Legwear for a winter wedding (as a guest)

[marbel]

I'm going to a wedding later this month.  It's probably still going to be very cold here in the mid-Atlantic. 

I have to buy something to wear anyway, but I'm thinking ahead to what to wear on my legs. Last I heard, sheer hose is out!  Like, I keep reading here and elsewhere that only very old ladies wear it. I don't want to look like a very old lady.

If I wear a skirt during cold weather anymore (rare) it's something I wear with black shoes and black tights.  So, I can buy a dress that's compatible with black tights and shoes, but  I really don't want to. I just don't love wearing predominately black to a wedding.  If I want something lighter... is it bare legs, in February, really?  Not only is it too cold, but I don't like the look.  But I can't think of other options.  Are there other options?   

[PeterPan]

Unless this is a very formal evening wedding, almost anything goes. (suits, jeans, anything) Not saying you *should* wear jeans to a wedding, just that things are a lot less formal. If you wear a long skirt, you could wear boots or anything you like. Or just wear something with pants.

[Guest]

Dance stores would have a range of tights colors. Or leggings and boots, under a shorter dress or tunic? I do the latter a lot.

[Bambam]

Do you have a skirt you could wear with leggings and dressy boots (assuming you have dressy boots, of course!)? 

Otherwise, I'd totally wear leggings with my dress and shoes. It might not look fashionable, but I wouldn't care. 

[MercyA]

I'm sorry, marbel, I don't have an answer for you, but I have to know: for those of you who don't wear sheer hose, what in the world do you wear with church-type dresses and heels when it's so cold? No way am I going bare-legged and tights just don't look good with everything. 

Edited February 1, 2019 by MercyA

[Guest]

In winter, I do what Maribel does-lots of black :). Of course, I'm a musician, so I tend to buy black or Black and white for dressy clothes so they can be worn for performance.

 

 

 

[mumto2]

I tend to wear longish skirts these days when I need dressy.  I wear knee highs under the skirt but no one can really see them and I get blisters without something.  I also still wear sheer nylons as opposed to bare legs.....blisters.

Black tights are worn with things I would never match them with normally.  I think they are now a neutral!  I don’t particularly like the look but with brighter colors they are OK.  

[Ellie]

41 minutes ago, marbel said:

I'm going to a wedding later this month.  It's probably still going to be very cold here in the mid-Atlantic. 

I have to buy something to wear anyway, but I'm thinking ahead to what to wear on my legs. Last I heard, sheer hose is out!  Like, I keep reading here and elsewhere that only very old ladies wear it. I don't want to look like a very old lady.

If I wear a skirt during cold weather anymore (rare) it's something I wear with black shoes and black tights.  So, I can buy a dress that's compatible with black tights and shoes, but  I really don't want to. I just don't love wearing predominately black to a wedding.  If I want something lighter... is it bare legs, in February, really?  Not only is it too cold, but I don't like the look.  But I can't think of other options.  Are there other options?   

I don't care who thinks that sheer hose is "out;" I think unless someone is wearing strappy sandals, there needs to be something on the legs, not to mention the fact that wearing closed shoes with no hosiery of some kind (and "hosiery" includes all varieties of things on the feet) is grosser than gross. If I'm wearing a nice dress to a wedding, with nice shoes that are not strappy sandals, you bet I will be wearing hose. I don't know why wearing something on one's legs would make one look like an "old lady," unless the rest of one's clothing is the kind that "old ladies" would wear.

Why would tights be less old-lady-looking than sheer hose??   Especially black tights and black shoes. o_0 "Tights" are thicker than hose, so don't you have to wear a heavier shoe when you're wearing hose? Heavier shoes tend not to be as dressy, don't you think?

OTOH, if it's very cold, sheer hose wouldn't keep your legs that warm, anyway. 

It's an indoor wedding, yes? Wear a nice dress, not black, and hose, and dressy shoes. Or buy some dressier boots, and you can wear heavier tights with them (the tights don't have to be black), and a dress or skirt of a heavier fabric, and then you'll be warmer and possibly you wont' look like a very old lady, lol.

[Garga]

Google images for “wedding guest dresses tights”.   You’ll get a lot of pictures of how tights can look with wedding guest clothes.

 

I would get thick, lined tights if it was me.

Edited February 1, 2019 by Garga

[G5052]

I'd go for a skirt and fleece-lined tights. Perfectly normal in my area.

