Give Legwear a Hand
Hosiery stands its ground amid
fall’s polished looks
The Chicago Tribune
September 12, 2007
By Tara Swords | Special To The Tribune
Since it’s heyday in the ‘80’s, pantyhose have gradually slipped out of vogue. Hosiery’s fall from grace was bad news for women who loved the polished look and body support of legwear, but don’t despair: Today’s updated styles can give you a little extra kick without making you look dated.
The “casualization of America” was responsible for the decline of pantyhose, says Marshall Cohen, analyst with NPD Group, a consumer market research firm.
“The whole dress-up and dress-for-success era of women trying to dress more suited really…went out of style over the last decade,” Cohen says. “It became more fashionable not to wear hose than to wear hose.”
But this falls runway fashions are a return to the structured, polished look with an emphasis on elegance. Chicago-based stylist Julie Watson says legwear-especially a pair of matte, opaque tights- is the perfect way to look refined while showing off a bit of style personality.
“In order to have a statement this fall, tights have to be there,” Watson says, adding that when you wear tights “you feel polished but not prissy. You don’t look like you’re trying too hard, but you look so wardrobed and styled in an effortless, modern way.”
Watson advises her clients to add three items to their fall wardrobes: black tights, charcoal gray tights and a pair of tights with texture.
Regardless of it’s decline since the 80’s, sheer hosiery has remained a must for women in conservative business environments, such as law offices says Colleen Abrie, California-based personal stylist and image consultant. But Abrie says women in nearly any business environment can make hose look hip and modern simply by following a few key rules.
When going sheer, match your skin tone.
The point of a sheer pair of hose is simply to give your legs a smoother finish. Don’t view pantyhose as an opportunity to give yourself an instant tan. Abrie says, adding that a too-light color will “make your legs look kind of chalky or milky”. By matching hosiery color to your leg color, your legs will look smooth without screaming “pantyhose”.
Avoid the daytime shimmer.
“A lot of companies have reflective, shimmery hose, and that is a major faux pas during the day,” Abrie says. Go with a natural-looking matte finish during the day, and save the shiny stuff for evenings, when its effect will be more subtle.
Try a trendy pattern.
The most well-known patterned hosiery is probably fishnet, but there are many others, from pinstripe to floral patterns to a simple seam up the back of the leg. Women shouldn’t be afraid of wearing them, Abrie says. “The easiest way to wear fishnets and not look super sexy or slutty or trashy is if you choose them in a skin tone,” she says.
Save black for evenings.
Sheer black hosiery can lend an air of formality or sexiness to your outfit-a look probably better reserved for nighttime. Opaque black or gray tights, however, work well in the daytime in autumn and winter.
Don’t overdo it.
Especially if you’re wearing fishnets or other patterned hosiery, keep the rest of your outfit simple. “You take your classic outfit, and then you just add the black fishnets,” Abrie says. “You’re not doing the miniskirt and the fishnets and the boots” all at the same time.
Match the legwear to the shoe.
Abrie recommends that clients pair heavier hose with pumps or boots, and save the slingbacks for sheer hose. Watson, on the other hand, likes ths look of an opaque tight with an open-toed shoe. “It feels ladylike but modern at the same time”, she says.
Some women like to wear hosiery purely for the suction action they get from a super reinforced control top. If you prefer to stick with bare legs and still benefit from body-shaping support, you’re in luck: body shapers, which extend only part way down the thigh, have eaten up some of the market share that panty hose used to enjoy.
And if the super-tight control top on your hose or body shaper is just a little too controlling, combat the waist gouge with a tip from Abrie. “I just cut a few little snips, one on each side in front of my waist and one on each side on the back,” Abrie says. “It will stay that way forever.”
Copyright © 2008 juliewatsonstyle. All rights reserved.
