Pantyhose, Tights, Leggings, Oh My!

by Anna

"If loving fashion is a crime, we plead guilty." - Unknown

My mother recently asked me how to wear tights, leggings and pantyhose. Thank God she asked before she left the house. This is a woman who thinks crocks and fannypacks are cute. Have I told you about her fashion debacles? Days after I FINALLY got her to ditch the Mom jeans, she came out with a short silk scarf tied around her neck. Hello 1960s flight attendant! Didn't realize Southwest Airlines was hiring in her age bracket.

Then there was the time we went skiing and she came down to breakfast in my sister’s middle school sweater from 20 years ago. Where does she keep this crap? Rachel and I moved to another table.

And then there were all the Christmas outfits. Not just sweaters. Not just earrings. Whole god damn outfits. Sweaters, skirts, shoes, socks, jewelry ….. all at the same time! She was festooned like a fucking Christmas tree. We just needed to wrap her in lights. Actually, I think there WERE some blinking sweaters!

My own fashion faux-pas happened in my fashion naïve years when I <shudder the thought> wore socks with sandals. While I still see this from time to time, seriously folks, this was only in style when the Romans were doing it.

So, to help my mom avoid more disasters, here is my tights/leggings/pantyhose advice (are you reading this, MOM??)

Pantyhose - Girl Friday

Works well with a skirt suit. They can also be worn with above-the-knee pencil skirts & dresses with knee high boots. I think they're perfect for a more finished leg look...

Tights - Club Girl

Worn under dresses, skirts or pants. Do not confuse these with leggings. Sheer tights for more formal occasions while opaque, brightly-colored and patterned tights are obviously more casual. You can wear footless tights with an open toe style shoe. Always buy high quality tights; they last longer. Reinforce the toes and freeze them to get longer wear out of them.

Leggings - Gypsy Girl

Pair leggings with a skirt or dress during colder months. You can also wear long tops with leggings. But remember to always cover the camel toe and try not to show too much ass. Be careful about printed leggings. These can make your legs appear larger and/or shorter. I personally have to avoid them. Experiment with different lengths – at the knee, at the ankle or anywhere in between. Ankle boots totally work with leggings, as well as ballerina flats, pumps and wedges.

Be confident. Confidence is the best accessory to any style. But, when in doubt about a style, text a girlfriend. And, if you're my mom, don't leave the house until I see a pic of what you have on!

And, for your next girlfriends' get together, consider having everyone bring at least one outfit with various accessaries in order to get feedback from the group about what might look best with the outfit. And, for the holidays, try this fabulous Pumpkin Pie Martini at the Martini Diva's website: click HERE.