My church was built in the 1930's with no insulation in the walls, and I wear tights nearly every Sunday November-March.

[theelfqueen]

JCPenney carries some variety of tights in other colors.

Target has several textured options which are pretty popular right now.

Sheer hose have actually made a bit of a comeback since the Duchess of Cambridge usually wears them. Sheer black hose have been making a comeback, too.
Here's a couple of interesting little articles on hose:

http://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-pairs-sheer-pantyhose-hosiery.html

https://thewardrobeconsultant.com/is-it-ok-to-wear-pantyhose/

 

 

[Faith-manor]

1 hour ago, MercyA said:

I'm sorry, marbel, I don't have an answer for you, but I have to know: for those of you who don't wear sheer hose, what in the world do you wear with church-type dresses and heels when it's so cold? No way am I going bare-legged and tights just don't look good with everything. 

I have a lot of dress pants for cold winter, and I for dressy occasions, a pair of black chiffon palazzo pants. They look wonderful, and I have several dressy shells and tunics to where with them in a variety of gem tones. When wearing a sleeveless shell, I have a black chiffon bolero, and longer black chiffon shrug. I have a burgundy wrap that I wear often with the black sparkly shell and black bolero just for extra warmth. It is very, very pretty. 

For church I where dress pants, maxi skirts or dresses with leggings underneath, and then some mid calf boots.

[gardenmom5]

at least here, I see leggings (which come in wool.) plain or patterned tights (which also come in wool.)

I couldn't find a knee length dress - and ended up with a long dress.  ...I wore long underwear underneath.

[marbel]

Thanks for all the comments!   Couple of things, rather than responding individually.

The wedding website hasn't any stated dress guidelines, but based on the reception venue and crowd, I'd err on the side of conservative-dressy.  Like, what used to be considered 'church clothes' - dress/skirt, dressy shoes (whether flat or heeled, but not casual/chunky).  Long tunic/leggings/boots does not seem right for this.  

What I see people where around here - bare legs or opaque black tights with boots/booties/pumps/other closed-toe shoes - I presume some people wear little sheer socks that just cover the foot and are invisible with a closed-toed shoe but provide a barrier between bare foot and shoe.  I never wear any closed-toe shoes without some sort of socks, except maybe keds if I had any keds.  Some wear fishnet types stockings but that's not for me.  

I would love a pair of dressy tall boots but am not in a financial situation where I am going to spend that kind of $$ on boots I will wear only rarely.   I'd gladly buy a cheap pair but have wide-ish feet that are between size 10 and 11, and a 10.5 shoe is very hard to find!  

But, I just ordered 4 dresses from Lands End so we'll see what happens there. I will plan to take at least 3 back.  :-)  All but one would be fine with black tights I think.

Sheer hose won't really be warm but I am simply not comfortable with bare legs in winter. My skin is dry and pale; in winter when the air is very dry it gets flaky no matter how much I exfoliate and moisturize.  I like the look of pantyhouse, how it smooths everything out. But sure, I don't want to look hopelessly out of fashion.  (And I don't care what other people do; I don't look at other peoples' legs and judge them for not wearing hose. :-) )

 

[gardenmom5]

I meant leggings underneath a dress.

[marbel]

12 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

I meant leggings underneath a dress.

Yes, I figured that.  I was responding to an earlier post about short dress or tunic with leggings and boots.  

[Faith-manor]

These are almost identical to my palazzo pants. Very dressy.

https://www.macys.com/shop/product/alex-evenings-wide-leg-chiffon-pants?ID=863962&CategoryID=157&RVI=Search_4&tdp=cm_choiceId~z863962~xcm_pos~zPos4

Something like this with an updo or half up and nice accessories would work just fine.

https://www.macys.com/shop/product/alex-evenings-wide-leg-chiffon-pants?ID=863962&CategoryID=157&RVI=Search_4&tdp=cm_choiceId~z863962~xcm_pos~zPos4

[Ellie]

35 minutes ago, marbel said:

Thanks for all the comments!   Couple of things, rather than responding individually.

The wedding website hasn't any stated dress guidelines, but based on the reception venue and crowd, I'd err on the side of conservative-dressy.  Like, what used to be considered 'church clothes' - dress/skirt, dressy shoes (whether flat or heeled, but not casual/chunky).  Long tunic/leggings/boots does not seem right for this.  

