So true – trying unexpected combinations is what pushes our personal style boundaries. I love the idea of textured hose with chunky boots – will have to add this to my list of outfit ideas.

I LOVE this look and will cry when these items become hard to find again. I should definitely start stocking up (no pun intended)

I’ve never been able to get on board with textured hose at all, unfortunately. I’ve tried them on and off over the years but in general prefer matte, uniform hose and tights. I tend to be shy about my legs (which are ridiculously muscular) and I feel like all that pattern is yelling “look at my legs!”. I could maybe try it with boots, though- only a few inches of pattern to scream with

Love those boots, though!

I love, love, love textured hose this year. I’ve been stocking up on different variations of black and have even ventured into other colors like deep purple and dove gray.

I think they really help bring a different look to regularly worn outfits (which happens a lot during long winter seasons in the Northeast). And I feel they can even add pop to a basic outfit. Earlier this week I donned a black turtleneck, a black pencil skirt, black round toe patent pumps and the purple textured hose (with silver accessories) and I got so many compliments that day.

Though blacks and grays take up plenty of space in my closet, I hate these drab seasons where that’s all you seem to wear. Textured hose in blacks and other colors help break the monotony of the “cold weather blues.”

I love those boots, and have been wanting a flat pair since last winter. I’d to find great boots in my price range, though Fryes are my standard.

I just bought a pair of patterned hose and haven’t worn them yet, but I like this idea of juxtaposing the formal with informal. I would have worn them in a dressy way with my heeled boots because patterned hose with pumps is a little too formal for me.

I’ve been mixing up patterned tights a lot this fall, and have been looking for some good patterned hose. I prefer the tights because the pattern doesn’t show from afar, which is useful in my conservative work environment. I will look for some patterned ones tonight; I could use some new black hose!

I am so in love with those boots! I must have them. I’m not in love with the textured hose, though. I’ve tried a couple different styles and even followed your suggestions to buy the next size up in order to avoid pattern stretch, but I just think they make my calves look bigger. Granted, the textures do work better when I wear boots so my calves are nearly covered anyway!

I have issues enough finding boots that fit. My calves are often too big for regular sizes, but wide shafts are too large for me. So I try to keep the hosiery stress-free by going with regular black tights or micro fishnets.

You wore the casual look you’re writing about yesterday and is was super cute. I wish you had a picture of your outfit up so others could be inspired and get a feel for how well it worked.

I love it! I’ve also been wondering if chevron hose was acceptable. Thanks for the excuse to get some new patterned tights. (Brain mulling…)

I am really picky about patterned tights/hose.As opaques they can look REALLy heavy on the leg.As sheers, the wrong pattern can look a bit tarty, at least to my eye.I love the dots in the hose you pictured, those are lovely.I’ll have to find some of those to keep my baby fishnets company I don’t tolerate the cold very well so I tend to wear hosiery with casual looks as well as dressier ones.
Thanks for the encouragement Angie!

I love this look and, back when my calves were slim enough to wear long boots, I sported it often. One issue I struck upon, often, was that the boots would rub and cause “wear” marks on the tights which then meant I couldn’t wear them with shoes. So, I learned to wear these tights W

(sorry… for some reason my post got truncated!)

… wear these tights WITH A PAIR OF KNEE SOCKS OVER THEM, under the boots. This way, the tights wouldn’t get wear marks from the boots, and my legs/ feet were extra-comfy from the additional padding that the socks provided.

This solution mightn’t work for some of you, but it helped me extend the life of my tights AND kept my legs and feet extra warm and comfy.

Great post, I do this, too. I love textured hose with dresses and skirts, but I always go for a style that’s more funky than dressy, and in fact prefer boots for that reason. I like Mac’s tip about wearing socks over tights to protect them within the boots.

I don’t really wear hose for a variety of reasons. I often browse through various hosiery departments and picking up styles I like, but ultimately I always end up putting them back because I know they’ll just end up as orphans. It’s really too bad. I like hose, especially when worn as described here, but it is just not for me right now.

Yes I am totaly on board with this. I just last year bought my first pair of nice flat boots after wearing construction boots for 20 yrs. Now I am ready for the patterned hose. Thankyou so much for this post. I can’t wait to go look for hose. Also the tip of how much more difficult it might be to make it wirk with other than black boots is a good one so we aren’t wracking our brains wondering why it isn’t working.

I love this look and it’s one I wear. I find that the tops of my boots create wear lines in the tights, so once I wear a particular pair of tights with boots, they are only worn with boots thereafter.

Thanks for the tip. I’ve been wondering if I should buy those, actually, since I was thinking that I’d be able to wear them only with pumps.

-meream

I have to whip out my collection of hose and start wearing them..

Because this is definitely giving me some major inspiration!

I haven’t been brave enough to buy myself any textured hose yet, but perhaps I will try!

I saw some tights at Anthropologie the other day that looked like they might be made of sweater-like material. Of course, the hippie in me was immediately drawn to them, but I couldn’t help wondering if they were completely wrong. What do you think about tights that evoke the look of a sweater?

http://www.anthropologie.com/a.....oduct=true

love,
m!

Ooh, I’m SO excited to try this! I haven’t had any boots at all until now, but I just ordered some tall Docs! I’m really excited! Of course, I will post photos on the forum when they arrive.

I have to wear thicker tights to keep warm. I am not even certain if I will be able to wear my skirts during the winter. Under my desk at work, I have my little space heater going already and its only mid-October. I am sure hoping I can wear my tights, skirts and boots this winter.

I would love to be able to wear patterned tights or the sweet sweater-like ones Meredith mentioned above, but how do you incorporate the pattern into an outfit that already has another pattern (or two)? I know that not much of the pattern on my legs would actually show – probably only a few inches.

Susan D

What a great idea! I will certainly implement this with my flat black riding boots as well as my silver Docs, they are almost black.

I love textured hose, in both dressy and more casual outfits. In fact I sport the look quite often. When you pair textured hose with a denim or cord skirt, the outfit immediately becomes a little more casual, add slouchy boots or tall boots (I adore my silver docs for this) and you’re good to go.

I’m searching for a fab pair of chevron hose at the moment.

Ana: I know you are going to rock the boots look, can’t wait to see pictures!

I second susand’s question. What is the rule for wearing textured hose with printed dress or skirt? I can see where fishnets will work with most, but if you have a dress/skirt with colorful swirls, or dots or confetti patterns (or something busy like that) do you keep your tights plain? I think that makes sense, but wanted to check with you.