Whether you’re 16 or 60 you’re sure to notice how the fashions of previous generations quickly come back around to reinvent themselves as today’s hottest trends. From Twiggy to Alicia Silverstone in Clueless the women who inspired artist and designers continue to inspire the creators and lovers of printed leggings.

Drawing inspiration from prints, fashion icons, pop culture, and iconic designs from over the decades, we’ve put together a lookbook of our favorite retro inspired printed leggings that will make you want to throwback your wardrobe and take a walk on the wild side!

1960’s Inspired Printed Leggings: 

Twiggy was the fashion icon of the 60’s who inspired Andy Warhol and fashion designers of the day to make the big bold prints that galvanized the flower children of the decade to think for themselves.

This was the end of conformity and beginning of self-expression! We think what better way to keep that trend alive than to rock some of these 60’s mod inspired leggings! These leggings draw from the bright and bold art of the decade, and we think that is “outta sight”!!

1960s-inspired-leggings-emily-hsu-

(RtoL: Liquido Mandala Game, Emily Hsu inMod Squad, Daughters of Culture Moroccan Stripe Legging, Liquido Cherry Blossom Legging)

1970’s Inspired Printed Leggings:

Goldie Hawn was the wild child and fashion icon for all the adorably quirky girls of the 70’s. Rebellious, funny, with a touch of sweet, and a whole lot of sass Goldie Hawn’s bold and sometimes racy fashion choices would carry her through the decade.

The prints and patterns from the decade would have us winding down from all that the Woodstock generation had to prove, women would find themselves unleashed from the world of skirts and dresses, and we would start to fall in love with earth tones and nature & culture inspired looks.

These printed leggings draw from all the things we love from the 1970’s.

1970s-inspired-printed-leggings-mara-hoffman-daughters-of-culture

(RtoL: Daughters of Culture-Golden Lotus Leggings, Mara Hoffman-Sun Legging, Emily Hsu-Orchids Legging, Daughters of Culture-Safari Dream Legging

1980’s Inspired Printed Leggings:

Cyndi Lauper’s style and attitude set the tone for a decade of wild!

She coined the phrase that “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” which became every girl’s mantra for a decade that was all about big hair and self-expression.

The 80’s brought us color, graphics, and designs like never before.

It brought us hip hop and punk rock, and the clothing and prints reflected the loud rebellion that was happening around us.

It also brought us the birth of the PDX carpet in 1987! These bright and bold leggings are a modern day nod to the 80’s, complete with the PDX carpet looking as good as the day it was installed!

1980s-inspired-leggings-daughters-of-culture-gold-sheep-dona-jo-pdx-carpet

(RtoL:Dona Jo-Aquarelle Legging, Gold Sheep-PDX Carpet Legging, Daughters of Culture-Neon Galaxy, Dona Jo-Spark Legging) 

1990’s Inspired Printed Leggings:

Every girl who grew up in the 90’s knew every line from the movie Clueless.

We knew that “searching for a boy in high school is as useless as searching for meaning in a Pauly Shore movie.”

We envied Cher’s virtual closet and super rad outfit combos!

The bright carry over prints from the 80’s and awesome pop art that filled the 90’s has found it’s way into our current day legging collections, and we think that is all that and a bag of chips!!

These bright and fun leggings will give you flashbacks to the last decade of the 20th century. Hard to believe that was over 20 years ago!!

Our personal fav is the Emily Hsu Leggings in "Bang Bang" print which reminds me of my Jr. High notebook covered in stickers!

1990s-inspired-printed-leggings-dona-jo-emily-hsu

(RtoL: Dona Jo-Electric Legging, Dona Jo-Sway Legging, Dona Jo-Aztec Legging, Emily Hsu Designs-Bang Bang Legging)

The way that fashion trends come in and out is so cool!

We can’t wait to see what retro inspired looks come at us next! So whether you’re gearing up for a retro inspired comfy Halloween costume or just rocking some fantastic throwback inspired leggings we have everything you need!

We might also add that all the leggings featured in this blog are totally hot yoga ready! Now that’s something to totally freak out about!

What is your favorite decade for fashion inspiration?

Let us know in the comments below!

Xo,

Laura C. Helms

shop printed leggings shop crop tops

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