Best Tights For Every Outfit

Full-coverage opaque, or barely-there sheer? Swiss dot, herringbone, nude fishnet, faux-garter, or vertical stripe? With so many tights on the market, how's a girl to choose? And, once she's stocked her winter tights arsenal, how's she to know what to pair with what.

Let's dive right in. And don't forget to click to buy these options below.

SHEERS

-Sheer tights are inherently dressier and more feminine than all the other tights in the land. Sheers are what you'll want to wear with your fitted pencil skirts, your flouncy dresses, and your sequin shifts.
-When it comes to shoes, choose closed-toes with your sheer tights. Anything else is a little too.. pretending you're not wearing tights at all. And no one will believe you.

OPAQUES

-These are your standard, everyday tights. These are the tights you wear with a thick sweater-dress and a leather jacket. These are also the tights you wear with mini dresses and leather mini skirts--for modesty.
-For shoes, anything goes. Chunky platform velvet heels, Chelsea boots, and ankle boots alike all flow perfectly into any shoe.

PATTERNED TIGHTS

-The patterned tights are the cheekiest tights of the bunch. They're quirky, like Zooey Deschanel, or tortoise-shell, cat-eye glasses. Wear these with silk shorts or mod, boxy mini dresses, or to spice up a basic black wrap dress.
-Keep shoes simple, for anything complicated will compete with the tights.

COLORED TIGHTS

-These tights are pure Pop Art, aren't they? Only the most daring need apply. Make like a 1960s Factory Girl and wear them with contrasting colored mini dresses and cute little sweaters.
-For shoes, try something in the same color family.

NUDE TIGHTS

-Not to be confused with nude pantyhose--which is never, ever okay--nude tights can actually work. Nude fishnets are our go-to with pastel colors and winter whites, for when you can't go bare-legged, but you can't wear black or anything dark.
-Shoes should be nude or light metallic.

Top row, left to right:

DKNY opaque, Spanx opaque, Accessorize opaque, Free People blue, Free People pink

Middle row, left to right:

We Love Colors orange, Kate Spade floral sheer, Mod Cloth polka dots
, Target print, Hue control top sheer

Bottom row, left to right:

Eloquii sheers, Joe Browns back seam sheers, Heart print sheers, Swiss dot sheers, Barely-there sheers