How do I wear tights? - YouLookFab Forum

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How do I wear tights?

Wendi1984

This year, I've seriously rekindled a love of skirts and dresses. This is unusual for me, because I have a mostly casual lifestyle, so I would have thought I'd hardly ever wear a dress or skirt. But I've found them to be comfortable in the heat, and a great way to feel a bit "special" even when dressed casually. I like feeling more feminine and a bit retro.

So as I look forward to the eventual mild/cool/cold weather, I am trying to figure out how to bring my skirts and dresses with me. Obviously sometimes I will just go bare-legged, but I'd also like to start wearing tights or leggings too. But I have no idea how to choose colors. Let's say I'm wearing an ivory skirt with purple, green, and mustard floral print with a green shirt and mustard cardigan. My shoes are tan or light brown oxfords (I'm shopping for some new oxfords). What color tights would I wear? What if I wear brown boots instead of the oxfords?
Making my legs look long is not a big worry for me; I have reasonably long legs and my skirts hit at or just a bit above the knee, so I think I'll be okay.
A black or mostly black outfit seems easy; just wear black tights and black shoes or boots. But it's the others that have me stumped. I have two skirts with white or ivory backgrounds and a variety of colors in the prints.

Thanks for any help you can give me!

Dressing

24 replies

Latest reply was from Scarlet

rachylou

Veteran

I'd go by mood:

Sleek, sophisticated: monochromatic
Funky: Floral
Punk: Patterned (with the exception of floral)
Conservative: Brown, navy, grey, or black
Cheery: Bright and contrasting colour

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

I wear tights all winter - the black tights are the easiest probably I rarely wear coloured tights, I think I have some, but they don't get much play.

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Wendi1984

Wow, thanks! That's a big help. Do you think wearing colored tights (like, say, green or purple) to pick up a color in the skirt or dress is too youthful-looking for a 46-year-old? Should I stick with black, brown, charcoal?

Lyn, I love how you wear black with so many different dresses. So, I can wear black tights with a light-colored floral skirt. Good to know. These are all with black or brown shoes/boots. So I guess I need to stick with a darker color oxfords if I'm going to wear tights. I think I'll need two pairs now!

FlorenceFearne

Jewel tones can look nice, if the rest of the outfit is sophisticated. Or if you have your heart set on a primary color, I think bright colored tights look best with some texture to them. They can skew juvenile very easily though. And I think white tights are almost universally unflattering.

rachylou

Veteran

You know what I think is interesting, I think Lyn's use of black tights injects a little conservatism and makes her otherwise whimsical style professional.

IMO, the trick to coloured tights when you're an adult is a little bit of heel. Not completely ballet-flat flat. And no bows.

Wendi1984

Well, I think I'll start with black and brown and go from there. I'm wondering, though, if black will look good on me if it's not bookended by something else black - I don't have dark hair like Lyn. I'm blonde. I guess I'll have to experiment.

Day Vies

Veteran

I fell in love with colored tights last year especially red. I agree with Rachy that you should think about mood but also the tone of the outfit. Here are some of my examples. I worked in a business casual office but I think you'll get the feel I was going for.

Also, I don't have a picture of it but navy tights look great with a wine/berry tone shoe -- I'm thinking mary janes.

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milehighstyle (Linda)

Veteran

I'm 46 and I wear tights in all colors. Sometimes matching a color in the outfit, sometimes contrasting, sometimes a neutral to ground the outfit. In addition to black and brown, I love shades of grey tights for neutral options. If you go to the Already Pretty website, Sally has at least one post about tights with lots of photos.

TraceyLiz65

(website)

Veteran

I've stuck to black , brown, grey and navy. I usually match the tight color to my shoes or boots and as a petite think that works best for me. I just recently bought two colors to expirement with once weather get colder. I think I will wear them to match colors in a print from the outfit and knee high boots so only a small amount of the color peeks out from the dress or skirt.

unfrumped

Veteran

Look at something like the Garnet Hill catalog for pics of taupe and different shades of gray, and with ribbing. I'm trying out some of those to see if I can achieve an acceptable not-black alernative. I think one has to be careful with the beigey ones so as not to look like therapeutic hose or schoolgirl. Will see how the experimenting turns out. Also agree with Day that burgundy or plum can look "adult".

Elly

Veteran

I think it is often a good idea to coordinate tights with shoes, especially if your shoes are a neutral and your skirt/outfit is not. Brown, black and grey tights are easy to wear.

