At last realism about tights

Now I am not a natural Guardian reader, more of a Sun woman if you must know, but this caught my eye:

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a woman wearing a skirt or dress at this time of year will need to wear tights. Except, it's not. It's a truth universally acknowledged everywhere except in glossy magazines, on red carpets and in newspaper fashion pages.  (Also, in certain towns in the north of England, but that's a whole other issue.)"

How refreshing it is to hear that tights are needed - unless you want frost bite.

Not even Northern girls are not always without tights - as these Newcastle lasses testify.

 The article goes on

"There is a fundamental disconnect between fashion and the real world when it comes to hosiery. Walk down any urban street in winter, and you will see a forest of black-opaqued legs. But scan any fashion page and you'll see winter clothes styled, more often than not, with bare legs. The shoot might be on location in the Highlands in a rowing boat on an icy lake, the coat might be fur-trimmed and the dress cashmere – but the legs, more often than not, will be bare. Mea culpa: even on a page such as this, which is all about how us norms grapple with fashionable clothes, I often end up being photographed in bare legs when roadtesting winter looks. Bare legs are fashion's shiny prefect badge" 

Her feet must be cold

This supports what Joy of Tights has always thought; the "Fashion Industry" is anti tights.

Now the difficult bit, apparently, how to look stylish in black opaque tights

"As a result, we are in dire need of style guidance in the wearing of black tights. There is a woeful paucity of role models in the important skill of teaming a 60-denier opaque with an interesting outfit. So, when we wear a coloured skirt with black tights, we go for the easy option of a black or neutral top. But it doesn't need to be like that. A simple way to make black tights work is with strong colours: if you team muted pastels with a matt-black leg, it kills the subtlety, but add gleaming jet-black to a jewel-like mix of emerald, sapphire, fuchsia, ruby, well, then it is right at home."

The point goes for matching with opaque tights at any time of year, not just winter.

Strong enough?

Strong enough?

Strong enough?

But surely the LBD is still OK?

BTW: I'm glad to see that the article gives "Stack heel sandals" as part of its sample outfit.  It is about time someone said that sandals and tights are not a fashion crime.

Arrested for a crime against fashion - tights without closed shoes?

A few thoughts from Joy of Tights
Mainly that winter tights don't have to be black opaques.

Why not go strong colour tights with more muted colours rather than the other way round.

Maybe OTT?

If you feel you need the bare leg look, go for nude tights for at least some protection:

See how invisible these tights are?

Or if you need a little more warmth a thicker tan denier that could be mistaken for nude from a distance

Or for a double warmth wammy try opaque leggings and tan tights.

Finally what about winter fishnets - don't the holes trap a layer of air for insulation like a string vest (or something)?