What I see people where around here - bare legs or opaque black tights with boots/booties/pumps/other closed-toe shoes - I presume some people wear little sheer socks that just cover the foot and are invisible with a closed-toed shoe but provide a barrier between bare foot and shoe.  I never wear any closed-toe shoes without some sort of socks, except maybe keds if I had any keds.  Some wear fishnet types stockings but that's not for me.  

I would love a pair of dressy tall boots but am not in a financial situation where I am going to spend that kind of $$ on boots I will wear only rarely.   I'd gladly buy a cheap pair but have wide-ish feet that are between size 10 and 11, and a 10.5 shoe is very hard to find!  

But, I just ordered 4 dresses from Lands End so we'll see what happens there. I will plan to take at least 3 back.  🙂 All but one would be fine with black tights I think.

Sheer hose won't really be warm but I am simply not comfortable with bare legs in winter. My skin is dry and pale; in winter when the air is very dry it gets flaky no matter how much I exfoliate and moisturize.  I like the look of pantyhouse, how it smooths everything out. But sure, I don't want to look hopelessly out of fashion.  (And I don't care what other people do; I don't look at other peoples' legs and judge them for not wearing hose. 🙂 )

 

It's good that the wedding website hasn't stated any guidelines. It is not the happy couple's job to tell their guests how to dress. 🙂

It's a wedding. Presumably the guests are watching the happy couple, not checking out how the other guests dress. Wear your pantyhose. You will not look "hopelessly out of fashion," and if another guest has enough free time to judge your style, well, bless her heart.

[Lawana]

6 minutes ago, Ellie said:

It's good that the wedding website hasn't stated any guidelines. It is not the happy couple's job to tell their guests how to dress. 🙂

It's a wedding. Presumably the guests are watching the happy couple, not checking out how the other guests dress. Wear your pantyhose. You will not look "hopelessly out of fashion," and if another guest has enough free time to judge your style, well, bless her heart.

As far as “hopelessly out of fashion,” in my area, I have not seen a single woman my age wear flesh colored hose and I am 59. Obviously anyone can wear what they want, but here, flesh colored hose would make someone look really clueless. 

[marbel]

22 minutes ago, Ellie said:

It's good that the wedding website hasn't stated any guidelines. It is not the happy couple's job to tell their guests how to dress. 🙂

It's a wedding. Presumably the guests are watching the happy couple, not checking out how the other guests dress. Wear your pantyhose. You will not look "hopelessly out of fashion," and if another guest has enough free time to judge your style, well, bless her heart.

LOL, I know I am the one who said that I don't want to look hopelessly out of fashion, but it's really not so much about other people looking at and judging me. Though I guess there is some of that.  But it's more about feeling good about myself and how I look.  When I wear something that is frumpy, or old-looking, or way out of date, I feel old and frumpy.  It's similar in a way (though also maybe opposite) to wearing nice matching underwear even though no one is going to see it.  For some people, it just makes them feel better. 

I'm sure I'm not explaining myself well but maybe someone knows what I mean and will come rescue me.  :-)

[Pam in CT]

I have two fancy-ish sheath dresses -- one black, one gray-- and one frum (3/4 sleeves, slightly longer) maroon dress; and that's pretty much all I wear to pretty much any formal-ish events from October-April. If it were afternoon and cold, I'd wear the frum dress, gray tights and knee-high boots.  If it were evening, I'd wear the frum dress, real gray shoes (sigh), and gray tights.  And accessorize with shawl and HAT.

Also I wouldn't worry much about what anyone else thinks. It's cold, for heaven's sake.

[bolt.]

Two questions: How long are you going to be outdoors? Do you find yourself legitimately any warmer when wearing hose?

For me, if I was going to be outdoors for a while, I would wear pants or fleece lined tights, or both. (I'd wear them with dressy boots and a dress, tuinc or top that was heavier and warmer overall.) However, if I was simply walking through a quick parking lot and/or dealing with a cold car, I wouldn't add hose to an outfit in any effort to keep warm. I wouldn't really imagine they could do any good. I'd be cold anyway. I'd just walk quickly, or (if possible) ask my hubby to drop me off at the door, and warm the car before we left.

[cave canem]

4 hours ago, marbel said:

Last I heard, sheer hose is out!  Like, I keep reading here and elsewhere that only very old ladies wear it. I don't want to look like a very old lady.

