wolfchild, actually... What I'm wearing are knickerbockers (long shorts, below-the-knee) with black tights underneath. And still they got sprayed.
I've been commuting daily for two years rain or shine, from -30C to 30C, in snowstorms and thunderstorms, never skipped a commute because of weather. I once saw my commute time more than doubled due to a major snowstorm... I've toured for thousands of kilometers, sometimes riding in the heavy rain for hours at a time...
I've always used black rain pants when it was wet outside. But yesterday I got caught in the rain halfway through my commute without a chance to prepare. Now I know just how messy that is. Funny I never learned it before now.
Anyway, I guess rain pants are more important than I gave them credit for.