The colourful tights revolution is upon us – here’s how to find the perfect pair

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I haven’t yet figured out why something as innocuous-sounding as a pair of blue tights should be so divisive. Perhaps it’s because historically some of the fabrics have been so primitive that the colours were nasty. Or maybe it’s because for most of their existence, tights have been bland, bland, bland. First they were nude-coloured, then black.

Thing is, even when they’re meant to be unobtrusive, they’re not. Lacy tights became a key marker of a certain kind of overly fussy 1980s fashion for a short period. Tights got thicker, blacker, more opaque. Then, at the turn of the millennium, Anna Wintour decreed: no tights. That became a talking point too, mainly because women risked hypothermia by going bare-legged in New York in January.

It has taken years for tights to recover. Recently I was in John Lewis’s tights department looking for fishnets – it was shocking. A wasteland with almost no options.

Could a humble pair of bright-blue tights change the game? I’m not holding my breath. And yet…revolution may be upon us. It started as early as late 2022, with Anya Taylor-Joy in a red pair. Anne Hathaway later matched her purple mini with purple tights, and Kendall Jenner went the same route, but with burgundy.

Anya Taylor-Joy – GC Images

Anne Hathaway – Getty Images

The matching tights and dress option is interesting. It’s quirky but also smart. Part conventional but also wacky – that can be a useful spectrum to plug into.

Potentially the right pair could lift an overly familiar outfit out of decrepitude. Or inject 1,000 volts into last year’s stealth-wealth beige. Or make that metallic dress you’ve never been able to wear come to life – as here. Also, today’s versions aren’t so humble. The colour and texture are excellent.

If you’re not ready for any of this, you could just enliven a trouser suit with a pair of colourful socks – London Sock Company has a stand-out selection.

But if you’re up for more adventure, colourful tights are gathering momentum. The influencer Leandra Medine Cohen has worn various permutations for her Substack newsletter. And in February, there were numerous sightings on the catwalks. Acne had yellow; Altuzarra, red; Zimmermann, brick; so did Tory Burch, also matching her dresses. Fendi had cobalt blue.

Fendi – WireImage

Tory Burch – Getty Images

Miu Miu – Getty Images

More significantly, Miu Miu, which has become a bellwether for new directions, went full-on coloured tights, teaming periwinkle-blue ribbed ones with a tan suede jacket over a not-the-same-shade-of-blue shirt, with black shoes and orange leather gloves. Miu Miu also had orange tights with a sand-coloured suede jacket and yellow gloves, and Kelly-green tights with a tobacco-coloured skirt suit and black gloves.

Whatever colour you opt for would be much less wintery than black and so much warmer than bare legs, thereby unlocking part of your wardrobe that previously only got worn a few weeks a year. Let loose with the tights.

Find your perfect pair…

Red 60 denier, £30, Swedish Stockings; Purple 20 denier, £35, Wolford; Marine blue 40 denier, £8 for 3 pairs, Marks & Spencer

Red 60 denier, £30, Swedish Stockings; Purple 20 denier, £35, Wolford; Marine blue 40 denier, £8 for 3 pairs, Marks & Spencer

Burgundy 50 denier, £7.99, Calzedonia; Light blue 30 denier, £29, Falke

Burgundy 50 denier, £7.99, Calzedonia; Light blue 30 denier, £29, Falke

Teal 60 denier, £9, John Lewis; Green Eighty colours opaque, £36, Heist

Teal 60 denier, £9, John Lewis; Green Eighty colours opaque, £36, Heist

Lisa wears: Metallic dress, £165, Jigsaw; 40 denier tights, £6.99, Tiffany Quinn; Leather shoes, £145, & Other Stories; Earrings, £25, Mint Velvet; Acetate sunglasses, from £99, Bloobloom

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