Tights or no tights? That’s the dilemma!
Tights or no tights? In this period this is the most popular question that women asked.
The female world is divided in two categories: on the one hand there are FASHIONISTA that, following fashion, condemns tights even in winter; on the other hand there are the TRADITIONALIST that, referring to etiquette, recognizes the absolute superiority of tights.
In the middle there are the ordinary women with a lot of doubts about it.
Then, tights or no tights?
A GEOGRAPHIC ISSUE
The issue changes depending on the latitude: AMERICANS prefer naked legs, EUROPEANS instead prefer the use of tights.
Just look at Michelle Obama: always without tights, despite her role as first lady in the United States. On the other side of the ocean instead, Kate Middleton appears in public only with pantyhose.
One curiosity: Michelle Obama has worn tights during her visit to the Vatican, but she didn’t do it when she received the Pope in America. Similarly, she used tights at Buckingham Palace, but she didn’t do it when the Queen Elisabeth came to visit her at the White House.
So basically, I adapt at your house, but here we don’t wear them.
In our country we have Milan against the rest of Italy. Milanese women, obviously more fashionable, hate tights…
OFFICE DRESS CODE: TIGHTS OR NO TIGHTS?
In some environments (hotels, luxury boutiques, high finance) it’s mandatory to wear tights. In other areas rules are not so strict, but tights give definitely more seriousness to the whole outfit. For the office look, choose if wearing tights based on the type of company, your role or the role you would like to be.
Another interesting example is the Queen Rania of Jordan always wearing tights.
The American lawyer Amal Clooney is more uninhibited preferring naked legs.
IN GENERAL, black tights are always the safest choice. Printed, colored or fishnet tights are less formal.
If you can’t stand pantyhose, opt for suit pants during the weeks in April and May.
WEDDING: TIGHTS OR NO TIGHTS?
The bride should wear tights because it’s a matter of ETIQUETTE. The exceptions are weddings at the beach or boho chic style weddings.
The clothing of participants depends on the tenor of the ceremony: a very formal wedding, in full uniform or at the Vatican will require the use of tights. Conversely, in other contexts you can be very elegant, but not necessarily so formal.
The choice of Beatrice Borromeo is very interesting: at the wedding of Prince Albert of Monaco, she wore tights; for the bourgeois ceremony of a Roman friend, she preferred not to wear them (or maybe she wore 8 denier tights, we’ll never know).
EVENTS: TIGHTS OR NO TIGHTS?
Again the answer is: IT DEPENDS by the formality of the event, the average age of participants, location and time. But remember the difference between elegant and formal: you can be very elegant, but not very formal; vice versa, you can be formal, but not particularly elegant.
Definitely black pantyhose are very elegant and formal. You can wear it as a simple accessory, even if it’s not required by the dress code.
Here are some good examples:
CASUAL STYLE AND FREE TIME
Of course in the free time we don’t have to follow strict rules and we can play with tights to give an extra touch to the outfit. GREEN LIGHT to colorful, embroidered, plumetis spotty tights, etc.
RED LIGHT for pop socks, socks with sandals, and 20 denier tights in deer or mink color (also mentioned in my 10 MUST not HAVE).
In short, tights or no tights?
As always, truth lies somewhere in the middle: whether you’re a fashionista or a traditionalist , there will always be situations where exceptions apply…
Rossella Migliaccio
Image Consultant
