My Secret to the Perfect Instagrammable Outfit? A Fun Pair of Tights

Another fashion month has wound down, and considering I’m currently killing time on my flight home from Paris, I wanted to take a moment to shout out my favorite styling tip of the season: colorful tights and stockings. I never thought the day would come when I’d be writing an ode to hosiery, but they truly were the hero pieces of my Parisian style.

Everyone remembers how red tights and socks took last autumn’s trend cycle by storm. I, for one, gladly participated. Even though wearing tights gave me flashbacks to the primary school playground, I couldn’t help but love the whimsy that comes with a flash of color.

This year, I decided to test the waters further and buy tights in nearly every shade, pushing the limits of my curiosity to see how versatile and integral tights can be to the perfect Instagrammable outfit. And Paris Fashion Week ended up being the perfect laboratory.

My favorite tights outfit I wore at PFW was my look for the Courrèges re-see, which is a post-show appointment where guests can see the newly-debuted collection up close. I paired seafoam green stockings with my favorite Sandy Liang babydoll-style trench coat and a pair of red glasses from Bonnie Clyde to hop on over to Le Marais—the Williamsburg, Brooklyn, of Paris, if you will. There's just something unexpected yet darling about this specific shade of green—it’s not too in-your-face but still brings something to the table.

In all my hosiery experimentation, I discovered the secret to styling a playful pair of tights is to keep the top half relatively simple and classic. A more traditional and structured khaki trench juxtaposed against such an unserious bottom made this outfit work.

I also can’t write a story about tights without mentioning my trusty dusty blue ones from Swedish Stockings. I’ve worn this specific pair so often that there’s practically a hole at the bottom. I keep it in rotation because this shade goes so well with all the brown I have in my wardrobe. Case in point: On an especially chilly night out at a Parisian bistro, I paired my favorite blue tights with a tiny mini skirt and a big fur coat. They kept my legs warm while also complementing the warmer tones of my leopard print outerwear.

In addition to colorful tights, knee-high stockings have been in my rotation of pieces I wear on repeat. In fact, I own duplicates of the sheer brown ones below so that I can have an emergency backup while one is in the wash.

I always pack a couple of pairs of these babies when traveling, and they came in handy in Paris. I found the silhouette created by the knee-high stockings with my slate blue Vivienne Westwood mini dress and classic Repetto ballerina flats to be super flattering.

Lastly, don’t sleep on printed tights or socks. I’m obsessed with using a lace pair of tights to add texture to an otherwise monochrome look. That's exactly what I did for the Ottolinger Spring 2026 runway show: The chocolate brown mini dress from the brand I was planning on wearing felt too bare and boring without them.

Currently, my eyes are also peeled for the perfect argyle tight. Yes, fall; yes, preppy; yes, all-girls school—but make it chic!

With so many tights and stocking options on the market, I’m convinced everyone will have their Goldilocks hosiery moment. The best part about this styling trick is that you can “invest”—a.k.a. spend $30-plus on a more luxurious pair—or get them off Amazon (just make sure you read all the reviews so they’re going to last more than one season).

And with that, I’ll leave you some tights runway inspiration and options to shop.