Skirt/dress with no tights / tan if you're pale?

[NapaCab]

If you're pale and don't tan naturally, what do you wear with a skirt/dress in hot weather? When I lived in the UK, I always wore tights with a dress / skirt because I had the impression that pale legs, even in summer, are a bad look.

Now I live in a hot climate (USA) and no-one around here wears tights as it's too hot but most people are tanned either naturally or fake-bake so they look fine.

Most of the time I wear trousers and just can't bring myself to wear shorts(!) but I have recently bought a couple of nice summer dresses. Would it be a fashion faux-pas to wear them with my legs all blotchy and pale as they are? I could never do fake tan because it would look ridiculous on me, I'm too pale and have strawberry-blonde hair.

I'm ginger and all that seems to happen to my legs in the summer is more freckles. However, even though I live in an area quite full of fake tanners, other than a tiny bit of slightly tinted moisturiser I just blind the community with my white legs.

I just go for it pale legs and all. Although when I can be bothered I do find that a touch of Johnson's Holiday Skin body moisturiser takes the glare off a little

I'm dark dark brown haired and pale and freckly.
This year I have had my legs out, for the first time since I was a little kid. I wore shorts all weekend at first, it was soooo hot, come Monday I thought I was being ridiculous. I am 37 FFS, it shouldn't bother me and if it bothers other people, well, it's their problem. I had to have a major attitude going out for the first few days, but now a couple of weeks later its ok. I'd still like a tan though
Moisturise your legs allt, this has helped my skin look smoother and less like plucked chicken legs

FECK the pale legs. Mine are totally blue-white and for the first time in my life I am just getting them out anyway. No fake tan, no tights, no hiding under jeans. They're just out in the summer air. And not one single person has done this

My legs never tan and are always milk bottle white. I get them out anyway, doesn't bother me

Agreed, I've had 'wow, you've got legs' type comments from friends because they haver never seen the light of day before, but not from anyone else. I found it helpful to think, yeah, they're blue white but at least I'm not sunburnt. like most other people

Mine are always very white but I get them out anyway when it's hot, in shorts or dresses. I do wear tights if I need to be smart though, as I'm a bit self-conscious of the blotchy whiteness ruining my outfit otherwise!

Just go bare.

I use a really good moisturiser and they look absolutely fine. I wouldn't dream of using fake tan, either. They look better without.

Lol@'blind the community'

I am a faker, but I honestly think if youre THAT pale that fake tan doesnt look good on you - you should just embrace it. Shave your legs, slap on loads of mousturiser and get them out. Why should you be ashamed of your natural complexion?

I too am someone whose milk-bottle legs could easily blind passers-by ...

I can't quite bring myself to flash them as they are, but nor can I go down the fake tan route. I wear a tiny bit of tinted moisturiser just to take the blue edge off them. Or I slap on some of the gradual tan stuff but only once or twice - they still look white, but not dazzlingly so.

I am also milk bottle white and have a stupid god awful tattoo on my lower leg that in ashamed of so I have been keeping my pins hidden all summer under jeans. Even in France I wore maxis. That was daring for me! I have positively melted in this heat though. I am starting to reconsider my stance on baring my legs. I have just bought a midi sun dress and am thinking of applying some light/medium dove tinted moisturiser to my pins and just going for it!

i think there's something really youthful and refreshing about a barely there tan. which of course can be achieved via a light fake tanner, like dove glow light / medium.

i got a tiny bit of sun on my legs this past fortnight and a thin application of dove glow really makes them look alive without the sun obsessed look.

of you are actually glowing white, i would suggest working with it rather than against it. summer here is very short, even though at the time we are dazzled by it and feel like it will last forever! the media and images really want you to buy more shit, so disregard that.

if i really hated my leg colour i would wear very thin tights or a decent tan cream. but seriously, nobody is really looking at us out there. there are so many shades of pale in the streets that we just merge in with the rest!

I am super pale, I use Rimmel wash off shimmer in the lightest shade, my legs look natural but it covers all the blotches and gives them shine.

I either don't bother or use the Rimmel stuff the same as chips -- it just takes the edge off, and for me it is less faff and less malodorous than the gradual tanners.

I have this year decided to bare my legs in all their pale glory
I have never had a decent fake tan, and the weather's been too sticky even for barely-there tights.

I do shave, exfoliate and moisturise regularly though.

I use the gradual tan cream from ambre soliare, and it takes the edge off. My legs just do not tan! However I don't always remember and don't care enough not to wear skirts if I've forgotten!

Exfoliate, keep them well moisturised and perhaps a bit of shimmer pale looks more attractive than poorly applied fake tan or scaly tanned legs.

I quite like the Sally Hansen Airbrush legs stuff. Very subtle, just takes the glare off a bit and no need for elaborate fake tanning

Thanks for all your replies. In general, I'm very happy with my complexion but my legs are blindingly white and it is really strange here in the US because most people are naturally tanned or fake it.

I was thinking of using a tinted moisturiser just to take the edge off the glare but couldn't find a subtle enough brand that isn't orange. That Sally Hansen Airbrush product looks good Pret and it's available here in the US so I will see if I can give that a try.