I am finally at the age where I don’t feel compelled to try every trend, however I do give them a whirl when the mood strikes. Earlier this year, red tights staged a comeback—I tend to think of them as very ’80s, but they definitely had a Gossip Girl (the original) season 1 moment in the early 2000s—and while I wasn’t quite ready then, a display at my local Target caught my eye (I know, right?!) and all of a sudden, they seemed like the perfect thing to wear right now. Here’s how I styled my red tights for a holiday party.
A New Day Opaque Tights
When it comes to tights, I am generally of the “you get what you pay for” camp, however I couldn’t resist the $9 price tag on this A New Day pair from Target and, honestly, it’s not like I’ll be wearing them every day (or much beyond the holiday season). That said, they’re pretty thick (50 denier is on the heavier side in terms of opaqueness) and so far haven’t snagged. I really like that the red is more of a subdued blood red versus a bright cherry red (the color is slightly more accurate in the full-length photos of me); it feels more elevated than you’d expect. I went with a size M/L and I’m glad I did—there’s plenty of length and the waistband feels super comfy.
What to wear with them
When it comes to styling red tights, you basically have three options. First, you could go monochrome in head-to-toe red, which is how Target had styled its mannequin in the way that caught my eye, like a bullfighter with a cape. I think that looks amazing in theory, however I find red to be a powerful color and can only handle it in small doses. But if you can rock it, by all means, go for it. The second way is to Blair Waldorf it and use the red tights to pull together all of the colors you’re wearing. This is an Advanced Styling Move, however, and can look totally costumey if you’re not careful (and if you go the green-and-red route, you seriously risk looking like a Christmas elf). Which brings us to the third way, which is what I chose: pop the red against neutrals.
While you can’t see much of it, I am actually wearing a white sweater and a black skirt underneath my gray jacket; all of a sudden, it’s starting to feel like winter here in San Francisco and I was too cold to even open up my jacket while we were shooting this. Either way, you still get my point: the rest of the look feels classic yet not too subdued, and while the red tights definitely stand out, they don’t look too out of place, nor do they pull too much focus from the rest of my outfit.
And because it’s the holidays, I did have a little fun with my accessories: a teeny-tiny bag (don’t bring your everyday bag to holiday parties!) and the Alaia dupes I’ve been wearing nonstop for the last several months. I have seen people style red tights with red shoes, which I think looks really badass, but the reds need to closely match for you to pull it off; I liked the contrast that these studded Mary Janes provide, and let me tell you, they are definitely a conversation-starter. Which is never a bad thing when you’re going to a holiday party!