K. Period.

Veteran

I'm a pretty classic dresser, so my tight impulses may be way more conservative than what you'll look and feel great in. Here's my approach. I wear neutral tights all winter long and some colorful tights. For a very conservative approach, I wear black, brown or gray tights. I might add textured neutral tights to pep up something but still look dressed up. I add a colored tight under a textured tight to go a step further, but the look is still pretty conservative. I wear colored tights with a single contrasting outfit component and the rest neutrals for my boldest combos. For example, last winter I wore a bright blue cardi over a black sheath dress with small white dots along with mustard tights and black shoes. The blue and mustard were a pretty bold combo and more than enough interest for a single outfit. If I'd added more color, I felt like it would have been too bold for me.

What strikes me about the outfit combo you described above is that the basic outfit and topper is fairly colorful. A colored tight could be challenging because it is another bold element in an outfit full of color. I'm betting that is why your impulse is to wear neutrals. I'd start with a few neutrals in colors that harmonize with the dominant colors in your wardrobe and match your shoe color. Tan or light brown shoes might be hard, but I bet mustard would read as a repetition of that color. Make one of the neutrals a simple, conservative texture. From there, you can figure out what feels good to you.

Nova

I have been wondering the same thing as Wendi1984, and this is extremely helpful. I have been wearing more dresses and skirts and was struggling a bit with what tights or leggings to wear. Thank you for all the helpful suggestions.

unfrumped

Veteran

This is helping me, too. One barrier to wearing more skirts and dresses is getting the footwear/tights right. I am not in the bare-legged camp, and sheer hose can veer frumpy. (I make a distinction between "pantyhose" and "tights"). That is also a reason why I'm exploring tall boots, but I'm still looking for various approaches.

christina

I tend to coordinate my tights with my shoes or boot color. I feel this helps elongate my leg and focus more attention on the dress or accessory. For example a brightly colored dress + black tights + black shoes. However, if my dress is a neutral shade I sometimes wear brightly colored tights for interest. For example, a simple black dress + hot pink tights + black boots. I have not experimented with textured tights.
Check out Kate Spade for a few ideas.

Thistle

Veteran

Honestly, I wear almost exclusively black tights all winter long. I tend to pair them with tall black boots or shorter booties.

But, I am very conservative when it comes to this, and I wouldn't feel comfortable in bright tights.

unfrumped

Veteran

I noticed I can wear medium gray l tights with black skirt and black footwear and get a different look from my snoozy black-black-black but still have basically a monochrome look (woo-hoo, steppin' out!).

DonnaF

Veteran

Last year, I bought a lot of colors for non-work situations; most haven't been worn because the weather turned warm -- which is probably why they were on sale! If you're not used to having colored legs, I suggest picking up your colored tights on sale or at Target so they're only about $5/pair. I got mine at the Rack online and Anthro (best quality for the price), TJ Maxx, and Target. I have so many colored tights to stretch the season of my white jeans skirt which I feel is a tad too short.

In My Joi

(website)

Veteran

I lean toward jewel tones and colors like FlorenceFearne & Day Vies.
For two skirts with white or ivory backgrounds and a variety of colors in the prints: I would pull out a color and match my tights with it and then pull it together with a colored top (the same color as my tights or another color in the skirt). My shoes would be neutral.

Anonymous

I only read a couple of your replies so far, but I'd stick to black, brown, navy or charcoal for tights. I'm not a fan of colored tights 99% of the time. I could see them extending the color of knee high boots, like burgundy, but even then brown might be better.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

One leg at time and don't put a fingernail through.
Sorry couldn't resist.
*Slinking away*

I pretty much stick to black tights.

Wendi1984

You are cracking me up, Anna. Thanks for all the ideas and for sharing how you wear tights, ladies. I think most of my outfits will be easy - black or charcoal with black shoes or boots. The problem is my non-black skirts, like the ones I described. I have been looking for a pair of tan or light brown oxfords to wear, but those will only work bare-legged for me; I don't think bright colored tights are "me". So maybe I will look for darker brown shoes, more like a cognac, so they will work with brown tights. Or maybe I need two pairs of shoes!
I am looking forward to layering with my dresses and skirts, and to trying some new looks with tights. I also think it will be nice to be able to wear a dress that might seem "too short" for me bare-legged. I have my eye on this Anthropologie one: http://www.anthropologie.com/a.....397909.jsp which is just a little short for long-legged me. But with some black tights and booties, I think it will look amazing!

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA @ Anna, I was thinking the same thing...

Good point about bookeneding w/ my hair; I am a bit darker in tone too, so I really like having the black to play off my funky patterns. I do the same outfits with dark purple hose too, and some navy.

I GOT COBALT ON SALE. SO EXCITED!!!!

Scarlet

Veteran

I might try a sheer patterned grey or brown for the outfit you described. Or I often just wear brown with brown boots.