After a cruel and sadistic summer, it seems fall is finally upon us. Finally, it’s time to nix the naked legs and my friends can stop making wise cracks about my glow-in-the dark, white legs. It’s tights time, baby!
Walking near Rhodes Hall on Monday, I spotted a girl in a cute blue, above-the-knee dress. As instantly as I was impressed by her dress, I was horrified by her knee-high socks. The neon-checkered eyesores matched her neon Nike Dunks all too well.
The horror.
Keep it simple. If you’re going to wear a loud pair of tights, keep the top tame and wear shoes that make sense.
Though the aforementioned girl is a what-not-to-wear inspiration, I always find inspiration of the best kinds in the most unlikely and unexpected of places. My case-in-point: University of Cincinnati President, Nancy Zimpher.
“Some people get dressed and they put on a hat. Some people get dressed and they put on a bowtie,” Zimpher said. “When I get dressed I sort of think about these stockings and how they go with what I’m trying to wear.”
Though you may not consider Zimpher fierce or chic, you would be a fool to overlook her leg wear. Solid or patterned, sheer or opaque, naughty or nice, she doesn’t discriminate.
“I like colors, patterns, texture – texture keeps [stockings] from falling apart,” Zimpher said. “I’m kind of an avid collector. I remember once I bought a pair of tights in the London Tube … I think they were like $1. I’m not above a bargain either.”
Zimpher’s love of stockings hits the mark; Fall 2008’s greatest accessory is a fabulous pair of tights.
Tights can be worn with just about anything – they will help expand a wardrobe by winterizing spring, summer and fall skirts and dresses.
Following the general trend reports, tights are best for fall – mustard yellow, Hollywood glamour red, lab-created sapphire blue and emerald green, if color is what you covet.
Instead of playing it safe and opting for plain black tights, however, patterns are best.
Diamond print, ribbed, even a subtle lace patterned tight will take an otherwise dull outfit to the next level.
While adding tights to an outfit can give you an aesthetic boost, too much pattern-on-pattern or a color clash will send the potentially favorable outfit into a tizzy.
“I get dressed every day and it has to go all day and through half the night,” Zimpher said. “[Stockings are] a practical decision with a fashion flair; it adds a little color and diversity to an otherwise ordinary suit.”
Tights add individuality to an otherwise bland outfit. Because they are relatively inexpensive (unless you can’t live without Chanel’s dual-toned tights which retail for about $250), you can purchase a myriad of tights for any and every occasion.
Because of a college-student status, and I’m sure many of my fashion-forward friends can relate, buying expensive anything isn’t always possible. The Chanel tights would not fly – I’m not bringing home any super big paychecks. To maximize wear of tights, I carry around a bottle of clear nailpolish in the event of a tear of run.
Buying tights with a heavier material or a woven texture will lengthen the lifespan of tights. Plus, the heavier the material the warmer they will keep you. It’s hard to go wrong with a heavy pair of cable-knit tights in the dead of winter or when you’re caught in blistering winds.
“People try to say they’re not fashion mavens,” Zimpher said. “But my view of fashion is everyone who gets dressed in the morning defines themselves by what they decide to put on.”
