Your support helps us tell the story.
From reproductive rights to climate change and big tech, The Independent is on the ground as the story unfolds. Whether investigating the finances of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word,' which sheds light on American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to analyze the facts from the messaging .
At such a critical time in American history, we need journalists on the ground. Your donation allows us to continue sending journalists to talk about both sides of the story.
Americans across the political spectrum trust The Independent. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to exclude Americans from our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to all and paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
myeven from the bleeding seats of the short and sweet On tour, Sabrina Carpenter's legs look like they're dipped in Krispy Kreme frosting. You can hardly take your eyes off them. And if you saw her first Taylor Swift set Tour of the erasher Coachella show or her performance at the 2024 VMAs, you would have seen the same thing: her legs shining with every outfit change and her bold hip pop.
For the past year and a half, the “Espresso” singer, 25, has been inspired by the style in Swift's book and donned double-layer nude pantyhose, a functional and flattering fashion secret that has been adopted by everyone, from Beyoncé to Demi. Lovato.
These pop icons don't need to lather their legs in moisturizer or liquid gloss; The transparent garment creates an instant shiny effect on the legs, without getting messy or complicated. Now, artists' preference for the trend is finally filtering down to the woman on the street: skin-tone pantyhose are officially making a comeback.
Allen E Gant first created pantyhose in 1959 to solve his pregnant wife's problem of constantly having to pull up her stockings. He attempted to design a garment that reached from the waist down to the toes, completely eliminating the need for garters.
Back in the 1960s, when Mary Quant popularized the miniskirt, tights transformed the style into an “appropriate” everyday look. Just because hemlines rose didn't mean it was suddenly appropriate for women to show off their lace stockings and garters. Women relied on pantyhose to keep things somewhat modest beneath the thigh-high garment.
Over the next decade, nude stockings became an office essential that was enforced in most employers' dress codes: bare legs were prohibited and women were instructed to wear pantyhose if their buttocks reached to mid-calf or shorter. But in the 1990s, as definitions of work clothes expanded, pantyhose were considered outdated and frumpy.
After being abandoned in professional settings, nude nylons went from polite underwear to ultra-fun clothing. If you weren't a ballerina, figure skater, aspiring Broadway dancer, or, well, Taylor Swift, it was just plain weird to wear pantyhose that matched your skin tone.
In 2024, the fashion landscape has changed once again and a huge generational divide has emerged. For non-A-list millennials, nude tights are still considered underwear that older people used to wear. As one X/Twitter user put it, this is an item of clothing that will always be associated with Nora Batty from The last wine of summer. But for Gen Z, they're a sexy new staple — the ideal alternative to self-tanner and “very attractive,” according to one pantyhose fan on social media.
Millennials and Generation X who buck the trend only do so because they can't shake the conservative values instilled in them by their mothers and grandmothers. One Generation X woman, for example, claimed online that she only wears skin-tone tights because of her family members. “I just can't go bare-legged if I'm wearing a skirt,” she confessed. “If it's a long summer skirt, that's fine, but if it's a fitted skirt with a blazer or jacket, I have to wear pantyhose. I can't no. “I hear the voices of my mother and my grandmother in my head.”
Some women took to Reddit to share the trauma of being forced to wear so-called flesh-toned “granny panties” in their youth. “My first job after college required pantyhose when I wore skirts and also sandals; this was in 2000 and one of the reasons I quit after 18 months,” said one. “No, no, no! I always hated them. I'm pale and could never find a nude that matched. I've worn black pantyhose, fishnet stockings, stockings and stuff like that, but nude stockings? Never again,” another agreed.
This particular complaint was shared by others online, with people highlighting the fact that most companies have a limited range of pantyhose in skin tones. “The skin tone on my legs does NOT match the skin tone on my arms,” exclaimed a frustrated woman on Reddit alongside a self-identified “older millennial,” who admitted, “I haven't worn nude stockings or pantyhose since I was a kid.” . . I often wear patterned or fashion tights (both sheer and opaque) in a variety of colors as an accent to the outfit, but not in my skin tone.”
However, both high-fashion and affordable brands have continued to push the nude tights concept, with new offerings and expanded skin tone options from names like drugstore staple L'eggs.
The Row, Miu Miu and Maison Margiela have endorsed pantyhose, campaigning for their chic resurgence in previous runway collections, especially in the last two years, when the pantsless trend took off. For her Fall 2023 ready-to-wear, Miuccia Prada's message was clear: pants can not only be optional, but showing what's underneath is actually in style.
Gen Z stars like Addison Rae and Sydney Sweeney followed designers' lead, publicly eschewing pants and propelling tights further into the style stratosphere. But even millennial stars are getting in on the act: Kristen Stewart and Jodie Turner-Smith have stepped out in skimpy underwear and nude stockings. While the no-pants aesthetic is often paired with plain black or color options, Stewart decided that nude-toned pantyhose would work just as well. In March 2024, the Twilight The star was seen strutting down the sidewalks of New York City in light tights and knit underwear.
Sure, the “no pants” look may be a fashion bridge too far for anyone who isn't a celebrity. But there's no doubt that the trend, along with Carpenter-mania, has put nude tights back on the style map. Sorry millennials, looks like Nora Batty was ahead of her time.
