While some people can happily soldier through winter with bare legs, if you’re in need of a protective veneer and an extra element to your outfit, then likely you regularly hot-foot it to the hosiery department come winter.
Gone are the days when women were expected to always wear pantihose.
Each iteration provides a different look, and can change an outfit quite drastically. Discover a pair you love, and you’ll be finding an excuse to wear them all year round.
Speaking of looks, hosiery with sandals is a divisive one, but something we love. When executed well it can be cool and practical; open-toed heels provide the sex appeal to balance a stockinged foot, conjuring up dance professionals and that period of the early 2000s when this styling was a thing. However, tights can make your foot slip if you have an open toe, so to prevent any mishaps, add gel cushions to your shoes.
Before we kick off, any wardrobe purchase should be preceded with a plan for a garment’s lifecycle. And while more brands are utilising recycled textiles and rip-resistant technology, navigating the wear and, inevitably, tear of hosiery is something to consider (as is a guppy bag).
Pulling on a pair of tights only to ladder them immediately is devastating. To prevent this, make sure your nails are tidy — or if you really want to be careful, wear gloves — and shave your legs beforehand so there’s no friction. Roll up, don’t pull or tug.
Found a hole? If you’re on the go, dabbing on some liquid soap should stop it from getting any bigger. For long-term solutions, clear nail polish works. If you want to close the hole and it’s somewhere not too visible, you can carefully stitch it shut with matching thread, or even darn with some similar fabric. I do this with all my hosiery.
Once those tights really are done, don’t throw them out; they can still be useful, making good scratch-free cleaning cloths, tethers for plants, or filled with rag-bag fabric and used to stuff boots. If you’re crafty, draw inspiration from this Vita Cochrane creation or dive into Pinterest (bursting at the seams with ideas).
But first, let’s start with some sensational hosiery and how to wear it.
Opaque
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Advertise with NZME.Not just practical, a dense pair of opaque tights cut a strong line. They pair well with everything, but look particularly striking with a black outfit for a French New Wave vibe.
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Sheer
Elegant, glamorous and sensual — after all, they’re quite literally revealing — sheer hosiery benefits from a long association with high fashion and erotic cinema. A glossy leg adds extra sheen, and seems to be more resilient to laddering, while if you ratchet up the denier to 30, you’ll get a bit more coverage. Black is a classic, and while nude tones are generally reserved for people toeing the dress codes of England’s royal family, they can be refreshingly subversive when done right; make it look intentional and wear them with something Kate Middleton wouldn’t.
Spotty
A dash more twee than other variations, sheer spotty tights are one of the seemingly frivolous items of fashion canon that have earned their place. Sweet and sexy in equal measure, while you can lean into the femininity here, they work best as a foil to a skirt suit or sensible shift dress.
Funky
Life is short, take a risk on some funky tights. Colourful! Patterned! Embellished! How much you reveal is up to you — it could be a flash of leg under a three-quarter-length skirt or maxi dress, or get your pins out with a Quant-worthy mini and channel the Youthquake. If you’re feeling particularly extravagant, splurge on some logo-laden luxury tights.
Fishnets
The dissident doyenne of your intimates drawer. With a history in the fashion and the sex industries, and a position in the punk movement, fishnets can take a loose skirt and sweater somewhere else entirely. They’re also far less prone to ladders than other hosiery.
Lacey
Sweet and romantic, lace tights are having something of a moment. Try layering wearing lace with lace for a textural spin.
Knee highs
Very underrated, sheer knee-high hosiery is great for warmer climates, and offers a flash of knee if that’s your thing. It’s also great with trousers, giving that sheer-foot look that’s so elegant with masculine loafers, without committing to a sock or a full layer of tights.
Cosy
Last but certainly not least, hosiery isn’t just about surface appeal, it also provides a much-needed layer of warmth when the temperature dips — particularly if you have a dress code to navigate. When winter really kicks in, consider a pair of heavy gauge hosiery or those made from wool.
