Coloured stockings hit the March ’24 Miu Miu runway show.
Resolutions don’t have to last forever. Two summers ago, I quit drinking alcohol, mainly to see what impact it would have on my physical and mental wellbeing. It also proved a handy social and financial experiment. Although I’ve resumed enjoying the odd tipple – I’ll always be a sucker for a well-made margarita – I certainly learnt a lot about my former relationship with booze.
It’s the same with stockings, which I ditched about six years ago. At the time, I was convinced tights – especially the opaque kind – were making me a lazy dresser. I also viewed my bare-legged status as a protest, albeit a passive one, against the patriarchal history of hosiery. And this was before Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, caused an international scandal when she supposedly broke royal protocol by appearing in public sans stockings.
Meghan Markle caused a right royal ruckus when she appeared sans stockings.Credit: Getty Images
During the pandemic, it was easy to keep up my stockings ban. Given “real” clothes were hardly getting a look-in, wearing pantyhose or tights – except the activewear kind – was far too much work, especially when most of us only existed professionally above the waist.
But, as with many things that have experienced a post-pandemic rebound, pantyhose are enjoying a renaissance (rayon-aissance?). They are also being embraced by a younger generation of fashion lovers, even if that often means they’re being worn as part of the new, bold, “no-pants” trend.
The key difference between the pantyhose of old and the 2.0 version is, today, there are fewer situations where women are absolutely required to cover their legs. Also, in 2024, stockings are no mere accessory but often an outfit’s hero. On this season’s runways, covering up was essential at Miu Miu, where tights came in shades of green, blue and orange, cementing coloured hosiery’s relevance for at least the next 12 months. And the red-stocking trend, a hallmark of the “indie sleaze” look seen on the street-style set at Melbourne Fashion Festival and in the 2023 winter collections before that, is further testament to stockings’ climbing status.
As I did with the lifting of my drinking hiatus, I’m dipping my toe – gently – back into nylon. Recently, I slipped into stockings for the first time in years. It didn’t feel lazy or the least bit oppressive. And I realised just what I’d been missing.
To read more from Good Weekend magazine, visit our page at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Brisbane Times.