Running leggings used to mean one thin layer of stretchy black fabric that went see through the second you bent over to tie your laces. That has properly changed. The decent ones now are opaque even in a deep squat, they have proper waistbands instead of a bit of elastic sewn in as an afterthought, and the whole category has got more honest about what running actually does to fabric over an hour on a cold pavement. That's a good thing, even if it means you can no longer get away with the cheapest pair in the shop.
The difference between a good pair and a bad one is mostly in the hand feel before you've even run a step. Pick them up and stretch the fabric between your fingers, a good pair resists and bounces back flat, a bad pair goes thin and papery and you can see your fingers through it. Check the waistband doesn't just sit there like a rubber band, it should have some structure to it, wide enough that it doesn't roll when you bend. Flatlock seams that lie flush rather than sitting proud matter more than people expect, because a seam in the wrong place rubs raw after three miles, not three hundred metres. Zipped pockets with a bit of weight to the zip pull are worth having if you run with keys or a card, a flimsy zip will work loose and lose things.
What they don't go with is anything stiff or structured on top. A boxy jacket or a tailored coat over running leggings just looks like you got halfway dressed and gave up, so keep the rest of the outfit soft and fitted too. And be honest about the limits here, because leggings built for running are usually too compressive and too technical feeling for a slow day at a desk, and not warm enough for standing still at a bus stop in January. They're built for movement, not for sitting around looking sporty.
Fit is where most disappointment happens. Go by your hip and thigh measurement rather than your usual dress size, and try the squat test in the changing room, not just standing still in the mirror. Watch for a waistband that digs in when you sit, and ankles that ride up past the bone within the first ten minutes, both are signs you've got the wrong length or the wrong compression for your shape.
Reach for these the morning you're actually running, nothing more mysterious than that.
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