The focus of this blog is to answer your fashion questions and help you develop your personal sense of style. What to wear with what, when to wear it, and so on. With the holidays already upon us, I know I have begun thinking about what I am wearing where, with what, and all that too.
This morning a friend called to ask my opinion on whether or not she should wear black opaque tights with a red sheer cocktail dress. The answer is generally, no. The tights will look heavy, clunky, and, too daytime. With a black dress, it could work if you got everything else right, but it is much trickier with a color. Look at the whole picture, with shoes and the balance of the top to the bottom. Neckline detail, hair volume and accessories will all play a part in how balanced the look is.
If you are very young, pair a black bootie or hot black boot with the tights and red dress and go. Chances are you look good in almost everything and can pull it off. Otherwise, for evening, sheer black hose works best to balance the sheerness of the dress fabric. Do not, however, wear evening sandals with any hose. Sandals = bare legs only, please. The exception to this is a very thick strappy sandal, in an evening fabric such as poe de soi, or lace, but then, again, I would question that the overall look is cohesive. A closed toe evening shoe works the best with a sheer hose. A sling back or peep toe is ok too. Beware of the reinforced toe and heel and please promise me you will never go there.
Alternatively, a black lace or textured hose that reads sheer could work if you want to draw attention to your legs. Only do this if you have knockout legs.
Most importantly, do a trial run for an important outfit, especially for evening. This way you will be confident it all works, and you won’t have a meltdown 5 minutes before you are supposed to leave the house.
