Pantyhose making a comeback?

So hose have been 'out' for some time. In fact where there used to be rows and rows of pantyhose displays in stores, there is now only one small section. But I seem to be seeing them more often with dresses and skirts in catalogs and fashion magazines--especially black pantyhose.

So do I dare?:D

Where I work, the women wear suits--and if it's a skirt suit, they wear hose. I don't think bare legs look professional.

For me it isn't a matter of what is in or what is out, rather hose are uncomfortable for me and I will never wear them again. I think if you feel more comfortable wearing hose then you should and if you (like me) do not feel comfortable wearing them then don't wear them. Life is too short to spend your days waiting until you get home and can change.

I went to a function the other day and saw women wearing hose, but they were black hose. Maybe that's still the fashion. I try to never wear anything I have to wear hose with. I can't stand them! I agree that if you are not comfortable, don't wear them.

I don't think there is any blanket statement that can cover the subject. No in or out, it's what looks best on that person, with a particular outfit or a persons comfort zone.

My 18 year old daughter wears tights or black pantyhose almost every single day. The clothes she wears would not look good without them.

I have a few dresses that would look bad without the finish of pantyhose, it would cheapen the look. Not everyone has the greatest looking legs to go with a fabulous cocktail dress. With more casual dresses or long evening dresses, I forego the pantyhose.

As far as I'm, concerned they've never been "out".

I don't find them uncomfortable and I feel more "dressed" with them. Plus, since I hate pantylines AND thong underwear (I've been trying to avoid a wedgie all my life), pantyhose solves that problem for me. No, I don't wear them ALL the time - certainly not when I'm casually dressed or in a sundress and sandals.

But, my legs look better in them. My dress shoes are less likely to give me blisters, and I don't really care what "they" say, whoever they are.

I agree that pantyhose/stockings have never really been "out". And that there are lots of outfits that look unfinished or inappropriate without them. They're not my favorite undergarments, but there are times that we just have to suck it up to make the look complete.

Must be a California thing, then, because you can hardly even find them in stores around here.

Where's Curt Jerome Wild?:)

I suppose it's where you shop, then.

I have to buy my socks at Nordstrom, since they are the only place that sells extended sizes. They have a full hosiery section, with every type of panty hose you can imagine.

I don't wear them, and don't really plan on ever going back to them. My only exception is the occasional textured tight and shirt combo in the winter. But I live in Chicago, so it works, otherwise, if I lived in a climate like Cali, I wouldn't even look twice at hosiery.

As Stacy and Clinton say, "just because they sell it doesn't mean you should buy it." :) But I have noticed Stacy and Clinton putting people in black tights in their recent episodes. So that style must be coming back.

I think the black tights look nice with skirts in the fall/wintertime. But I really don't want to have to start wearing panty hose with casual dresses in the summer!

God, I hope not. Can't stand feeling like a stuffed sausage.

I hate pantyhose and even when I was 100 lbs and 18 years old I hated them. They're uncomfortable and I don't think they're all that attractive. Most of the women I work with wear pants and those that wear pantyhose pretty much wear black. They are mostly college educated professionals and while I do see suits, most do not wear nude pantyhose. What I do see a lot of is tights, mostly dark, but patterned, solids, etc are everywhere. I do go bare legged in the summer when I wear dresses.

And no, I don't think they're making a comeback.

Great article on pantyhose.

http://blog.cleveland.com/lifestyles/2008/07/kim_crow_weighs_in_on_the_grea.html

IMO this sums up the whole debate nicely, particularly the red part.;):)

"Did I mention that along with matching hose to your skin tone, pick out a proper-fitting pair? It can be done -- there are hundreds of kinds of hose out there, in all price ranges. Sizes range from petite to plus-petite to tall and plus-tall.

If you can do this, maybe those who don't wear hose can do you a favor, too. Maybe they will moisturize their heels before they leave the house. Their feet will be clean, their nails freshly buffed or polished.

And yes, they will shave -- both their legs AND their big toes.

And if both sides just showed a titch more tolerance for differing fashion views, that would be nice, too."

