Wearing tights with work clothes...

[bloss]

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I would never wear tights under trousers, it does feel and look so odd to me, sorry. Is that what you meant though or do you mean you wear opaques under a skirt suit?

I wear opaques under a pencil skirt/dress. Patterned ones mostly, which gives a bit of a lift to an otherwise fairly dull combo of pencil skirt/fitted T shirt/fitted cardi/necklace. I think expanses of naked leg are very unprofessional. Only permissable on about 5 baking hot days of the years as long as said legs are perfectly waxed and tanned.

Could you get your legs waxed?

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I didn't think you meant that but there are weird women who do wear tights under trousers. I work with some.

I sympathise with the waxing - it doesn't agree with me either but as I've never encountered anyone who has this problem too before I thought it might be OK for you!

In summer I tend to wear very unsatisfactory "nude" tights and you are right, they look pretty minging. Strangely I wear trousers more often in the summer (because of the tights dilemma) but usually a summer weight fabric. I have some lovely white (lined) linen mix trousers which I wore to death last summer as they are pretty crease free and not transparent as white trousers tend to be.

If you find any decent nude tights tell me!

I work in a semi-conservative environment and I ditch the tights some time in June and get them out again in September. TBH I couldn't care a fig's leaf what anyone thought of it. I am not going to bake in tights in summer, and I'm not going to wear trousers to cover up either...what a waste of lovely sunshine!

I find shoes a problem if not wearing tights (feet stick to/lift the insoles) - what do you non-tight wearers do - use those little footsie liner things?

FWIW I think 'light' dark tights - grey/nearly black in a fine denier are OK if you don't like nude colours. If wearing opaque, I think patterned and/or lower denier are best as really thick opaques=casual imho.

Flesh coloured tights really really scare me. I work in a library environment and so want to be as far away from the tan tights thing as possible.

I wear brightly coloured tights, blues, purples etc. Would you be brave enough to do that?

Can you get nude tights which are very very see through (so denier 10 or less)? It means you'll have to shave but you could probably get away with every other day. Maybe use an electric razor as it cuts the hair close but not too close to cause ingrown hairs if done every day.

I don't wear tights with a skirt in the summer as it gets too hot and sticky. I just get into the habit of shaving more often but as I don't wear a skirt everyday it's not that big a deal.

I don't think bare legs and formal wear as a combo is wrong provided the skirt isn't too short!

I think that tights have evolved a lot - this winter I have worn thicker (wool/cotton etc) tights from Doré Doré, Falke and Marni. There are masses to choose from - ribbed, coloured, patterned etc - and they look great with calf/knee high boots.

But of course, if you are still wearing clothes from a couple of years ago, this year's tights will look wrong/odd with them.

In summer I wear trousers. I am no longer young and don't think many women's legs look fantastic nude as they age. If you've got them, flaunt them by all means, however. I hate fake tan - just waxed, exfoliated and moisturised is a great look if your legs are nice.

Thinking more about this - I don't think bare legs with a business suit is a good look at all.

If it is hot enough for bare legs, wear a dress.

I am interested as I switched from long skirts to knee length ones in the winter, which worked quite well.

However, come summer, while I am comfortable having bare legs with ankle length skirts, I am less comfortable going to work with bare legs from the knee down. And of course skirts ride up a little when you sit down.

stockings in the summer - stockings HQ have lovely ones, all colours and probably some nude ones that are very sheer indeed and would look nice.

Yes, but if I am wearing knee-length skirts (so as not to look frumpy) I really don't want to flash colleagues and patients an eyeful of suspenders and bare thigh as I sit down. I am wondering whether to go back to long skirts in really hot weather, when it gets too hot to wear opaques with knee length skirts. I am even wondering whether to keep some clothing options in my office so I can change depending on the vagaries of the weather and the office heating system (hate being too hot).

Bare legs are a 'no no' in the business world.

Dark opaques are fine in the Winter. Nude in Summer.

Bare legs with a skirt suit look awful. In the winter, I wear black opaques, lacy tights or solid coloured opaques - grey, burgundy, purple, cobalt etc.

I tend to wear dresses and bare legs in the summer for work but if I want to wear a 'proper' skirt, I would wear nude hold-ups. Sheer black tights look awful.

To be honest, I fancy I can get away with bare legs in the right office clothes. If I am wearing an ankle length linen skirt and closed-toe shoes, it would be quite hard to work out whether I was wearing tights or not (I am not exactly business anyway, I work in one of the older professions ).

I try to wear a jacket and have got a couple that are quite lightweight and wearable in the heat.

I wear tights under trousers unless I am wearing boots then I wear socks. Bare legs are cold. I don't really care if people think I am wierd or old fashioned. I think I look smart and businesslike.

French business women all go bare-legged to the office in summer. I don't like it much personally, unless their legs are fabulous, but it certainly isn't a no-no.

I don't think bare legs are a no no in a professional environment (I'm an accountant) unless you really haven't got the legs for it

That's the issue - the ones that I see with no tights usually have dreadful legs!

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blimey I'm glad I don;t work in an office......

It might be worth you investing in some expensive ones, woolford, falke etc and see what you think. Fenwicks Bond St has a very good hosiery department. I think you do have to wear something on your legs in the summer, especially in a 'professional' environment.

good ole M&S do a nice range of nude with a gloss so they dont look frumpy or old fashioned. try those ones - pre DC i worked in a prof office environment and when i wasnt wearing a trouser suit would wear nude hold ups or tights in summer or a long skirt/dress.