version of me that I shouldn't ever hate anyone.

"You don't hate her, you just dislike what she is doing," she said one time after I screamed those three lovely words at my sister. That made me angry at the time but if you really think about it, her little lecture makes perfect sense.

So I try to apply this to my everyday life. I don't hate DMV employees; I just dislike when they make me cry. I don't hate cab drivers; I just dislike it when I almost crash into the back of them after they stop. Completely. On the freeway.

I believe there is at least a tiny bit of good in everyone, even if you will never actually behold it. So you shouldn't hate them.

And so it is with clothes, I decided last night. I thought I hated Crocs until I had a child. The truth is, those holy shoes made of mystery material are just perfect for a toddler running around on a hot summer day. Now my kid doesn't own a pair of traditional Crocs and I throw up in my mouth a little bit every time I see an adult wearing them, but I have recently found hidden value in Crocs.

This brings me to leggings. Leggings and me got off to a bad start. When they first came out all I saw were little tweens with mid-calf black spandex under denim mini-skirts. I decided that leggings were a serious fashion blunder and hoped they would soon disappear off the skinny legs of adolescents. But they didn't. And they started showing up on mommies who realized they could now wear short dresses and skirts if they just put leggings underneath them. A few of them sort of pulled it off.

But the other day I saw a cute girl who had some leggings with substance on. They had a chunkier knit, more like stretchy pants and less like cropped tights. She paired them with slouchy boots and a tunic sweater. I saw her and saw the good in leggings. I became a tardy fan of leggings ... I think. Your thoughts on leggings?

Pictured above: Marc Jacobs boots, Forever21 leggings and Target sweater dress