Like many tweens, my style was influenced by what I saw on television. During many of my formative years, Gossip Girl ruled the airwaves and The Disney Channel continued to push colorful tights onto the masses.
Red tights, in particular, feel endemic to the aughts. On season one of Gossip Girl, Blair Waldorf wore a pair of tomato colored stockings in her signature preppy style: with a striped blazer over a sweater vest with a necktie, miniskirt, and ballet flats. But the queen bee of the Upper East Side wasn’t the first to rock red tights. They gained some traction in the late ’60s mod craze, and got a celebrity endorsement from Liza Minelli in 1972, when she wore them during her performance of “Liza with a Z.” Princess Diana was also a fan of the look, regularly rocking the monochromatic look through the ‘80s and ’90s, from more formal engagements with Prince Charles to seeing a Paul McCartney in concert. And in 1991, Linda Evangelista strutted down the runway for Jean Paul Gaultier in a red dress, tights, and shoes, with a multicolored coat.
Not long after Blair Waldorf brought her red tights to the Met steps, others began following in suit. On Glee, Rachel Berry was a major proponent of colorful hosiery. Before long, they were back on the runways, with Gaultier repeating his early ’90s proclivity for the accessory for the fall 2012 show. That same season, Vivienne Westwood also opted for the styling trick.
With the Indie Sleaze revival of the past few years, the look returned in full swing. During the fall 2023 season, Gucci and Miu Miu were among the top brands who rubber-stamped the look. Since then, it’s been popping up left and right, on influencers, members of the fashion industry, and celebrities.
But still, I wasn’t convinced that these bright red tights were for me. After trying “Tomato Girl Summer,” which begot the color of the fall, I was feeling serious red fatigue. But soon enough, I took stock of people injecting some color into their neutral-heavy wardrobes, many starting with red socks or other accents that Trojan horsed their way into full-fledged red tights. As a purveyor of grays and blacks, I figured my own wardrobe could probably benefit from some color.
When it came to styling my red Calzedonia tights, I struggled to build an outfit that didn’t make me look like Blair Waldorf, or a spokeswoman for Campbell’s Tomato Soup, or an adult Eloise who wandered from the Plaza. I definitely had one of those mornings where you end up with more clothing on your bed than hanging in your closet. I considered going for an all-black outfit, but I figured that Vogue’s audience deserved more. In the end, I settled on a black pleated miniskirt from Mango, and a vintage white batwing sleeved button-up with black ribbon trim. For my shoes, I debate between a pair of black Gucci horsebit loafers and red patent leather Repetto block heeled ballerinas. I decided on the red Repettos because they match the color of the tights and make my legs look a little bit longer. (My colleagues confirmed that I made the right decision.)
From the moment I stepped into the office, people commented on my tights. It served as a real conversation starter, with several of my colleagues telling me about their own red tights of yore, whether they were emulating Gossip Girl or were die-hard Indie Sleaze kids. Not since my first day in the office had I met so many new people—all thanks to their desire to comment on my accessory.
Still, I’m not sure how often I’ll be repeating this look, not only because the weather is rapidly cooling down, but also because I still feel a little stuck in 2012. I never wore a uniform when I was in school, but with my current wardrobe, the red tights feel more like a cosplay than my genuine personal style. To put it in Gossip Girl terms: I didn’t feel like Blair Waldorf, but little Jenny Humphrey.
