Throw Away Your Black Opaques, Fashion Tights Just Got Fun

Every year, the great British winter throws up the same debate: Do you don tights or brave the cold with bare legs? Well, thanks to the SS20 catwalks, there’s a new, fun kid in town. Designers from Marc Jacobs to Balenciaga via Collina Strada and Gucci got experimental with hosiery, pairing tights in pillar-box red, Big Bird yellow and aquamarine with everything from glamorous open-toed heels to quaint Mary Janes. Elsewhere, decorative lace and jacquard patterns came in sumptuous berry shades. 

The V&A’s blockbuster fashion exhibition, Mary Quant, and Margot Robbie’s turn as Sharon Tate in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood have trained the spotlight back on jazzy hosiery. Quant's partnership with the Pamela Mann Tights Company during the 1960s saw the legs of every sartorially switched-on woman on Carnaby Street clad in paisley prints and psychedelic swirls.

Since the Swinging Sixties, loud tights have flowed in and out of fashion. The ‘00s threw up a particularly strong revival thanks to indie musicians like Kate Nash and The Long Blondes, the ultimate Manic Pixie Dream Girl, Zooey Deschanel, and, of course, Gossip Girl's Blair Waldorf and her minions. Throw out your preconceptions though; this season, designers are taking a fresh approach and convincing us that the coolest way to cover up is in vivid hues and look-at-me prints.

From Marine Serre to Mugler, Richard Malone to Richard Quinn, tights were ribbed and glitter-flecked, monogrammed, woolly and thick or barely there, in neon bright animal prints and muted florals, proving that there is a pair of tights for every outfit and occasion.

ASOS Design Wide Fit Checked Mary Jane Heels, £24, available at ASOS; Gipsy Tights 100 Denier Burnt Orange Tights, £8.50, available at Mod Shoes. ASOS Design Wide Fit Velvet Mary Jane Heels, £28, available at ASOS; Gipsy Tights 100 Denier Cranberry Tights, £8.50, available at Mod Shoes.

Marni Burgundy Chunky Buckled Leather Loafers, £620, available at Browns; Falke Dot 15 Denier Tights in Dusty Blue, £13.50, available at Falke.

ASOS Design Square Toe Velvet Mary Jane Mid Heels, £30, available at ASOS; Gucci Pink GG Supreme Metallic Socks, £100, available at Browns.

Topshop Judy Leather Elongated Mules, £69, available at Topshop; Gipsy Tights Beige Tartan Pattern Tights, £9.50, available at Mod Shoes; ASOS Design Bow Pointed Ballet Flats, £18, available at ASOS; Richard Malone Tights, available upon request here.

Yuul Yie Patent Green Pumps, similar available here; Falke Pure Matt 50 Denier Tights in Rooibos, £13.50, available at Falke.

Charles & Keith Chain Link Block Heel Loafers, £49, available at Charles & Keith; Gipsy Tights 100 Denier Chevron Pattern Tights, £8, available at Mod Shoes.

ASOS Design Burgundy Leather Flat Brogues, £35, available at ASOS; Calzedonia Glitter Ribbed Tights, £8, available at Calzedonia. ASOS Design Snake Flat Lace Up Shoes, £16, available at ASOS; Calzedonia Floral Lace Tights, £8.50, available at Calzedonia.

Malone Souliers x Richard Malone Shoes and Tights, available upon request here; Gipsy Tights 100 Denier Dark Sage Tights, £8.50, available at Mod Shoes.

Yuul Yie Camel Ivy Colour Block Loafers, £300, available at Browns; Gipsy Tights 40 Denier Opaque Tights in Sage, £4, available at Gipsy Tights.

Rogue Matilda Gold Mary Jane Shoes, similar available here; ASOS Design 50 Denier Tights in Hot Pink, £6, available at ASOS; Sezane Red Suede Mary Janes, similar available here; Calzedonia 50 Denier Total Comfort Tights in White, £7, available at Calzedonia; ASOS Design Wide Fit White Croc Mary Jane Heels, £30, available at ASOS; Calzedonia 50 Denier Total Comfort Tights in Mustard, £7, available at Calzedonia.