Dress – Gap, thrifted
Cardi underneath (for warmth and sleeves) – ON
Belt – Gap Outlet
Damask tights – Anthropologie
Wedges – vintage, thrifted
Necklace – thrifted
Endnotes:
What’s back, white, and damask all over? My tights! I got these from my mom from Anthropologie for Christmas (in a size up so that I can still fit into them as my waistline expands), and I think they’ve quickly become my favorite pair. But as much as I love them, I do find them a bit tricky to style. I tried them on with different dresses and I even attempted a few pattern-mixing looks, but all of it ended up looking too busy for me. Ultimately, I think that the easiest way to showcase a pair of really bold and patterned tights is against a simple and solid backdrop. In this case, I pulled out another trusty black dress, added black beads and black wedges, and just snuck in a pop of color with my red-orange belt.
I think a good way to ease into the brights is to pair them with knee high boots and a knee-length skirt so you only have maybe two inches of the tights showing. It tones it down a bit, but still uses the tights as an accessory (and warmth!).
I completely agree with that tip. As you can see from the demonstration below, I have worn these tights before with a simple black dress and black boots. In that incarnation, only a bit of the damask peaked out and the effect was much more subtle. Pairing the same tights with a black dress and with black wedges, in this case showing much more leg, let’s the tights take more of a center presence. So if you have colorful or patterned tights that you want to work into your wardrobe but are hesitant about, start small. Let only a bit of the tights peak out from between a hem line and your boots.
Also, a side note on the layering here. You may not be able to tell but this is actually a short sleeved dress. It’s too cold to wear without the added sleeves in the winter but when I tried adding a cardigan on top, it all ended up looking very bulky. Because of the tulip shape of the skirt, I prefer the more fitted upper bodice and defined waist look on top. So I layered a cardigan underneath the dress, essentially adding sleeves to it. I then used A.’s trick of layering a fitted camisole over the cardigan to keep it from bunching and shifting and to add a smoothing layer over the buttons and texture of this front closure garment. In the end, I was plenty warm with a cardigan, camisole, and dress layered over one another and with these thick wool tights. This outfit may not look like it, but it’s quite the warm and cozy little get-up.
And the bonus? I love the fact that the damask pattern is carried out on the back of the legs as well, giving your outfit that extra something as you’re walking away. ~ S.
(As an aside, I really love the substantial ponte knit and demure shape of this little gray sheath, but it’s significantly shorter than what I usually wear. I don’t think I’ll be teaching in this dress until I let the hem down, but even for running about town over the weekend I felt…abbreviated.)
In any case, onward. The photo above shows the gray dress paired with gray tights. The monochrome scheme does mitigate my hem length issues, and I love how the browns of the belt and boots warm everything up. A touch more interesting than wearing black tights, but still cool and simple.
Next up, patterned tights. Meh. This is probably my least favorite look, not because I don’t like my patterned tights, but because I think they were the wrong value for this medium gray sheath. I think a darker patterned tight would have worked a little better, no?
Given my love of grellow, I definitely wanted to try pairing this soft gray dress with punchier saffron tights. I love the idea of these tights in theory, but sometimes when I wear them I get a little self conscious about maybe looking like I have Muppet legs. Here, though, I think they work well with the warm cognac boots to create a little bit of punch without breaking up my leg line too harshly.
I think this gray and red combination is one of my favorite iterations. Maybe it’s because I feel like I’m channeling some Tania from What Would a Nerd Wear and her “gred”. There’s something classic but fresh and the tights look purposeful, not like a tacked on afterthought.
Finally, blue tights. I was prepared to not like this…but I really do. I don’t usually think of cobalt as being a “spring” color, but there’s a lot of it around this year and I think it’s a little unexpected with the gray and navy.
It’s not secret that I have lots of issues with “seasonality.” Having grown up in a one season climate, I didn’t really understand that there were certain fabrics, prints, or even cuts that were deemed more appropriate for one time of year over another. While I do understand and appreciate that, say, wool trousers are better suited for winter than summer, I continue to feel a certain freedom to, say, wear a full white cotton skirt in February, should the mood strike.
All that to say, yes, I am wearing a flower necklace while there is still crunchy gross snow on the ground. And I’m okay with that.
I’ve really enjoyed reading all of the comments on S.’s post on gender and jewelry and A.’s post on jewelry as sign. It’s so interesting to read about all the different cultural traditions, connotations, and practices relating to jewelry. My own family does not have much of a jewelry tradition. I have a little Hawaiian “E” initial pendant that was my grandmother’s, but really other than that, my familial jewelry connection and associations are minimal. I’m not sure how much of this is particular to my family and how much is further connected to issues of ethnicity and class. I remember my mom and most of my Japanese aunties having very subdued taste in jewelry. This has changed a bit in the past few years with a growing interest in “beading,” but still, I got some good-natured ribbing for how big my earrings and necklaces were on past visits home to Hawaii.
