Cool girls are rocking stockings
STYLISH “Spider-Man: Homecoming” starlet Zendaya stunned the fashion crowd last month when she arrived at a Louis Vuitton event in an embellished vest with leather trim over a puff-sleeve blouse and threadbare cotton shorts. But the most surprising element of her unorthodox ensemble? The sheer black stockings that the 21-year-old actress chose to finish off the look.
“Sheer hosiery never went away, we just didn’t notice them on the shelves at the local drugstore because they’ve not been on-trend since the ’80s,” Laura Solin-Valdina, of Midtown-based wardrobe concierge service NYCStylist, tells The Post. But, she adds, that’s all about to change.
After years of covering their gams in opaque black tights, women are going sheer. Celebs such as Katy Perry and Alexa Chung have recently been spotted in see-through black hosiery, and designers and stores have taken notice. Downtown favorite Alexander Wang, grand dame Carolina Herrera and ultraglam Saint Laurent have embraced the trend, while hosiery brands such as Wolford and Cette, as well as hip online shops such as ASOS, have confirmed an uptick in sheer-stocking sales.
“There is a broader range of women buying them, both in terms of age and lifestyle,” says Brian Lange, CEO of Wolford for the Americas. “Now they are being combined with streetwear for a rough yet refined aesthetic.”
Solin-Valdina says that sheer black stockings can help soften a severe monochrome look and add some polish or sex appeal that has long been missing from women’s dressing.
They’re also a departure from the twee, Twiggy-inspired fashions embraced by sometime It gals Zooey Deschanel and Michelle Williams, which were almost always accented with matte, dark tights.
Just don’t overdo it by showing too much skin.
“Do not wear sheer hosiery with something too short and with a low neckline,” SolinValdina says, adding that Zendaya’s look works because of the high neckline and voluminous layers on top. “It’s a nice balance with the short and sheer on the bottom.”
Still, that sex appeal is what makes sheer so attractive.
“Sheers are fresh, light, sexy and polished,” she adds. “Opaque tights have ruled the hosiery world for too long. Women want change.”