What we keep wearing: Colored tights

There are only so many ways to wear a black miniskirt before you start to think that your wardrobe has become a uniform. However, tights are a solution to what might feel like a monotonous outfit. Add an oversized sweater, ballet flats and a pair of tights, and you have a fall outfit. Add cherry red tights, and suddenly you have a personality.

Fall dressing can get a little repetitive. We reach for the same black, brown and grey pieces, hoping that a slightly different cardigan will somehow make us stand out, all the while keeping us warm.

Enter colored tights: the easiest way to make your legs the most interesting part of your outfit. They are practical, playful and dramatic enough to make a perfectly ordinary Tuesday feel like an occasion. And at UCSB, where the temperature rarely dips below 60 degrees, they offer a way to participate in fall fashion without dressing like we live in a snow globe.

Colored tights originally gained traction in the late ‘60s and ‘70s. British designer Mary Quant paired her youthful minidresses with opaque tights in shades like scarlet, mustard and plum. The look was practical, but also challenged the more conservative expectations surrounding women’s clothing. With the help of model Twiggy, whose wide-eyed look became synonymous with the decade’s mod style, colorful hosiery became associated with youth and rebellion.

This continued when they came back into fashion in the mid-2000s Tumblr twee era, a style that has been creeping back into closets throughout the indie sleaze revival of the 2020s.

In other words, women have been making their legs a topic of conversation in the world of style for decades. Colored tights have since developed a number of personalities. They can be punk, preppy, romantic or even ridiculous, depending on the shade and what you pair them with.

Red tights, in particular, have enjoyed a fashion revival, appearing in recent seasons alongside the broader return of statement hosiery. ELLE reported colorful tights across fall 2026 runways, from tomato red at Marc Jacobs to seafoam green at Chanel and vivid cobalt at Simone Bellotti. Apparently, designers have decided that the most overlooked part of an outfit can steal the show.

Red is the obvious starting point. Cherry-red tights paired with a black minidress and ballet flats can make the most simple outfit feel both classy and fun. They carry a certain Blair Waldorf energy: polished and slightly theatrical. Waldorf practically made colored tights part of the Constance Billard uniform on “Gossip Girl,” proving that a little hosiery can go a long way toward looking academically successful, even if your actual academic performance is another story.

For anyone who would rather not look like they are about to scheme their way into a Manhattan socialite’s inner circle, burgundy and plum offer a subtler alternative. They bring warmth to an outfit without demanding quite so much attention. Pair them with a brown skirt, a grey sweater or loafers and you have a fall look that feels fit for a cozy dinner party or wine Wednesday.

Then there are the pastels. Baby pink, pistachio green and pale blue tights lean into the coquette aesthetic, especially with Mary Janes, lace-trimmed skirts or short white dresses. They are sweet, girlish and committed to the bit — which I think is part of the fun. Fashion does not always have to be serious!

Of course, the trick is knowing how to style them without looking like you accidentally wandered into a costume department. The easiest approach is to let the tights do the talking. Keep the rest of your outfit relatively simple and monotone. Red tights with a black skirt and black flats create a deliberate sandwich effect. Meanwhile, pink tights with a grey outfit offer a softer, ballerina-esque effect.

And there is no need to reserve the trend for miniskirts. Colored tights can work beneath mini shorts, peeking out under a long skirt or paired with a simple dress and oversized jacket. Sheer versions give a more understated wash of color, while opaque tights make a strong statement.

For our perpetually transitional California weather, they can also be a useful alternative to bare legs once the evenings get colder — without requiring a full commitment to sweaters, coats and the general inconvenience of actual winter.

The appeal of colored tights, though, goes beyond their ability to make an outfit look styled. They are a reminder that getting dressed can be playful. We spend so much time trying to find our personal style, as if it is a fixed destination we should eventually arrive at. But an outfit can be different every day. You can be preppy on Monday, romantic on Wednesday and eccentric on Friday. Sometimes, all it takes is changing the color of your stockings.

So if your fall wardrobe is beginning to look suspiciously like everyone else’s, consider giving your legs something to contribute. You do not need a new coat, a new pair of boots or an entirely new aesthetic. The black miniskirt can stay. Just let the tights have a little fun.

Arna Churiwala believes legs can be the most chic body part.