Q. Now that the cold weather is really starting to bite, I’m having a bit of a wardrobe crisis. I love to wear shorts and dresses but I don’t want to freeze to death either. How on earth can I dress for the winter – without having to cover up completely?
A. Over the past few autumn/winter seasons, tights have been making the transition from practical wardrobe staples into statement pieces that can elevate any look to a whole new level. Teamed with this season's shorter-than-short minis, shifts, tunics and babydoll dresses, opaque legs have trotted down the catwalk and across the hallowed pages of Vogue. They are a great alternative to jeans for keeping warm and look great teamed with city shorts or a dress.
For those with legs of more generous proportions, this season's love of volume can be played to your advantage. Pairing with bell-sleeved coats, oversized sweater dresses or cocooned skirts, tights and leggings (did I mention the essential colour is black?) will streamline stumpy legs and give your outfit an edgy feel. PVU leggings are also a great way to modernise anybody's look and they'll look equally good with your daytime sweater dress and flats, or with chunky Louboutin heels for an edgier take during the evening.
Metallic, glitter, polished coloured opaque’s and anything with a glam rock edge will also add spark and attitude to all your party looks and brighten up dreary Dublin days. And don't forget the good old classic woollies; pop them on with your favourite wellies for walks along the beach on a crisp winter's afternoon. A word of warning - quality matters! Three pairs for a fiver might seem like the economical option at the time, but you won't be thinking that when you go through all three in one day because the first pair broke as you were putting them on, the second laddered halfway to the car, and you find a large, unexplainable hole in the third.
Then there's the fit: there's nothing more uncomfortable than a badly fitting pair of tights that twist up around one thigh or sag in between your legs all day. There is no dignified or discreet way to re-adjust in public - believe me, I've tried. Investing in a quality pair will save you time, discomfort, embarrassment - and, in the long run, money. Now's the time to dress up your legs with these great fashions and cheer up the gloomy months.