Really, if we’re going to psychoanalyze this, let’s be honest. I am maybe a little homesick right now, and wearing a flower necklace lets me pretend that I’m wearing a lei. Take that, winter.
Endnotes:
I’ve been on the hunt lately for dresses because life is so much easier when I can just match tights, belt, shoes and dress rather than several layers of separates. Basically, it’s the end of January and I’m feeling lazy! I scored this sweater dress (very similar to E.’s great burgundy dress) at the BR factory outlet recently and was trilled that it was on sale. I was a little worried that it was a tad short for teaching, but like E. said with her new yellow skirt, I decided that with tights it was fine. Even as a petite woman I’ve been finding it really hard lately to find dresses or skirts (that aren’t pencil skirts) that come to an inch or two above my knee rather than three or four inches above my knee. Is anyone else having that problem? I thought I’d treat maroon as a neutral and pair it with navy blue and brown (a combination with which E. has also dabbled). I added the blazer because it’s still freezing out.
This scarf is something that I thrifted when I was 5. Yes, you read that correctly. I remember going to the church fair with my grandmother and picking this one out specifically because of the gold details and the brilliant blue and orange. I guess it was only a matter of time before a few of my friends asked me to join their style blog (wink wink). The combination of the diamond patterned tights and the more scrolling floral motif of the scarf also counts towards my new quest to mix patterns!
It has languished in my dress-up box since I was about 10, but I recently was digging through the attic at home and salvaged a few items (including this costume jewelry pin) from my treasure trove. What items do you still have in your wardrobe from when you were a kid?
Guess what I got from Christmas as a joint gift from a sweet friend and my mother-in-law? Yup, the Field Skirt from Anthropologie…in gold! Many of you suggested this skirt when I was dreaming of winter-weight full skirts in December, and I have to say, you were right. This skirt is a great color, it has pockets, and it’s very easy to wear. It’s a little shorter than I usually wear my full skirts, but I think with the tights and boots it all works together and is still classroom appropriate.
I gravitated back to one of my favorite color combinations here: mustard with navy, green, and touches of cognac leather. I love how the patterning in the scarf seems even richer against the navy and gold. It’s a delicious palette for a chilly day and a little splash of color in the midst of all this snow!
I still have lots of ideas for wearing this skirt, so you’ll surely be seeing some remixing in the near future!
Plaid flannel jacket: vintage, mom’s
Tank: Old Navy
Belt: swapped with A.
Skirt: Gap
Argyle navy tights: Banana Republic Factory
Oxfords: Civico 10 via DSW
End Notes:
With this admittedly lumberjackish outfit, I think I’ve worn every piece of my 30 for 30 at least once. While there are a few items of clothing that I’m eager to wear again, I actually feel like I am far from exhausting the possibilities of my original list and I’m not particularly tired of any of my 30 items. How are the rest of your 30 for 30ers feeling at this point?
In any case, it’s Friday at last, at the end of a long week, and that’s as good a time as any for some Monty Python gender parody, no?
Yesterday was a pretty big academic milestone for me, as I sat for my major field qualifying exam. Although I know in my head that this is ultimately a hoop — albeit one with spikes and fire — to jump through, it still felt like a big deal and an occasion deserving of patterned tights. Sure, no one would actually see me since I was going to be locked in a windowless room for 6 hours with my computer, but still. Turns out I needed them, since my day ended up going something like this:
I woke up feeling ready but anxious to get going.
After arriving on campus, however, I was told that my advisor (currently out of the country) had not yet sent my exam question to our department admin.
So I waited. And waited. Had some tea. Twiddled my thumbs. Talked to a colleague. And…waited…until my question arrived an hour later.
Then I typed for 6 hours, and my brain felt like this:
A2 and I bought theater tickets for last night months ago, so I knew when picking my 30 items to remix, I would need some items that could be easily dressed up. I love this full, black, wool-crepe, skirt with satin trim — but rarely wear it. I’m not sure what my mental block on it is. I decided adding it to the remix would force me to figure out ways to wear it.
For my date night at the theater, I paired it with a wrap sweater, ruffle top, bold earrings, and these fabulously whimsical HUE tights:
I’ve been finding it such a challenge to get pictures taken since daylights savings. I actually got all dolled up well before I needed to, just so I could squeeze a couple pictures in before the sun completely disappeared. As is, I ended up mostly with washed out flash pictures or blurry long-exposure pictures.
