Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guides on trends, fashion, relationships and more
Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guides on trends, fashion, relationships and more
Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guides on trends, fashion, relationships and more
Even from the chair nosebleed from Short n’ Sweet demo, Sabrina Carpenter’s legs look like they were dipped in Krispy Kreme glaze. You can hardly take your eyes off them. And if you caught the opening set for Taylor Swift Tour of Erasher show at Coachella, or her 2024 VMAs performance, you will have seen the same thing: her legs glistened with every outfit change and sassy hip pop.
For the past year and a half, the 25-year-old “Espresso” singer has been taking styles from Swift’s stage playbook and wearing double-layer muted tights — a functional and chic fashion secret that everyone from BeyoncĂ© to Demi has embraced. Lovato.
There is no need for this pop icon to lather your feet in moisturizer or liquid shimmer; sheer clothes make the effect of shiny legs fast, no muss, no fuss. Now, players’ preference for the trend is finally filtering down to women on the street – leather tights are officially back.
Allen E Gant first created pantyhose in 1959 to solve the problem of his pregnant wife having to constantly pull up her stockings. He sought to design garments that would open from the waist down and through the toes, eliminating the need for garters altogether.
Moving on to the 1960s, when Mary Quant popularized the mini skirt, tights transformed the style into a “proper” everyday look. Just because the hemlines are raised, it does not mean that it is suddenly suitable for women to show off stockings and garter lace. Women rely on pantyhose to keep things modest under thigh-high clothing.
In the following decade, nude tights became an important office enforced in most employers’ dress codes – bare legs were prohibited, with women being ordered to wear tights if their bottoms were calf-length or shorter. But in the 1990s, as the definition of workwear expanded, pantyhose were considered outdated and frumpy.
After being ditched in the professional setting, mute nylon went from polite underwear to ultra-playful pieces of costume. Unless you’re a ballerina, skater, Broadway dancer, or, well, Taylor Swift, it’s weird to wear tights that match your skin tone.
In 2024, the fashion landscape has changed again – and a huge generational divide has emerged. For millennial non-A-listers, nude tights are still considered old-timers to wear. According to one of the X/Twitter users, this is a garment that would be associated with Nora Batty from End of Summer Wine. However, for Gen Z, it’s the new sexy staple – an ideal alternative to self-tanner and “very hot”, according to one pantyhose social media booth.
Millennials and Gen X who defy the trend are only doing so because they can’t shake the conservative values ​​instilled by their mothers and grandmothers. One Gen X woman, for example, claimed online that she only wears leather tights because of her cousin. “I just can’t bring myself to go Bare-legged if I wear a skirt,” she confessed. “If it’s a long summer skirt, OK, but if it’s a tailored skirt with a blazer or a jacket, I have to wear tights. I can’t. I hear my mom and grandma’s voices in my head.”
Several women took to Reddit to share the trauma of being forced to wear leather so-called “granny panties” when they were young. “My first job out of college required tights while wearing a skirt and also sandals – this was in 2000 and one of the reasons I left after 18 months,” said one. “No, no, no! I always hated them. I’m pale and can’t find a suitable mute. I’ve been wearing black tights, fishnets, tights, that’s it but nude hose? Never again,” another agreed.
This particular complaint was shared by others online, with people highlighting the fact that most companies have a limited stock of skin-colored tights. “The skin tone on my legs doesn’t match my arms,” ​​said a frustrated woman on Reddit along with a self-proclaimed “old millennial,” who admitted: “I haven’t worn ‘mudo’ stockings or tights since I was a kid. . . patterned or fashion tights (both thin and opaque) in various colors are the accent of the outfit but not in my skin tone.
But modern and affordable brands continue to push the concept of flesh-colored tights, with new offerings and expanded skin-tone options from names such as drugstore staple, L’eggs.
The Row, Miu Miu and Maison Margiela have all endorsed pantyhose, campaigning for a great resurgence in past runway collections, especially in the last two years as the pantless trend faded. For fall 2023 ready-to-wear, Miuccia Prada’s message is clear: not only can pants be optional, but showing what’s underneath really is fashionable.
Gen Z stars like Addison Rae and Sydney Sweeney are following where designers lead, eschewing pants in general and catapulting tights into the style stratosphere. But even the millenial stars who took in the action – Kristen Stewart and Jodie Turner-Smith have both stepped out in itty-bitty underwear and nude socks. While the pantless aesthetic is often associated with sheer color or black choices, Stewart opted for a pair of sleek leather tights. In March 2024, the twilight star seen strutting the New York City sidewalks in light tights and cable-knit underwear.
Sure, the “pants less” look can be a fashion bridge too far for anyone but a celebrity. But there’s no doubt that the trend, along with Carpenter-mania, has put muted tights back on the style map. Sorry millennials – look like Nora Batty first.
