The one thing worth knowing before you buy black leggings is that not all black is the same black, and you only find this out the hard way, usually under a shop light that flatters everything, then again in daylight where one pair reads true black and the other reads a washed out charcoal after three wears. Thickness matters just as much. Hold them up to the window in the shop. If you can see your hand through the fabric, that's exactly what everyone behind you will see too.
A true, dense black is the easiest to live with, one that doesn't go grey or purplish after a few washes, because that fading is the thing that makes a perfectly good pair suddenly look tired next to a jumper that hasn't moved. A slight sheen can look dressy under a coat, a matte flat black reads more sporty and everyday, and it's worth deciding which one you actually need before you buy, rather than ending up with five pairs that all do the same job. For pairing, black leggings sit under almost anything with a bit of length to it, an oversized jumper, a longline shirt, a coat that comes past the hip, and they're at their best in the colder months under something that covers the bum properly, because black leggings alone with a cropped top is a very specific look that not everyone is going for on a Tuesday. In summer they can feel like too much fabric unless you find a lighter, more breathable pair for warm weather, and that's worth having as a separate pair rather than wearing your winter ones in June and regretting it by lunchtime.
The difference between a good pair and a disappointing one usually comes down to the waistband and the seams. A waistband that's a proper wide band of the same fabric, not a thin elasticated strip, won't roll down or dig in when you sit for a long stretch. Flat seams at the sides mean no visible lines under fitted clothes, and a decent percentage of elastane in the mix is what stops the knees going baggy after a few wears, which is the single most depressing thing a legging can do to you. Check the bum and thigh area under a bright light before you buy, stretched a bit with your hands, because that's where cheap fabric shows its true colours, sometimes literally.
Is this black still black when I stretch it against the window, or is it about to become my see through pair?
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