Our legs were terribly cold in the 1980's, it seems. Or maybe they have always been cold, but it was only in the 80's that we dared address this terrible problem. Actually leg warmers are making a comeback, or so I am told. And truthfully, I have craved a pair from time to time, but I don't think they would go well with my typical outfit which is based on either jeans or sweats, depending on the destination.
Leg warmers were closely tied to the aerobics craze, and the Flashdance fashion craze. It was a one-two punch which ensured that every girl daydreamed of finding a pair of leg warmers with the perfect degree of slouchiness. Ideally, they would be slouching over the tops of your Reebok aerobics shoes with the Velcro straps.
The technical background of the leg warmer was that it prevented cramps after stretching. Is that really a thing? I always assumed that when people talk about "warming up" their muscles, it's kind of a metaphorical warming up. Getting the blood flowing and so forth. But the purveyors of leg warmers would have you believe that it is actual temperature warmth that matters. Which makes me wonder, why not bundle up your entire body in knit wool warmth, if you're going to be going through a hard workout? You wouldn't want to pull a bicep, or a back muscle!
Leg warmers also fit in nicely with the weirdly out-of-scale clothing that was popular in the 80's. Leg warmers, which are inherently bulky and oversized, didn't seem as weird if you were already wearing a sweater large enough to serve as a dress, with a gigantic belt OVER the sweater. Topped by a pair of giant hoop earrings, and your enormous spiral-perm hairdo, of course!
Most leg warmers were long enough to stretch halfway up your thigh. But who would wear them like that? The thing to do was to slouch them so that they hung right below the knee, resting on the top of your calf muscle. I don't know why we thought baggy clothes looked so awesome in the 1980's (I guess that torch has been taken up by guys with their saggy pants).
If you really want to put together an 80's outfit, wear some dayglo-striped leg warmers with a pair of stirrup pants. Top it with a sports bra and a sweat shirt with the neck cut out so that it hangs over your shoulder, and you will be totally stylin'!