I like thigh highs...no sausage feeling.:p

I am 52 years old and have worn pantyhose since their inception in the 1960's. Before that, I wore proper stockings with a garter belt. Believe it or not, I could not wear PANTS to school until the 8th grade (1971) and absolutely no one during that time went to school, church or elsewhere barelegged. You wore a dress or skirt and hose...period. "Getting" to wear hose was actually a rite of passage similar to being given permission to shave your legs. It was a sign that you were growing up.

Today, I wore a black slinky knit skirt (straight, below the knee) and a royal purple lightweight sweater to work (a medical office) with some closed toe black leather wedges. My pasty white legs would have looked ridiculous without my black hose and since it was in the 40's when I left the house I would have been freezing. The pantyhose I wear are Donna Karan and fit me well and are comfortable.

When the weather gets warmer I will certainly go without hose (with self tanner) but I guess I just go with what (to me) looks and feels appropriate and comfortable. However, it is a giggle when the kids I take care of walk up and FEEL my legs when I am wearing hose :D:D

I am 52 years old and have worn pantyhose since their inception in the 1960's. Before that, I wore proper stockings with a garter belt. Believe it or not, I could not wear PANTS to school until the 8th grade (1971) and absolutely no one during that time went to school, church or elsewhere barelegged. You wore a dress or skirt and hose...period. "Getting" to wear hose was actually a rite of passage similar to being given permission to shave your legs. It was a sign that you were growing up.

 

Today, I wore a black slinky knit skirt (straight, below the knee) and a royal purple lightweight sweater to work (a medical office) with some closed toe black leather wedges. My pasty white legs would have looked ridiculous without my black hose and since it was in the 40's when I left the house I would have been freezing. The pantyhose I wear are Donna Karan and fit me well and are comfortable.

 

When the weather gets warmer I will certainly go without hose (with self tanner) but I guess I just go with what (to me) looks and feels appropriate and comfortable. However, it is a giggle when the kids I take care of walk up and FEEL my legs when I am wearing hose :D:D

Your post brought a chuckle this morning!!!! I'm the same age and it brought back memories. I remember the first time I was allowed to wear pantyhose.....thought I was real grown up :D.

I am 52 years old and have worn pantyhose since their inception in the 1960's. Before that, I wore proper stockings with a garter belt. Believe it or not, I could not wear PANTS to school until the 8th grade (1971) and absolutely no one during that time went to school, church or elsewhere barelegged. You wore a dress or skirt and hose...period. "Getting" to wear hose was actually a rite of passage similar to being given permission to shave your legs. It was a sign that you were growing up.

 

I graduated HS in '71. We couldn't wear pants, but, go figure, we could wear mini-skirts (anything longer than finger-tips was considered too long :eek:)! I put my thumbs through so many stockings trying to get them up high enough so the garters didn't show!

I wear pantyhose. I am also college educated - though what that has to do with it, BND, I don't know. I prefer colored tights when they make sense to the look, or when I haven't shaved my legs:rolleyes:. When I need extra warmth, I will wear tights or pantyhose under my pants instead of longjohns, which don't provide quite the slim, smooth look that I want. When I wear pantyhose that match my skin color, I'm pretty sure no one notices or cares, one way or the other.

It's not like it's a question of legality. There are no fashion police. Some of us prefer to wear them, some don't.

I never feel like a sausage.

I wear pantyhose. I am also college educated - though what that has to do with it, BND, I don't know.

Because someone else brought up the "professional" thing and I work with women in a professional setting. Engineers, etc. That's all that was about. It doesn't mean a darn thing other than that. The fact is, most of the women I know and work with wear pants in the winter and go bare legged in the warmer weather.

As for someone who mentioned thigh highs. I don't like those either. They either rub against each other at the thigh or feel like they're falling down. Do I occasionally wear panty hose? Yes, for formal weddings and winter formal events. Beyond that, on cruises, absolutely no way and not to work either.

I work in a "professional" office with 22 women (and one "token" male who happens to own the practice:D) and I am the only person who ever wears hose of any kind. Several people wear skirts/dresses every day due to their religious beliefs but never wear hose or tights and one person wears footless tights (leggings) with skirts occasionally. I don't think anyone notices (but I always notice flaky heels and yellow toenails as discussed in the newspaper article above) and it does not matter. I dress how I dress because this is what I am comfortable to work in.

They also wear capri pants and sandals to work in the summer which, for me, look too casual for a work setting. To each her own...

