Having ranked our top 10 leos for all the big four conference teams, as well as some other popular schools (let us know if we haven’t ranked a team you want to see!), it’s time to look at each individual editor’s top 15 leotards of all time—limited to one leo per school. Next up is our USAG editor Rebecca! Have opinions about your favorite leotards of all time? We want to see your top 15! Submit your rankings to us via email at [email protected] and include your name, ranking, links to images and a description for each. Your list just might be featured on the site! Remember, limit one leo per team.
No. 1: UCLA: Look, I know it’s controversial. But I don’t care! This Sylvia P leotard is artistic and cool and one of the precious few leotards where the design makes sense in a broad fashion sense. I would wear this as a fancy shirt or a dress any day.
No. 2: Georgia: I think UGA is a very underrated leotard team… So naturally I had to pick a leotard of which there are almost no photos. I think about this leotard all the time because I think it’s a better version of some that everyone love (like the Utah one I’m going to feature a little way down the list…). The red sparkles really shine, the V neck is beautiful and I love the pattern built in gems endlessly.
No. 3: Auburn: Making blue and orange look subtle is not an easy job, and that’s why this feather design is so memorable. Its delicacy isn’t something you see on too many leotards.
No. 4: New Hampshire: What makes this leotard is the gorgeous just-slightly-teal body color and the fact that the rest of the design is quiet enough to let the material shine. It’s also intensely flattering and photogenic in action shots, which is a bonus.
No. 5: Iowa State: I like a lot of leotards that are too simple for other people, and I’m easily overwhelmed by bold design choices. The simplicity of this Iowa State workhorse makes it one of my favorites, and while putting two shades of the same color side by side is usually not a winning design choice, the slightly orange sheen of the top panel is a really pleasant recall of the school colors.
No. 6: Penn: This paisley is so unique and elegant. I’ve never seen anyone go here with a leotard design before, and it came out delightful.
No. 7: Utah: The mountain leotard is going to pop up on a lot of these lists, and it is great, but the sparkle V-neck is a little more special to me because of how lovely the red sparkles look. It’s apparently named “Drip Too Hard,” so there’s that.
No. 8: UW-La Crosse: The Eagles kicked off a real DIII leotard revival with this gem in 2018. The ombre mesh criss-cross back…delightful.
No. 9: Oregon State: I FREAKING LOVE Christian Moreau leotards, and you don’t see too many of them in NCAA. It was surprising and delightful to see Oregon State bust out this floral pattern a few years ago—it’s so different.
No. 10: Washington: You’ve heard this from me before. The Huskies have one truly great leotard and they hardly ever wear it. I haven’t seen it in years, but I haven’t forgotten.
No. 11: Rutgers: An instant classic. Nothing wrong with it. Just pure delight all the way down.
No. 12: Ohio State: I love silver, I love that the Buckeyes are using silver and I love how red sparkles pop on neutral backgrounds, so this one is a win!
No. 13: SCSU: This one is probably on everyone’s list, and that’s cool because it should be.
No. 14: Central Michigan: I love that the flames of this one express school spirit without being goofy, but I love the colors more. The rich yellow mesh against the maroon body is really beautiful.
No. 15: UC Davis: I fell in love with this straightforward yet infinitely elegant Rebecca’s Mom creation at first sight at California Grand last year, and I’m still not over it.
READ THIS NEXT: Leotard Rankings: Mary Emma’s Top 15 Leos of All Time
Article by Rebecca Scally
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