TIGHTS AT WORK?

It pays not to scrimp on something warm, practical and pulls an outfit together, says The Kit’s executive editor. If you want to be chic, don’t be cheap

The Kit weighs in on dress codes in the workplace, with a focus on legs.

I’ve started pulling out my tights since the weather is cooling off, but I always feel a bit frumpy in them at the office. It seems more professional to wear stockings than to go bare, since my office is pretty corporate and we have quite a traditional dress code, but is there a way to make sure they also look somewhat fashionable? — Kelly, Toronto

Hi there, Dolly Parton. What a way to make a living! May I first ask why your 9-to-5 workplace has a dress code? Do you sterilize medical equipment, requiring a lab coat in the name of science? Do you bake cupcakes professionally, requiring a hairnet to avoid an unseemly hair-in-the-frosting situation? It doesn’t sound like it.

The notion of a dress code rankles because it condescendingly implies that employees (surely people who were reasonable enough to get hired in the first place) have little common sense. And let’s be honest: The dress code almost certainly targets women, rather than specifying the appropriate width of a man’s tie. (Imagine seeing the tip of a woman’s polished pinky toe peeking out from an open-toed sandal? Horror! Bet- ter write up a protocol!)

Paging Pam in HR: Your office needs to catch up. Tights should not be worn because they are “appropriate.” Even Meghan Markle has thrown off the shackles of forced stockings and allowed her royal calves out on parade.

Moving beyond the sexist undertones of your corporate policies, tights are my go-to because they are warm, practical and pull an outfit together. “I am a person who wears tights!” said costume designer Debra McGuire when I dropped her a note. The legwear legend has won a lot of Emmys for her wardrobe work — most notably on tight-laden offerings like Friends and The New Girl. Her advice about how to keep your tights from looking “frumpy” is appropriately succinct: “Change your attitude,” says McGuire. “Phoebe (played by the gorgeous Lisa Kudrow on Friends) was a character who wore tights a lot in all colours. It worked great with her character.”

Once your outlook is in check, I have a quick checklist for you to run through: How old are your tights, what are they made of and how much did you spend on them?

If you picked them up at the drugstore along with a Larabar for your snack drawer, they aren’t likely to last into another fiscal quarter. As with most things, you get what you pay for when it comes to hosiery. McGuire’s top picks are the famed Wolford, which will set you back about $65 but last for years — and staple brand Hue, which still offers great value. These both have comfy waistbands to avoid slipping and, most importantly, are made from top-notch materials, so they won’t look like they’ve been through the office shredder after two wears.

“Fit and feel are the most important thing,” McGuire explains. You need to embrace denier ratings, which measure density. Here’s a simple primer: The higher the number, the sturdier the fabric. For daytime wear, the chicest look is always pure black without a trace of skin — even at the knees when bending — so opt for 80 denier and above. Even fast fashion retailers like H&M offer 200 denier tights that should be more opaque than the last memo from senior management. The added bonus? A heavier-weight fabric will also be warm and durable.

For a night out, when you might like to have a flash of skin showing, keep your hosiery to 15 denier. Going lower won’t make them significantly more transparent but will certainly equal more snags and tears (of both the ripping and crying variety).

Then, once you’ve dropped a week’s worth of lunch money on a pair of perfect tights, please take care of them. Pilled tights need not apply to any place of employment. Wash them inside out in a laundry bag.

It’s a loathsome extra step, but it will save your tights from diabolical zippers and Velcro tabs, and then lay them out to dry.

If you’re even somewhat careful, a pair of perfectly chic Wolfords can last years — and by then, you’ll be high enough up the corporate ladder to chuck your office dress code squarely in the trash.

Send your pressing beauty and style questions to Kathryn at ask@thekit.ca