Sheer Hosiery

Sheer hosiery is an excellent way to showcase your womanly side while making your outfits look more complete and classy. Sheer tights is timeless and ooze sex & style appeal! Wear them to create a statement that says that you really care about how you look. For many men this is a huge attraction factor.

Levante sheer pantyhose for full figure women

Courtesy of My Tights

Not only do sheer hosiery attract the opposite sex , they're god-sent for you who wants to disguise razor bumps, pasty skin, cellulites and other imperfections that make you feel self-conscious about your legs. It's simply a great way to give your legs a stunning look and feel.

Nude pantyhose is also a solution for those who don't feel comfortable going bare-leggedin a skirt or dress. You can find sheer tights in an ultra-sheer finish that lets your legs breathe in the summer.

Sheer Pantyhose isn't Just for Grannies

Beautiful Beyonce wearing sheer pantyhose with denim shorts
Beyoncé via Celebutopia

Sheer pantyhose is an underestimated piece of accessory. It has been given a bad reputation because many women associate it with grannies.

I, myself, consider it as a wardrobe essential because it completes many outfits worn for special occasions - from formal-to semi formal events (let's face it many 'black tie occasions' require a classy dress code, and baring your legs is inappropriate) to office work and even casual parties.

And I'm not going to lie, for Fall & Winter I often wear black sheer pantyhose with my denim shorts too :) It gives demureness to casual clothing - and I like it!

All in all, sheer hosiery is a wardrobe staple because it:

Makes your legs look flawless
Makes you feel feminine and great
Makes you look more attractive
Makes you look classy with a little bit of sex appeal
Keeps you covered on many occasions
Attracts the opposite sex (this gives your confidence a boost, admit it!)
2 second makeup for your legs

"There's no comparison when it comes to bare vs. hose. Pantyhosed legs are WAY sexier than bare legs any day. Like what has been said before; go out in bare legs and then go out in the same outfit with pantyhose on and youll see the results. If I'm in a club setting and I see two women next to each other and one is hot looking with bare legs and the other is average looking with pantyhose on, I'll talk to the average looking woman wearing the pantyhose. It just says something about a woman when she's willing to take that extra step to make herself look better. That's a very attractive trait." Source: Comment from a guy

Sheer Hosiery Never Goes Out of Style

Since sheer hosiery is such an essential piece, it will never go out of style. There are times of the year when sheer pantyhose is becomes less popular because opaques or bare legs are all the rage in the fashion scene, but it's still 'in style'.

It's also about how you wear it. I can tell you that wearing nude glossy pantyhose with a little black dress creates an amazing party look. Also, if you're into a chic, laid-back look you'll discover how great a pair of relaxed denim shorts looks with black sheer pantyhose. Not to mention with casual sweaters dresses paired with trendy high heels or casual sluch boots.

Sheer hose looks nude on your skin, but yet it's revealing and sexy without looking tacky!

Sheer pantyhose stylish trendy chic outfits

Image credit: Kelly Stuart/Elle, olsen-twin-news, Shopbop

You need at least secure one pair of sheer tights that match the color of your skin - this will keep you covered on special occasions where the dress code is a little strict. However black sheer is much, much, much more versatile and chic, and goes with a lot of outfit and clothing styles.

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How to Buy Sheer Hosiery

Want to buy sheer hosiery but not sure where to start? Then take a look at these tips:

What's 'denier'?

The first step in buying sheer pantyhose is to gain a basic understanding of the term 'denier'. Basically, 'denier' indicates how sheer a pair of hosiery is. Anything below 20 is considered sheer.

20 is stronger than 10 and are more durable for everyday wear (or heavy partying!). Anything below a denier 10 is ultra sheer and perfect for summer.

Difference between low and high denier pantyhose

Denier between 20 to 40 works as semi sheer, but more on the lines of semi-opaque, which means that they have more coverage (looks more saturated). However 20 - 40 denier can also look chic but is obviously inappropriate for semi-formal occasions and work best with layering your Fall & Winter outfits.

Your toes and the shoes

Take a look at your feet with the shoes you'll be wearing the hosiery with.

Can you see your toes?

Sandal foot toe nude ultra sheer pantyhose
Courtesy of Pretty Polly

If you can, then you need 'sandal foot' (also known as "sandal toe") hosiery.

These have an ultra-sheer toe, compared to a reinforced one, and are more suitable to wear with open-toed shoes (peep hole, strappy high heels, etc.). The last thing anyone (including yourself) wants to see are reinforced toes sticking out of delicate strappy sandals.

Reinforced-toe styles are perfectly acceptable with pumps, boots or other closed-toe shoes, and the heavier stitching is preferable for added durability and comfort for your feet.

More fashion advice on Hosiery:

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Many European brands (British, French, Italian, etc.) are definitely much higher quality than American which might explain why many women dread pantyhose - it either itches, suffocates or feel to warm.

The fit is better and comfortable, not to mention that the waistband is less restrictive. So I encourage you to shop at UK hosiery stores or any American hosiery store that offers European brands.

Examples of European labels:

Aristoc
Wolford
Jonathan Aston
Oroblu
Levante
Pierre Mantoux
Kunert
Falke
Charnos
Levee
Gerbe

Examples of online stores that offer European hosiery brands:

UK Tights
My Tights
Bare Necessities (offers Wolford which is a high quality luxury European brand)
Figleaves

sheer pantyhose at Bizrate

Bizrate

Types of Sheer Hosiery

Support control shapewear spanx sheer pantyhose

ASSETS by Sara Blakely/
Bare Necessities

Ultra sheer has a denier of 10 or less. It's ideal for achieving a bare leg look, and will also keep your legs cool during the hot summer months.

Glossy pantyhose is perfect if you want your legs looking lustrous and shiny. Like light-diffusing makeup concealer it can make them look flawless.

Control top/support provides extra support to the butt and especially the tummy. It tucks away the extra flab in a flash. A good choice for those who wants to look slimmer in an instant. It works exactly as a body shaper. An example of a good brand that offers control top hosiery is Spanx.

Sheer summer light toeless pantyhose
Falke Toeless Shelina via My Tights

Toeless pantyhose are designed with an open-toe feature so they can be worn discreetly with sandals and open toe shoes. They make it so much easier for your feet to breathe and lessen the embarrassment of wearing hose during the hot summer months.

Falke offers Shelina Toeless which is one of the most popular hosiery without toes. Another recommended product is Berkshire Ultra Sheer Hose found at Bare Necessities

Compression hosiery keeps mild aches and swollen ankles at bay. Perfect for those who stands on their feet most of the day. Improves blood circulation.

Aristoc sheer stockings
Sheer Stockings via My Tights

Bronzing effect hosiery is usually fine and features a natural tanning effect.

Sheer pattern hosiery is awesome for fun and play. I particularly like pantyhose with polkadots. Very cute yet subtle.

Stockings are more sexier and convenient than pantyhose. Wear them to office work or semi-formal occasions but make sure that the lace top doesn't peek from beneath your dress/skirt.

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