I have worn black hose a few times on a cruise in the evening with short cocktail dresses and high heels. This is my husband's "favorite" look for me;) ;)

So hose have been 'out' for some time. In fact where there used to be rows and rows of pantyhose displays in stores, there is now only one small section. But I seem to be seeing them more often with dresses and skirts in catalogs and fashion magazines--especially black pantyhose.

 

So do I dare?:D

Hose have never been out. It only became acceptable to go barelegged and not wear them. But wearing them was never "out".

Since you live in California, where people dress more casually, bare legs are acceptable. However, if you'd like to wear a pair and have a more polished look, then why not?

IMHO, casual skirts with sandals look great with bare legs,hose doesn't suit this look at all. But dressy dresses with sexy, dressy shoes - or tailored business skirts - and bare legs look well on very few women. You have to be in your 20's, and have beautifully shaped legs and blemish free skin.

When it dips below 70 degrees in south florida, you can bet you see alot of women, mostly professionals wearing hose or tights with skirts, and even boots and sweaters. Yup. We do. I do. In church alot on Sundays I see quite a few women wearing hose..and they are not "old" as it seems from reading these posts people think pantyhose are only regulated to "old people" (sad!) In my Jamaican MIL's church on Sunday here you won't see a barelegged woman in the house..and I've noticed the same in her church when we are in Jamaica.

I think it's a preference, style, and cultural thing. I wore a black wool dress with 3/4 sleeves a few weeks ago when it was cool here and it would have look horrendous without hose. I was amazed at how much hose has changed when I looked for a pair..many more comfortable styles and ways of wearing them than how it used to be. All different kinds of finishes, some that look like they are barely there, and lots of different options for tummy and even thigh control.

I think we can blame the Hollywood crowd for it..and today, those woman by far are not glamorous compared to the "old" Hollywood starlets. A friend and I were remarking yesterday how in the old pictures of our moms, they thought nothing of wearing corsets, stockings, nylons, heels, fur coats, etc..but stockings because they knew it finished the look and made them look good. We both agreed that our moms looked like those old movie stars, too!

Jane 110 I was pleased to see you weigh in on this. I have always been under the impression that the no pantyhose decree had come down from the New York "fashion establishment" a number of years ago. I remember reading an interview in Vogue years ago with Ivana Trump where the writer commented that she "was surprised" to see Ivana wearing hose. It is refreshing to see a sensible comment regarding this matter from someone connected to the industry.

I think hose make your legs look better. It also keeps the shoes from rubbing blisters, controls the tummy/butt area better and makes things fit better.

On my last cruise in November I saw a woman who had pantyhose on with her bathing suit - at the beach - in the sand- with sandals. I meant to watch to see if she went in the water too, but lost track of her. Now I think that is taking it a bit too far!

.........

On my last cruise in November I saw a woman who had pantyhose on with her bathing suit - at the beach - in the sand- with sandals. I meant to watch to see if she went in the water too, but lost track of her. Now I think that is taking it a bit too far!

Priceless!!!:D:D:D

Jane 110 I was pleased to see you weigh in on this. I have always been under the impression that the no pantyhose decree had come down from the New York "fashion establishment" a number of years ago. I remember reading an interview in Vogue years ago with Ivana Trump where the writer commented that she "was surprised" to see Ivana wearing hose. It is refreshing to see a sensible comment regarding this matter from someone connected to the industry.

Thanks for your lovely words!

I think the "no-panyhose is acceptable" look came from Hollywood stars on the red carpet wearing long gowns and backless strappy sandals. It certainly made sense in a hot climate with sandals. (but don't quote me on this).

Plenty of fashionable NY women of all ages, have been wearing hosiery for the past few years even though it's acceptable not to. I think it's good to have choices. What I find so interesting is that so many women who don't like hose are so "violent"...downright hostile...about their passion in their hatred. I think they just haven't bought the right ones. I've had some pairs that go in the garbage because they're not comfortable, but now know which brands I like, and when I wear them, I don't feel uncomfortable or encumbered.

Last night I attended La Boehm at the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center and was surprised at how many gowns and tuxes there were (esp since it was cold and pouring rain!). There were a few barelegged women, and to me, they looked half dressed. They're wearing winter coats, gloves, and scarves yet have bare legs. I don't get it. :rolleyes: