leggings

Legwear and shapewear experts Sculptz made their NYC and U.S. debut earlier this month with an upscale cocktail party and display at The Glasshouses in Chelsea. What made this show special was that there was a mix of mannequins and live models, so you could really see how the products worked and ask the models questions about their outfits. Hosting the event were Sculptz president Jean P. Vernor and "tastemaker" and celebrity stylist Robert Verdi.

Scultptz, which makes products along the same line as that other shapewear company (beginning with an "S" and ending with an "x"), only less strangling, more affordable, more colorful, and more wearable, has been in business since 1974 and is headquartered in Philadelphia. All products are made in the U.S.A. I tried one of the products, and like the slogan says, it was so comfortable I did indeed forget I was wearing it. (When I tried that other brand, I wanted to pull it off as soon as I got in the door.)

The NYC event was titled "A Girl for All Seasons" and featured models dressed in Sculptz products, à la iconic '40s and '50s pinup girls, in displays that represented the four seasons. Another model walked the room and a sixth was in a classic evening display complete with faux fur rug and garter belt. (See the gallery.)

Sculptz products promise to "flatten the tummy, lift the rear, and slim the hips and thighs, while providing the freedom and confidence to wear everyday styles from day to night." The collection features shorts, sheers, tights, slips, body shapers, camis, bras, and briefs. There also are sexy thigh highs and pants-friendly trouser socks. New for fall 2009 are leggings and capris in lots of fun, autumnal colors as well as classics like red and black. All the colors feature clever names, too. Black is "A Girl's Best Friend," for example, while copper is "All Spiced Up" and white is "String of Pearls."

Sculptz prices range from $15 - $70. Products are available only online right now, although plans are in the works to be in retail stores soon. Sculptz also has sites in Britain and Canada.

Special for Luxist readers: Get 25% off Sculptz shapewear and legwear from Sunday, November 29, 2009, until Thursday, December 10, 2009. Just enter promo code B809 at Sculptz.com.

As a trend, leggings aren't going out of style just yet. Instead, they're getting more sophisticated. Balenciaga featured this particular pair in their S/S 2007 runway collection. They look metallic, but it is more likely that they are made of some sort of metallic fabric than actual gold. Then again, they are made only at request and cost roughly $100,000 per pair, which is pretty steep for what amounts to what is little more than long underwear.

Neiman Marcus has identified what they feel are the top ten fall trends in women's fashion. They stuck with broad categories, rather than picking individual items, so it's easy to pick out items that will fit in with the trends and your personal tastes. Of course, a top ten list isn't going to cover every single fashionable item (they're missing bows and animal prints, for example), but it's a good place to start. The list includes:

• Black/Gold Handbags
• Red Accents
• Belts
• Tunics
• White Shirts
• Skinny Pants
• Gold Jewelry - and lots of it
• Black Leggings
• Booties and Boots

The only real question here is why they don't offer the same type of list to men, too.