Have you ever wondered how some women can wear colored tights and make them look chic, effortless and cool?

I’m a real novice when it comes to wearing colored tights, but I just couldn’t resist the David Jones’ colored tights display.   Maybe it was the bleakness of the day or the cool temperatures, but the cobalt, neon yellow, hot pink, purple and green tights called out to me. I didn’t have the guts to buy the brights, but settled on three pairs that were still out of my comfort zone  (chocolate suede, ruby and brown ribbed).

How to choose colored tights?

If you’re looking for opaque tights, it’ll help to understand what “denier” means.   “Denier “ is a measure of the thickness of the weave of the material used in making stockings or tights – the higher the number, the thicker and warmer the tights.  Opaque tights are usually 50 denier plus while sheer tights range from 5 denier to 30 denier.

Out of the three new pairs, I absolutely love the 200 dernier and it was in a new colour for me – ruby. They felt silky soft, stretchy, supportive and durable. It was really easy to match the dark red with chocolate, purple, black and cognac shoes.    I didn’t like the 50 dernier pair especially when paired with open-toed shoes.  I felt my toes would rip through the toe after I left the house.   The ribbed pair (70 dernier) were soft and definitely thicker.  You can barely see the ribbing (but anal as I am, I had to adjust them to make sure the ribs ran straight).  I didn’t like them  because I  felt like a three year old wearing them.  So, I’ve found a winner at $12.95.

What to wear with colored tights?

Colored tights draw attention to your legs so you’ve got to find combinations between shoes, tights and skirts that you’re comfortable with.  After playing around with my sandals, booties, boots and pumps, my favourite look is pairing a monochromatic sheath dress with a heel and a tunic with a bootie.  My formula is the shorter the dress/skirt, the heavier the heel (the converse is true; the longer the skirt, the narrow and more ladylike the heel).  I’m going to live dangerously this season and wear the ruby tights with my new booties (designed by myself on Shoes of Prey).

My least favourite combination was contrasting tights with my old lace up ankle boots.  While the look is passable when the tights and the shoes are the same color, my legs become stumps when there is high contrast between tight and boot colour.

Overall, I prefer heels with colored tights because they elongate my legs.  I’ve come to the conclusion that I only like wearing contrasting tights with high-heeled pumps and only when the tights are the same color as the skirt.

If you’ve never worn bright colored tights before, a babystep is to pair them with knee-high boots.  This allows an accent of colour to show between your skirt hem and the top of your boots.

How to stop static with tights

Static occurs when an electric charge is built up between two materials.  It’s particularly bad for certain combination of fabrics and when it’s really dry. If you find your skirt or dress clings to your tights when you walk, you can remove the static three ways:

1.  Wipe a dryer sheet over your tights.

2.  Rub some skin lotion on your hands then rub them over your tights.

3.  Spray aerosol hairspray on your tights.

At the end of the day, there are no rules for wearing your tights. Let your confidence level determine how loud a statement you want to make. I say go for it and wear colored tights with attitude.