SKINNY jeans just got skinnier.

Courtesy of this season's must-have item - jeggings.

You heard right, it's the love child of denim jeans and leggings.

Embraced by celebrity style mavens Beyonce Knowles, Paris Hilton, Kate Bosworth and Sienna Miller months ago, the '80s-inspired trend is fast gaining popularity in Singapore.

It has its haters, who think faux denim is the worst thing to happen to fashion.

For me, it's a godsend.

During and after my pregnancy, I gazed upon my wardrobe staple - tight-fitting 25-inch jeans - with great depression.

The spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak.

My weight bounced back to 40kg, but my thighs, hips and waistline weren't what they used to be.

Squeezing my lower half into my favourite denim pieces took Herculean effort, and my legs would protest by turning numb after prolonged circulation cut-off.

Reluctantly, I turned to a more practical alternative - leggings.

Happily, jeggings combine the best of both worlds.

Mostly made of a cotton-polyester-elastane hybrid, they're comfier, lighter and stretchier than sometimes-starchy denim fabric, and also blissfully easy to pull up and peel off (although I'm not too hot about the elasticised waist).

Yet, they still retain the slim, super-snug and oh-so-hip silhouette of skinny jeans, with pockets and coloured stitching thrown in for added authenticity.

Best of all, the affordable prices make them worth sampling - if only for a cheap disposable thrill.

I recommend local label Stitch's (Cathay Cineleisure Orchard #02-20) gorgeous jeggings in four colours - black, dark blue, light blue and grey.

Owner Ezekiel Sim, 24, said around 70 pieces at $32.90 each were snapped up in the last three weeks.

But if you want a variety of designs, head down to Best Of Blogshops (Far East Plaza #01-62 and #04-52A).

It houses 22 popular Singapore-based online blogshops and is a veritable jeggings heaven, with its acid wash hues retailing between $27 and $32.

One of the blogshops, Tracyeinny, sells about 250 pairs of jeggings a month, according to Best Of Blogshops co-owner Hanice Tsai, 19.

She told The New Paper: 'Jeggings appeal to women of all age groups and of all heights and sizes... (and) look flattering on all figures.

'Some pregnant ladies even opt for jeggings for maternity wear, as they're comfortable and fit naturally with long, flowing garments. We have mothers and daughters buying jeggings together in our shops!'

You can find more unusual designs at Myth (Far East Plaza #03-48A), which has marble wash black jeggings ($49.90) and light blue jeggings with rips and zips ($35.90).

Code Red (Far East Plaza #01-85) sells them deliberately frayed and crumpled at $25.90, while Flesh Imp (Wisma Atria #03-27/28) has a distressed grey as well as a shredded white on sale for $25.

Those with deeper pockets can make a beeline for the high street boutiques.

Topshop has seamless viscose leggings screen-printed to look like jeans, complete with pockets, buttons, seams, belt loops and distress marks ($56).

Jeggings with a similar spray-on effect are also sold at Bershka (ION Orchard #B2-09/10/11) for $39.90.

Strangely, the no-frills and thus slightly mumsy-looking versions in plainer hues like navy blue and black turn out to be more expensive.

These are available from River Island ($60-$69), Promod ($34.90-59.90), Pull & Bear ($49.90), Miss Selfridge ($56), Dorothy Perkins ($46-$56), Uniqlo ($39.90) and New Look ($33.90-$46.90).

Granted, jeggings can be rather unforgiving if you're not careful, showing every bulge and clinging in all the wrong places.

So how can you make them flatter your figure instead?

According to Ms Tsai and Mr Sim, jeggings are best worn with long, loose-fitting tank tops or T-shirts, together with gladiator sandals, ballet flats or flip-flops.

For a sophisticated direction, throw on a boyfriend blazer or tunic dress with cut-out heels or peep-toe pumps.

But Mr Sim cautioned that women with bigger hips should avoid wearing jeggings with a short or tight top.

He said: 'Because of their body-hugging shape, (this) would only unflatteringly accentuate the hips. Instead, they can wear them with oversized or longer tops to take attention away from the hips.'

This article was first published in The New Paper