Finding the "right" leggings is almost as difficult as finding the right bra or swimsuit or pair of jeans! The price of my favorite leggings shot up to $29.95 since the last time I bought them, so this time I bought four different kinds to test. Herein, I shall review all five options. As a point of reference, I am 5'7" and weight 137 pounds. Black leggings are a staple in my wardrobe; I wear them all the time.

1. Athletica "City Lights" ***** (five stars)
Hands down, my favorites. Length, cut, and fit are all absolutely perfect. But as of this writing, the price is $29.95 for a pair. Leggings just shouldn't cost $30!

2. Moontree "Cotton Spandex Jersey Legging" ****
The length is good. The waist is in the right place. The cut is good. But something about these leggings makes me feel like "this is what wearing Spanx must feel like". They are snug, but not in a way that makes me feel like I'm wearing the wrong size. It feels like the snugness is part of the design, like in control-top pantyhose. (Remember those?) Only the snugness is in the entire pair of leggings, calf to waist. They look great, but frankly they are almost a relief to peel off at the end of the day. And leggings just shouldn't feel that way. To me, one of the huge advantages of leggings is their comfort; it's like wearing a second skin. Still at $12.99 the price is right and they do look good.

3. Anne Klein "Women's Cotton Leggings" ****
I expected less from these leggings because the waist band is nearly twice as wide as what I'm used to. It turned out not to bother me at all! The fit is perfect. Length and waist are great. But the leggings started pilling almost immediately! Usually, if I run my hands over my leggings, everything feels smooth. Within an hour of the first wearing (I washed them first), these leggings had pervasive pilling. Still, they look great, feel good, and they are only $15. Note that I bought M/L. I was worried they'd be too small; they're not.

UPDATE: I have attempted to purchase more of these leggings from Amazon three times. The first time, I received S/M instead of M/L. I returned them and tried again. Again, I received S/M. I waited a few months. Then I tried again. This time, I received leggings that had no size label in them at all. This time they were so small, I literally could not get the leggings more than halfway up my thighs. I promise, the problem was not with my thighs! These leggings are having some serious sizing issues, at least from this seller. I contacted Anne Klein and was informed that they could not sell me these leggings directly and had no control over outside vendors.

4. Doublju "Women's Stylish Casual Ankle Cotton Span Leggings" *
The name of these leggings makes me wonder if there's such a thing as formal leggings! The waist is low. No, thanks. I want my leggings to stay put. I returned this pair.

5. Spalding "Women's Ankle Legging" *
I returned this pair also. The waist band was about two inches wide (!), yet the elastic inside the waist band was only about one centimeter wide. Picture that! Anyway, because of the thin waistband which only looked seriously oversized, as I moved around the waistband pretty much went wherever it wanted. Thanks, but I like my leggings to stay put!

ADDITION 3/30/14: After writing the original review, I continued my never-ending quest for the perfect leggings. I now find that I can highly recommend American Apparel. As I write, they cost only $19.60 on Amazon; shipping is directly from American Apparel for $5 but free if you spend $50. Available in multiple colors and sizes, the fit is exactly PERFECT. I own 3 pair and I'm about to buy 5 more... I have also found that Victoria's Secret leggings for daily wear aren't half bad, although the waist is just a touch lower than I'd like, so I find myself tugging on them to keep them up! That said, the waist band is also looser than on other leggings, which is good for those days when you might find yourself carrying a few extra pounds and don't want to feel like your leggings are cutting off your circulation... :) I should also add that I was never again able to buy the right size in Anne Klein leggings. They literally sent me the wrong size repeatedly. I contacted the Anne Klein people. They told me they license out the product and have nothing to do with it. I waited a while, tried again, was sent the correct size, but even the L turned out to be very small. ... Also, Athletica City Lights leggings apparently no longer exist.