Stay on Trend With This Season’s Tights.

The obvious stars of winter fashion have always been coats and the assorted accessories that go with them (think chic berets, cute fingerless mittens and chunky cable knit scarves).  Being forced by the cold weather to cover up the majority of your outfit each day means we can all end up looking like mini-clones of one another. By this I mean that you can guarantee someone will be wearing pretty much the exact same coat-hat-scarf-gloves combo as you, and so it can be easy to get lost in a crowd of matching H&M coats on legs. 

So what better way to make yourself stand out than by ditching your jeans and leggings for a snazzy pair of tights? Unless you’re some hyper-lucky freak of nature who doesn’t feel the cold at this time of year, chances are you’ll have to give in to becoming just another coat-on-legs at some point.  So why not dress those legs up and stand out from the crowd? 

There are various styles of tights that are worth trying out; here are some of my favourites…

Colour-blocking

Jonathon Aston 40 Denier Opaque Tights, £6 at www.mytights.com

Coloured opaque tights are the brilliant way to brighten up a dark winter outfit, and will make you stand out a mile off!  This is a good thing, as the ability to feel comfortable wearing a pair of electric blue, bright yellow or shocking pink tights will show others that you exude confidence.  If you’re not quite brave enough to go for the near-neons, gem or berry colours such as damson, forest green or indigo are a bit more subtle but just as effective.  You can have fun co-ordinating tights with accessories; a favourite combo of mine is a matching fuchsia berry and pair of tights. Coloured tights also look great teamed with a brightly coloured coat, so long as the colours compliment another, for example a purple coat with orange tights.  Finally, brightly coloured tights are the perfect way to jazz up your trusty LBD for party season.

Suspender tights

Nude Bow Seam Suspender Tights, £8.50 from Topshop

A favourite amongst celebs such as Rihanna and Jessie J, mock suspender style tights are a fun and sexy way to accessorise an outfit.  Contrast them with a cutesy dress and coat combo in the daytime for a risqué take on the school girl look, and team them with a pair of killer heels, short skirt and blazer on a night out for a seductive, but more importantly WARM clubbing outfit. This style of tights seems to be a favourite with the lads, for obvious reasons, so if you’ve got your eye on anyone special these are the tights to grab their attention with. 

Patterned tights

Henry Holland HOH Alphabet Tights, £12 at www.mytights.com (you could also buy these in Essentials in the union last time I checked!)

There are patterns for all shapes and sizes when it comes to clothes, so why should tights be any different? From stripes to dots, animal print to Cheryl Cole’s bandage effect pair, designers are embracing women’s legs as the perfect blank canvas for their designs.  These patterned tights from House of Holland at Pretty Polly (you can also buy the same design with stars, dog bones, ladders, etc.) look great with a long woollen coat, chunky knitted socks and winter boots for the cold morning walk to lectures, or with a sparkly pair of heels and party dress for a night on the tiles.

Knitted tights

Red Cable Knit Tights, £10 from Miss Selfridge

Patterned tights may be gorgeous, but they often aren’t that thick, and you can only wear so many layers on top to keep your legs from breaking out in constant goose-bumps. This is why you need a stylish pair of chunky knitted tights, for when the weather turns arctic and all you want to do is walk to lectures in your duvet. These red cable knit tights from Miss Selfridge look great worn with a chunky knitted scarf and big cosy duffle coat, and will keep you warm and snug through the coldest days of winter.

Vintage-style tights

Pretty Polly Nylon Gloss Back-Seam Tights, £5.74 at www.tightsplease.co.uk

Finally, for a little bit of old-style glamour, back-seam tights can make for another fun and flirty addition to your tights collection.  Team them with over the knee socks for a quirky look that’s bound to get your noticed on campus, or try them with a vintage style dress, faux-fur coat and court shoes for a 1940s-inspired look.  The possibilities are endless but have fun and play around!

Tights are an affordable way to subtly change your style, and can act as the focal point for many an outfit.  They’re the perfect way to brighten up a dull winter wardrobe, so embrace them!