After years in the style wilderness, statement tights are back
Add party pizzazz from just £8: After years in the style wilderness, statement tights are back
- Patterned tights are an essential part of every British woman’s winter wardrobe
- Shorter hemlines are a strong argument for tights to be worn during winter
- Laura Craik picks out the best party tights to spice up your look for parties
Britain is divided over many things but, this season, there is one thing that unites us. Or at least, the women — and it’s that tights are an essential component of our winter look.
It wasn’t ever thus. Over the years, I’ve lost count of the number of bare-legged fashion editors I’ve seen trotting from show to show in arctic conditions, their legs cold and naked under pencil skirts. Tights were a sartorial no-no, a sin as egregious as wearing a shell suit. But the chauffeured limousines that enabled their foolhardiness are a thing of the past.
Now, the bare-legged look in winter is the sole preserve of teenage girls too high on life to feel the cold. Happily for the rest of us, there’s a surfeit of tights in the shops, in an array of choices that will have even the most gusset-phobic women hot-footing it to the hosiery department.
Dress, £79.20, phaseeight.com; tights, £25 and earrings, £42, anthropologie.com; shoes, £263, lkbennett.com
Which isn’t to say you should make a beeline for the thickest, warmest tights on offer. Practicality be damned: ’tis the season of the party tight and the smartest legs will be clad in lace, lamé and jewel colours such as emerald and fuchsia.
When shopping for party tights, your aim is to make a statement — one you might feel too cautious to make with your clothes. Lace tights are far easier to wear than a lace dress: likewise, polka-dot tights may feel less daunting than a polka-dot blouse.
Left: Blazer, £95 and skirt, £55, jovonnalondon. com; roll neck, £59, neverfullydressed.co. uk; tights, £24, freepeople.co.uk; shoes, £60, karenmillen.com; necklace, £95, jigsawonline.com; bracelet, £38, anthropologie.com. Right: Top, £68, skirt, £160, tights, £25 and bracelet £35, all anthropologie.com; shoes, £59.99, mango.com; bag, £121.50, islarisa.com; necklace, £95, jigsaw-online.com
That shorter hemlines are back in fashion is another strong argument for tights. It takes a hefty dose of confidence to wear a mini skirt with bare legs. Add some semi-sheer 15 deniers, and any skin tone concerns will be camouflaged.
If you’re only happy in opaques, swap boring black for a bold colour, or a pair infused with sparkle. Of the many positives about tights, the most positive of all is their price. Yes, a pair of designer tights might cost three figures, but in the main, tights are one of the most economical ways to give your party wardrobe an update. Even if you can’t afford a new dress, new party tights will add a chic spin to an old one.
What could be more cheering, in these straitened times, than a party purchase that costs less than a tenner? Fancy tights — your time is now.
Dress, £32.99, zara.com; tights, £22, falke.com; shoes, £183, lkbennett.com; bag, £88, islarisa.com; earrings, £130, carouseljewels.com
Blazer, £111.20 and shorts, £60, phase-eight.com; tights, £374, wolfordshop.co.uk; shoes, £59.99, mango.com; bracelet, £38, anthropologie.com
Dress, £263, lkbennett. com; tights, £7.99, calzedonia.com; shoes, £26, asos.com; earrings, £110, carouseljewels.com
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