tights/stockings/etc

i have a question! coloured tights w evening-y dress: in style, or infantile?

i picked up this black dress in a sale and it is my oh-god-i-have-a-fancy-dinner dress because i can just about manage 'wear black dress with accessories of a. n. other colour' without getting it horribly wrong too often. And it's oh god i have a fancy dinner season again, and i was thinking of wearing it with RED accessories (because i can scrounge up a red shawl), and so a crucial question is: is wearing matte red tights with a shiny dress going to make me look like a sulky eight-year-old at a birthday party?

<3 Monsoon dresses!

I p much always wear coloured tights with a plain black dress/skirt, unless I've decided to go totally monochrome with white accessories and white tights, although maybe less so for formal evening stuff. I'm not sure about red tights with this one (red accessories would be cool) BUT that might be because I have an automatic aversion to any shades of red that aren't burgundy because they make me look weird.
This dress has enough interest that you don't *need* bright tights... also I think if a dress exposes a fair bit of skin on top, then heavy tights can make the whole thing seem bottom-heavy. But with a red shawl thing it could look ace.

Obviously I don't have a clue!

So opaque tights aren't considered unsuitable for formal wear anymore? Or am I being a 65-year-old in a 42-year-old's body again?

I love opaque tights but with a dress like that and for a formal ocassion I'd probably forgo tights altogether and pair with the red shawl and red shoes.

no opaque tights with formal wear still feels like a rule, christine, just one that you might be able to break! I kind of want to tone down the dressiness of the dress (bcz the occasion isn't super formal but the dress is the only one I have) but still look well-put together... basically it is a minefield. I like the thought of red shoes though! maybe I can make an excuse to buy a pair.

I wd love opague tights with formal-wear but it would have to be PARTICULAR formal wear, not, like, in general.

And I think that black dress has enough going on in the skirt/hem area that more attention to yr legs is unnecessary, plus it's a little too long to really flatter the exposed length of leg (in the sense that if everyone is going to have their drawn to a neon or super-saturated tight, the leg it's encasing should be pretty well uncovered by skirt).

The one way I might do tights w that is if they were the same color/shade as a top you wore UNDER the dress -- then you'd have a body-suit or color-block effect with the black dress over two pops of color. But that might be a little nuts.

went to anthropologie today to get a pair of fleece leggings and there were a bunch of cute tights marked down, including the ones with little ponies.

today a student told me my tights (b/w houndstooth with pink spots) were "ridiculous"
she's kind of right, not sure if they are appropriate for work or not?

have completely lost perspective on what is ok and what is not in this regard

I don't think that looking sober and sedate is your job! I know u wldn't wear anything like inappropriately revealing or anything, the rest is just window dressing. Very stylish window dressing. Fuck 'em.

Not looking old or sedate:

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e66/LimitedLiabilityGirl/IMAG0028.jpg

I asked my mother for sensible tights for Christmas, because I need them to get dressed for work. Specif said, "Solid colors, no pastels, dark shades." I got argyle, polka dots, and a pair of cream cable-knit white tights like an 8-yr-old would wear.

Cable-knit tights present body image problems afaik

wait, remind me again what's wrong with cable knit tights?

ooooh i really like those argyle ones, laurel! i've actually had my eye on a pair for awhile now.

I don't really like them, because I don't own or wear either purple or teal!! Now if they were red & black....

But it's cold and snowy here and I ran out of anything else to wear.

protip: avoid Costco's DKNY tights, they suck.

wait, remind me again what's wrong with cable knit tights?

well they add uh, "volume" to one's legs, if that is a concern

though frankly i think that's a little paranoid

oic, i think i always liked them for that reason

also laurel, i like the purple and teal argyle!

well they add uh, "volume" to one's legs, if that is a concern

Oh yeah, not only are all three pairs in colors/patterns that are almost unusable to me, they are all in the heaviest weight possible. For winter, you see. Because my mom can't imagine that I'm not freezing all the time.

