Written by Naomi May
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From haute hosiery to woolly winter warmers, there’s a pair of tights to suit every mood and, luckily for us, they’re back in a big way for the coldest season of all.
Once the mulled wine has been glugged and the mince pies have been scoffed, there’s very little room left for feeling self-conscious in one’s festive fashions. After all, ‘tis the season to be merry and absolutely not woeful and regretful (green may be in season, but definitely not in the style of The Grinch).
The simplest, and most stylish, way to ride out dressing for the festivities lies in the most virtuous and cost-effective hack of all: a pair of tights (don’t look away yet), which are very much back.
While they may conjure connotations of the starchy school uniforms of yesteryear, this season, the humble tight has seen its status renewed – and, in turn, endorsed by all manner of brands and stars alike.
For her viral Vogue debut, Adele sported a pair of Falke polka dot and fishnet tights, which preceded Lady Gaga’s patterned pair at the House Of Gucci premiere a matter of weeks later.
At Alexander McQueen’s off-schedule spring/summer 2022 show on the roof of a carpark in east London in October, tights came bedazzled by a glittering constellation of embellishments (which have recently been sported by Zendaya and Gaga), while Fendi’s coveted collaboration with Versace interpreted them into logo-adorned haute hose, which screamed rather than whispered as to their origin.
It’s perhaps unsurprising, then, that in recent weeks, tights have even begun taking the juggernaut of TikTok by storm. Users have been advising the fashion-conscious to wear sheer fleece-lined tights underneath their black sheer counterparts for a seriously swaddling pair of stockings.
The appeal of the tight is clear. Tracee Ellis Ross sported her sheer polka dot pair with a vertiginous-hemmed dress and a pair of heeled boots, while members of the admittedly leggy style set have championed juxtaposing theirs with their chunkiest and stompiest boots of all, a subtle nod to the grungy aesthetic of the early 00s.
“We’ve seen a huge response to our latest sustainable collections, which we launched in October,” says Natasja Giezen-Smith, CEO of hosiery company Heist. “Our take on the classic fishnet is flying, as is The Cut-Off style, which is footless and 125 denier, making it the perfect go-to to wear with boots on cold winter days.”
The secret to tights’ recent renaissance, having been banished by the fashion cognoscenti at the turn of 2010, could perhaps be attributed to the renaissance of all things retro, from fashion to music (new Avril Lavigne music, anyone?). No wonder the hashtag #Nostalgiacore has been viewed more than 131 million times on TikTok.
Whether you promote yours from the dark relegated depths of your wardrobe because of sartorial sensibility in the Baltic breezes of December, or opt to clad your legs in a pair of fashion-forward haute hose, the time is now to put your best leg forward.
Images: courtesy of Getty and Heist.
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