Leggings make for fashion marmite. Sometimes we love them, we can’t imagine life without them, we owe our everyday dressing to them. And, sometimes, we hate them with such a loathing we can’t remember why they ever came into existence.

Audrey Hepburn made a case for them in the Fifties (via a very chic leggings and mule combination), while Olivia Newton Jones’ final outfit in Grease was leggings-inspo for every woman in the Seventies (and every generation to come).  Madonna and the music of the Eighties brought leggings into a whole new realm: if you weren’t wearing them a ruffle mini skirt, you weren’t doing it right. 

Leggings got a big cool down in the Nineties, as we replaced ours with skinny jeans, baggy jeans, low-rider jeans and every other type of denim. Then came the turn of the century and leggings were back with a vengeance. Muses of the moment: Lindsay Lohan, Mischa Barton, Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie and the Olsen twins.

Now, leggings have fallen back off the fashion radar and firmly into the athleisure remit. That isn’t to deny our need for them (what on earth would we wear on the weekend without them?) but, for everyday fashion, we have fallen into a little bit of a rut.

Luckily for leggings, though, two of fashion’s biggest stars just made a bid for their return. 

Beyoncé, ever the fashion maverick, took on Paris’ coolest label, Marine Serre, in a head-to-toe legging look. The printed half-moon pattern, now synonymous with the brand (Kendall Jenner was spotted wearing the print at Coachella), was seen across not only the leggings but the matching top and the boots, ensuring this isn’t one for the faint hearted, but for those ready to make a statement. 

For those looking to ease their leggings back into the fashion game and out of the athleisure arena, take note from Victoria Beckham’s style book. The designer stepped out at the weekend in high-waisted leggings paired with an open light-weight trench coat and heels. If you were looking for your next airport outfit, I think we just found it. 

Ready to step into the leggings-not-for-brunch ground? We’ve rounded up five of the best to add to wardrobe now. 

Images: Getty / Instagram / Courtesy of brands