Brought to you by Opera Lane. 

Winter is not a time for fashion discomfort.

While summer has its moments (hobbling through a wedding on a too-high heel, squeezing on Spanx to get another wear out of a special dress), the winter is already fraught with challenges, from the biting wind to the icy streets. We don’t need any extra hassle.

Enter: the fleece-lined legging.

Specifically, these fleece leggings from Next on Opera Lane, which people are now speaking about in the same hushed, reverent tones normally reserved for affordable childcare.

On paper, they are not exciting. They are leggings. Black. Stretchy. Sensible. But pull them on and—boom—you realise you have accidentally put your legs into a hug.

The genius is the fleece inside. Not visible fleece. From the outside you look like a functioning adult who could attend a meeting. On the inside, you are essentially wearing pyjamas and living your best life. They have a comfy high waistband too.

People are whipping these €23 leggings from the shelves in three colours (chocolate brown, blue and black) and wearing them everywhere. School runs. Dog walks. Work. “Quick pop into town” trips that somehow last four hours and include coffee, browsing, and buying nothing except another pair of these leggings “just in case”.

They also do a Black Fleece Lined Cosy Jersey Denim Legging that looks like a pair of jeans – those are €33.50 and will become your go-to pair for frosty mornings when you need to look a little more put together.

Pair them with a big coat, a jumper that could double as a duvet, and boots that mean business, and you are winter-proof.