Leggings or trousers with a tunic or long kurta?

Leggings

Leggings are stretchy, close to the leg and easy to move in. They are warm in winter, practical for travel and comfortable for long days at home. Their weakness is that they show the shape of the leg, so the top has to do the covering. Most people wear them with a tunic at least to the mid-thigh, and many prefer the knee.

They are generally seen as casual. In an office, a smart knee-length kurta with opaque, thick leggings can pass in a relaxed workplace, but woven trousers look more finished. Thin or shiny leggings rarely look smart. The traditional relative of leggings is the churidar, which is cut longer and gathers at the ankle; churidar explains how it differs.

Slim woven trousers

Straight or cigarette trousers in cotton, cambric or a firm blend give a clean line under a long top without clinging. They look smart enough for work, hold their shape through the day and suit tunics of any length from the hip to the calf. In hot weather, a woven cotton is cooler than a knit legging because it sits away from the skin. Their only drawback is that they need a proper fit at the waist and seat, which is easier made to measure; trouser fit explains rise and length.

Wide trousers

Palazzos, a shalwar and wide-leg trousers give the most coverage and are cool and comfortable in heat. Under a long straight kurta they create the classic South Asian outline. The thing to watch is volume: a very loose tunic over very wide trousers can swamp a smaller frame. A straight or slightly fitted kurta balances wide trousers best. See palazzo for how they fall.

Side by side

If you want one rule of thumb: slim under loose, wide under straight. Our guide to kameez length and trouser pairings has more combinations, and made-to-measure tunics and long shirts covers the tops themselves.

• Coverage. Wide trousers give the most, slim trousers come next, and leggings depend entirely on the length of the top.
• Comfort. Leggings stretch most; wide trousers are coolest; slim trousers sit in between.
• Smartness. Slim woven trousers are the smartest, wide trousers look polished in good fabric, and leggings are casual.
• Top length. Leggings want mid-thigh or longer; slim trousers suit any length; wide trousers look best under a kurta at the knee or below.

Ordering the pair together

Ordering the tunic and trousers together lets you set both lengths so they work as one outfit. Through custom stitching you can choose straight, cigarette, wide-leg, shalwar or churidar trousers on the quote form, with the kurta length you want. Use the quote form and we confirm both pieces in writing before cutting.