Morning:
6°c
To wear, or not to wear - that is the question. Or at least, that is the question when it comes to hosiery. April is the cruellest month: sunny one minute, icy cold the next, presenting a real conundrum when it comes to the small but pressing matter of tights. Whether 'tis nobler to the legs to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous weather is a moot point, for surely there is only so much a lady should suffer in the pursuit of style.
The tights problem was illustrated yesterday by First Ladies Sarah Brown and Michelle Obama. Rarely does Mrs O wear tights, even in the wintry chill of her native Chicago, so a nippy British April was never destined to have her reaching for the Wolfords. Besides, tights of any sort would have compromised the bright spring colours of her London wardrobe, and with legs this fine, it would be a travesty to cover them up.
In contrast, Sarah Brown made the right decision in teaming her black Britt Lintner dress with charcoal grey tights. Black ones would have looked too solid, and bare legs would have looked too stark when worn with a black dress and black court shoes. As a fellow Scot, I can vouch for the blue-grey tinge that Mrs Brown's legs would have displayed had she unmasked them. If my own are anything to go by, I'd say she did us all a favour by keeping them under wraps.
On the party circuit, the tights question is vexing London's finest. A recent night out in Mayfair saw Kate Moss prove she is not yet ready to ditch the black opaques, despite being sunkissed from a recent beach holiday. By contrast, Alexa Chung (Kate's biggest rival for the title of London's Most Stylish Girl) has been doing bare legs for months, with no qualms about flaunting her lily whites. And therein lies the rub: that legs as long and slender as Alexa's can be any colour they like and still look fabulous.
In fashion circles, it is generally considered poor form to wear any tights past January. This is, of course, an easy rule to adhere to if you have a driver. For the rest of us, beholden to the vagaries of both weather and public transport, a compromise can be reached in the form of trusty 15 deniers. In the fashion wilderness for several seasons now, these are enjoying a bit of a moment. Granted, they're not much of a fashion statement, but then, neither are goosepimples.
Reader views (6)
Wow. Interesting to see that its you ladies making the comments.
What was 'wrong' with housewives from the 50s?!!!
Does it really matter what these people wear? Women should wear what They feel comfortable in and not be dictated to by ANY fashionistas.
- Will Lemieux, London Uk, 03/04/2009 12:20
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Hands off the first Ladies,they are beautifull and have good dress sense.
- David Nigel Braham, Milan Italy, 03/04/2009 11:23
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Be glad you have a short time with michelle obama. We here in the states(i'm a trans-plant from quebec)have to endure her "fashion sense" almost daily.
The most positive statement we can make is that she's not color-blind; although the peach, pink, strawberry and candy-apple red mixture one of her girls wore to the inaugaration was a little too much for most. Our press still hailed her as a fashion plate...from the local thrift or hand-me-down shop maybe.
Don't be fooled by our press you may see over there...50% of the voters thought obama was an empty suite and didn't vote for him....at least another 20% have changed their minds about him...obama is faltering and having trouble getting a consensus within his own party and the spin his staff puts out is incredible...
and no one here likes michele obama.
oh and i agree with deborah from london...my mother wore that same outfit shopping in 1957 !
- Pat Gordon, memphis tennessee usa, 03/04/2009 04:43
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I disagree with Cheryl and Deborah. Both ladies have dressed appropriately for their age and status. What are they meant to wear mini-skirts and shoe boots. I do agree that Sarah, who has nice legs, should have worn lighter denier tights, but her lovely face more than makes up for it.
- Sonia M., St Albans, Herts, 02/04/2009 16:53
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You are totally right, Deborah from London!
- Cheryl, Hull, 02/04/2009 15:15
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Mrs Brown needs to work on her posture and get some better undergarments for some shape.
They both look like 1950 housewives.
- Deborah, London, 02/04/2009 14:34
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