The pay off? Daylights savings helps with my morning productivity (my most productive time already) so I had all three of my fellowship applications turned in yesterday morning, well before our date night!
I started with a simple dress in a soft neutral — navy — as my base, paired with my booties (or are they heeled oxfords?) which are a wonderfully indeterminate neutral somewhere between brown and gray. First up, blue green tights to create a monochromatic color scheme. The result is a trim, lean appearance, with dress, tights, and shoes all blending together for an illusion of length. It’s a sophisticated pairing that keeps the attention primarily on the dress.
Maroon tights were up next. I love how this deep, dark red adds richness to the navy blue, creating what we call a two-thirds color combination, that is, two colors — red and blue — from a triad. Because both pieces are darker shades of primary hues, they avoid looking like a cartoon or sports team pairing. While still sophisticated and slimming overall because of their relatively well-matched darkness to the dress, the maroon tights add a bit more pizazz to the look.
Bright purple tights create an analogous color combination with the dress. But, because the purple is lighter and more saturated than the navy, they “pop” more dramatically than the maroon tights did. As such, they give the dress a freshness that the other two tights-and-dress combinations did not have.
Ah yes, bright yellow tights. Or saffron, I suppose, if we’re getting technical. Like the maroon tights, this punchy pair creates a two-thirds color combination with the dark blue dress. But unlike the maroon tights, this yellow is a much lighter and more saturated shade, and they become the focal point of the outfit. As such, they transform a basic navy dress into a bold, lively “look.”
And then…patterned tights. After learning that this week was tights week, my sweet mother-in-law sent me this pair of swirly pink, navy, pale blue, orange, and red patterned tights. (She snagged them on clearance at Dillards; there’s a much better selection in stores than online, as is the case for stores like Gap and Banana Republic right now, I’ve found. Online, I’m drooling over some pairs of patterned tights in Anthropologie’s clearance: the Locket tights are marked down to just under $7, for example, and I would spring for the lace tights as well. And Bare Necessities has quite a few fabulous prints and textures on sale now as well.)
My husband isn’t sure what to think, but I’ve grown rather attached. Despite the admittedly wild overall print, the navy background of the tights helps to ground their connection to the dress. Sure, they’re a little wacky, but with these retro-inspired shoes and a curvy dress they add some spunk rather than scream “certifiably crazy”! I’d also be interested to try these tights on with this dress and my Steve Madden boots, thus mitigating the effect of the overall pattern going wobbly on my calves and ankles.
I like all of these combinations for different reasons and can see myself wearing each for particular occasions. I probably would not, for example, wear the saffron and navy combination to an academic conference, but I would wear it to a party or, let’s be honest, for a slow day in the library. Do you tend to use tights to add a pop of color or pattern to an outfit or to create an unbroken leg line? How do you decide what color to pull on?
Contemporary fashion theorists and historians commonly agree that fashion — all the clothes humans have worn throughout history — is comprised of a limited set of forms that get repeated with variations over time. Such an argument is quite compelling when one considers the history of tights. Men from the Middle Ages through the seventeenth century wore close-fitting (that is, “tight”) hose under doublets, and since then tightly knit legwear has enjoyed various incarnations.
Tights — as we’re defining them for the purpose of this Fashion 101 — are the heavier cousins of pantyhose, clocking in at over 40 denier (the linear mass density of fibers, of course). Brightly colored, textured, and patterned tights have been quite common in women’s fashion for the last few years, and if the runways of Fall 2010 New York Fashion Week are any indication, bold legwear will remain popular for at least another season.
Recommended:
Now is the time to grab tights in patterns or hues that you might not normally gravitate towards since they’re currently deeply marked down. E. has been taking full advantage of winter clearance sales for that very purpose. So has her always-generous mother-in-law.
Course Goals:
After completing this course in tights, students will be able to:
demonstrate an understanding of how different tights can change the appearance of an entire outfit
utilize tights to create the illusion of a (very) long leg line
utilize brightly colored tights to create more complex color outfit color schemes, without looking like a Dr. Seuss character
utilize patterned or textured tights
demonstrate appropriate pairings of tights with open toed shoes
demonstrate the effective layering of tights to create new colors or color combinations
judiciously employ boldly patterned tights while avoiding the appearance of an eight year old girl
And because the Midwest weather has a wicked sense of humor, of course Academichic central will be experiencing unseasonably warm temperatures this week. Nevertheless, A. will do what she can given meteorological constraints, E. will be posting from her Spring Break visit to New York where it should still be a bit cooler, and S. will be returning to Germany where, indeed, it is still tights weather. If temperatures are still chilly in your neck of the woods, play along with us this week. And, as always, we’d love to see pictures of your best look with tights!
