Does She Or Doesn't She? Wear Pantyhose That Is.

As I've mentioned before, I hate them. Especially in the summer. However, I consider nylons or pantyhose different from tights. I love different colored tights and I'm always freezing, so I wear them all the time in the winter.

Everyday people search for guidance on the topic of hosiery and land on my old post. That blog post has some serious legs. It's one of my most read and most commented blog posts ever, so I decided to revisit the subject.

I wrote that post the summer of 2009 and received comments even last year.  One search that I see often, which I find quite curious is nylons and pantyhose on women over 50. I've never heard of a certain age being paired with wearing nylons or pantyhose and wonder why people are searching for this. What's up with that?

Just in case you don't click over to the post, below are a few of the most interesting and ahem, less provocative comments shall we say. Just a couple of small edits were made.

Pantyhose should be a fashion faux pas! No one actually believes the flesh tone stuff is your real skin! And why would you want flesh colored tights??? So bizarre. Like another writer mentioned, I prefer colored tights or NO pantyhose. Yuck. Plus, it's impossible to find the right skin tone.

I wear them everyday no matter what the weather is Hot or cold. And I work at a job that I'm not required to wear them. Pantyhose have come a long way since the 60's, 70's, and even 80's and they are much more comfortable to wear. I wear the higher end hose, and they don't run as easy. Find a brand of hose you like the feel and fit, and start showing your legs in hose. It is a more professional look, and show you care about your appearance. Hollywood is starting to wear hose again, and they are showing up on runways as well.

There are women who wear tights in cooler weather. There are women who love shopping for tights, to find the perfect pair for a particular outfit. I'm a man (whose wife wears hosiery) and I can understand not wanting to wear them in warm weather. That's fine. But what about cooler weather? If you wear tights then what's the big difference in wearing pantyhose? If you're single you might like to know that more men will check you out if you're wearing hosiery than if you're not. Legs surely can be a way to get noticed. Sheer pantyhose turns a sexy pair of legs into simply irresistible. Hate hose? Try stay-up stockings. Fashion designers and TV alone do not dictate what is in. Pantyhose are definitely not completely out of style. If they were then Nordstrom and Macys wouldn't have the selection they do (and they're not selling them to women only over 50!)

I lived in Los Angeles for 10 and a half years and absolutely no one wore pantyhose. They were way out of style. Now I live in North Carolina and I'm worried I may have to go buy some. Fortunately, they appear to be out of style here, too. When I started in the working world, in the early '90s, they were the thing to wear. Now I think they look really '80s blue power suit.

I recently left the Marine Corps and in our uniforms we had to wear stockings (with skirts). From the time I was 5 years old, I hated wearing panty hose; however, recently I got a new job, and started to wear them again. Initially I did not, but found it so cold in my office, it is the only thing keeping me warm!! Now, I actually like wearing them, which is the complete opposite of how I felt just a few weeks ago... I do think they look more professional, too, but it is not required... I say go with what works for you.

Women whine too much. In 2009 men are forced to wear business suits and a tie -- which has been the standard dress for business men for over a century. No way around it in the workplace. Woman on the other hand can practically wear sweatpants to work and get away with it. So it is hard to feel sorry for women who cry about office dress codes -- let alone pantyhose.

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Well, we're deep into summer now and in the middle of a heat wave here on the East Coast. As you can see in the picture above, I'm very much unhosed at the moment. I do know that if something dressy or formal comes up out of the blue, I might have to put on hose even if I don't like it.

I got some advice for all of us from fashion blogger Natalie Live of The Tiny Closet. She says that if a woman wants to wear stockings or tights with her skirts, dresses, slacks, then let the woman wear her hosiery. "If she doesn't, fine."

Natalie adds that outside of professional fields (government, politics, banking, law, and medicine) stockings are worn as accessories - not as coverups. Nude hosiery is definitely dated and never seen in modern fashion, especially in large metropolitan cities. 

By the way, she says that she's only worn hosiery on her blog twice and they were black opaque. For me when I must, they will be black and the most sheer that I can find. 

Another reason that I decided to revisit this topic, was because of a recent article that I read about a judge who issued a Memo on professional dress for attorneys. While the issue of pantyhose was not directly addressed in the Memo, there was great concern by women attorneys that hosiery would be required. See a portion of the article below.

Many female attorneys, including Nashville-based Karla Miller, who handles some Rutherford cases, heard chatter that Taylor’s rules include mandatory pantyhose — an accusation Taylor denies. By way of explanation, Taylor said: “They’re usually behind the podium. I only see their upper bodies.”

Luckily the judge quickly put this ugly rumor to rest. So attorneys appearing before Judge Royce Taylor, who used to be a Navy Seal by the way, can at least be confident that they are okay to go happily unhosed.


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