Ty, Amanda, and Justine, for saying soemthing nice! I'm enjoying the tights because, well, it's better to enjoy what you have than not to. But I find purple...difficult, that's all.

purple is just another side of red!

embrace the purple
i have two shades of purple tights and i wear them like a neutral accent color sometimes (with brown, black, or grey) or the brighter purple ones if i am feeling sassy

Purple is so Laurel Burch/lol '80s/goes with teal/also lol '80s/Earth Mother/prone to tie-dye/womyn-positive in its associations that I feel a little embarrassed wearing it at all. I suppose argyle is none of those things, though, so I think it's a tempering influence.

http://www.lazygirldesigns.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/laurel-burch.jpg

i'm gonna say that you are wrong about purple but ymmv

like i don't walk around in purple feeling like lol tie dye womyn lady when i wear purple
i feel like this http://www.just4legs.co.uk/acatalog/cat_100100.jpg

omg mafiya tights
these are messed up

http://static2.modcloth.com/productshots/0070/5015/28485-1.jpg

do you gals feel your muscles are more supple and refreshed after wearing tights? i wear "compression tights" for about 10 hours a week for recovery purposes... improves circulation, feel less muscle "throb". wondering if this has been a feminine secret held from men for forgotten decades (centuries?)

I don't think most tights are that tight, honestly. You're right that this is the whole idea behind "support hose", but most tights/stocking aren't that supportive.

yeah, laurel otm

sometimes they can prevent a bit of...bounce? but refreshed? no.

HELP

My brand new tights this morning turned out to be too big forcing me to go to Walgreens and buy some smaller ones which already, just 7 hours later, have a massive run up the back of one leg. Tights are the fucking worst. I am filled with tight hatred today.

And I threw out the too big tights and am now going to have to go through the garbage to see if they're still there because this run is outta control. FUCK YOU TIGHTS.

Am now wearing the garbage tights.

I keep my run and holey ones for non-work purposes because I kinda like that look but yeah, having to always have YET ANOTHER pair of clean, well-fitting, non-run tights on hand is a pain.

Am now wearing the garbage tights.
lol

i wear my tights into the trash but this is next level!

Oh if I wasn't at work I'd totally wear the ones with runs. Sadly I don't think that would fly here. I just really need to find a brand that fits me well. I think if I go down a size the hues might work. We'll see.

I have found the Spanx brand to be relatively non-runny; also DKNY. Hue brand not so good.

i usually buy the 'no-nonsense' brand from grocery store...i am not an expert in this field lol

Fleece-lined tights suggestions? I just ordered a Plush brand on-line.

omg that is a thing? want!!

fleece-lined tights $18

wow

looks like they would be too small for me :/

Once upon a time I bought a lot of socks from sock dreams! They have such nice things, but not all of them would fit over my calves, or the amt of stretch would make them shorter and then they'd dig into my calves and make a line. It was hard to tell which knee socks were wide enough? I think they have more options now.

Although not in ever style obv.

looks like they would be too small for me :/

Redress NYC has fleece lined "Teggings," which are their tights/leggings combo product. I don't love them but that's bc the fit is funky on me. They are v warm, though.

Sock Dreams has a much better selection of socks for larger calves these days and gives really good info on how much things stretch. I've got a bunch of their thigh highs that fit me no problem.

But if anybody finds fleece lined tights in proper plus sizes (to fit over 200 lbs) please let me know.

me too

Clicked on this thread accidentally but I happened to see your question - here's a European tip for you: if you translate what you're looking for into other languages you may find more:

Fleece-lined tights in French and German:
https://www.google.com/search?q=collant+molletonn%C3%A9&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X
https://www.google.com/search?q=Fleece+Strumpfhosen&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X

Plus size fleece lined tights tip:

http://www.herroom.com/berkshire-4755-cozy-hose-tights.shtml

Berkshire "cozy tights" available to fit up to 5'10", 230 lbs. I'm 5'6" and about 215 and the 3/4x fit me really well. They aren't fleece in the truest sense of the word, but they are warm and fuzzy and I'm quite pleased.