I'm with Kate Middleton on this issue.  Bare legs are not as dressy, especially in the winter, as sheer stockings.  Also, for most women over forty, stockings help mitigate leg features that contribute to an old-lady look; stockings are great leg make up.  I find they make a remarkable difference in the cold as well.

[JennyD]

1 hour ago, cave canem said:

I'm with Kate Middleton on this issue.  Bare legs are not as dressy, especially in the winter, as sheer stockings.  Also, for most women over forty, stockings help mitigate leg features that contribute to an old-lady look; stockings are great leg make up.  I find they make a remarkable difference in the cold as well.

 

Totally agree with this!  I don't wear hose often but when I do, I pony up for very sheer hose that closely match my (super pale) skin tone.  I don't think they are at all noticeable as "hose" but my legs just look better.

And I always put a backup pair in my purse, because runs are not a good look.

Edited February 1, 2019 by JennyD

[Cecropia]

In winter, I prefer to wear my knee-length skirts with thick-ish thigh high socks.  A few reasons for this: my abdomen doesn't like the compression of a tights/hose waistband when sitting, it avoids the crease/muffin top from a waistband, and there is less static and/or skirt bunching up when moving around from the friction of fabric on fabric (compared to tights).  I own a lot of colors in dressy knit patterns like these:

https://www.sockdreams.com/dreamer-cable-thigh-high.html

https://www.sockdreams.com/extraordinary-waffle-thigh-high.html

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07519MVMN/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_s8lvCb8CNQEJB

I think any of them would look nice at a non-formal wedding.

Also, my particular legs require this product to keep them from rolling down.  Works perfectly all day long.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015DA0E2/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_x.lvCbQE0SPCW

 

 

[prairiewindmomma]

Sheer hose is making a comeback.  Crazy patterns and embellishments are also trending (look at fall fashion week in NY this past year!) Those that refuse to wear pantyhose are often doing so for comfort reasons, not fashion reasons. Wear what you need to be comfortable. 

[PeterPan]

8 hours ago, MercyA said:

what in the world do you wear with church-type dresses and heels when it's so cold?

Well I don't wear heels, but I wear knee hi's or thin trouser socks with flats. Melania Trump seems to wear her heels without stockings. Someone mentioned Kate Middleton, and I think the story there is she's "required" to wear them in public or something? I don't really follow them too much, lol. I guess if your legs look as good as Melania Trump's then you can go without and otherwise do what you want. I don't think sheer stockings are frumpy or old lady. I think they're just not obligatory anymore.

[Arcadia]

I cheated by wearing a light brown ankle length turtleneck wool dress with dark brown boots, skinny jeans and an espresso below knee wool coat. No one could tell I was wearing jeans.

[ktgrok]

10 hours ago, MercyA said:

I'm sorry, marbel, I don't have an answer for you, but I have to know: for those of you who don't wear sheer hose, what in the world do you wear with church-type dresses and heels when it's so cold? No way am I going bare-legged and tights just don't look good with everything. 

Pants. I wear dress pants. 

[WendyLady]

My teen dd who is all fashionista says sheer nylons are the best.  She has nude and black. We live in a cold place and I wear tights or nylons every sunday. I actually really like tights, but I've started wearing nylons again this year.  Do what makes you comfortable.  I wouldn't go to a winter wedding without nylons or tights - nylons are definitely dressier. 

[Arcadia]

The photo in link “Grey sweater dress brown boots” is how I would dress up in less chilly weather. The title says grey but the sweater dress is brown like what I have.

http://atwomansfields.com/grey-sweater-dress-brown-boots/

[Just Kate]

3 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Sheer hose is making a comeback.  Crazy patterns and embellishments are also trending (look at fall fashion week in NY this past year!) Those that refuse to wear pantyhose are often doing so for comfort reasons, not fashion reasons. Wear what you need to be comfortable. 

 

I thought so too (and I am always behind the times a bit!!!). I actually thought that black sheer hose is making a comeback???

[MercyA]

nm 😊

Edited February 2, 2019 by MercyA

[QueenCat]

On 2/1/2019 at 11:07 AM, MercyA said:

I'm sorry, marbel, I don't have an answer for you, but I have to know: for those of you who don't wear sheer hose, what in the world do you wear with church-type dresses and heels when it's so cold? No way am I going bare-legged and tights just don't look good with everything. 

 

I typically wear a sweater with leggings to church when it's cold out. The only people in dresses with hose at my church in the winter are the "old" ladies (70+). You'll see sweater dresses with tights on youth and other women.