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Colorful, funky patterned tights are the perfect way to pay homage to the it-girls of the 60s.
Many it-girls over the years have partaken in one trend - colorful tights! A staple of the bold and bright fashion trends of the 60s, patterned funky tights have had many surges in popularity over the last few decades.
Colored opaque tights have been worn by Blair Waldorf, Alexa Chung, and Twiggy just to name a few icons. And the best part? I found some from Amazon that are only $8! What a perfect way to add some vintage inspiration to any outfit without breaking the bank.
In today's post, we'll break down the history of the colorful tights trend, and how you can make it your own!
Tights in general are a fairly new fashion statement. They were invented in 1959 by Allen E. Gant as a way to make his pregnant wife more comfortable in her undergarments.
Tights were invented right at the turn of the next decade, with the 60s representing an entirely novel movement spurred by a newer, younger generation. Whereas the look of a young woman in the 50s was largely buttoned up, modest, and following traditional dress, the 60s woman rejected the formality of the past in favor of a more youthful and playful look.
Eventually, dresses got shorter and the mini skirt was born. Most attribute this creation to Mary Quant, the London-based, self-taught designer who was inspired by the functionality and ease of child-like silhouettes. She paired these shortened hemlines with colorful, bold tights - a look that took off due to Twiggy's modeling and its resonance with the youth at the time.
Many young people related to this shift in style, especially when contrasted with the serious and conservative dress of the 50s. These new clothing stores had loud music, bright colors, and relaxed fashions. The style quickly caught fire.
The colorful tights trend remained popular through the 60s and into the 70s. Bold and neon colors (especially as it came to athletic wear) were popular in the 80s. As the 90s emerged, the grunge look became more common and color was used more sparingly.
As the 2010s rolled around, vintage influence and hipster culture repopularized fun tights. With the 'indie sleaze' aesthetic coming back and as we find ourselves more enamored with the simplistic and fun era that was the 2010s, we are reminded of the timeless feeling the colorful tights trend brings. It represented more than just a moment in time - it represented a movement and desire of the youth to change their futures and define their own styles for themselves.
Colorful tights can be worn in a variety of ways. One way is by wearing a mostly neutral outfit and allowing the tights to be the star of the show. This is especially a good idea if you're planning on wearing some funky patterned tights.
Another fun idea that was pretty popular in the 60s and 70s was to wear tights that match your outfit. You can do this by wearing a totally monochromatic outfit, or matching your tights to a color featured in your dress.
I also really love the monochromatic look. If you're wearing an orange top and orange mini skirt, add orange tights to elongate and accentuate your legs. You'll look just like you stepped out of the 60s!
Another thing you can play around with is opacity. A more bold look is fully opaque tights. This essentially means that you can't see much leg underneath - there's no transparency. If you want to add a little color, you can decrease the opacity so that some of your leg shows through.
If you're not feeling the bold, go for black patterned tights or even white tights. They can ease you into trying tights as a fashion statement but without the crazy colors.
What do you guys think of the colorful tights trend? I love any vintage-inspired fashion so I'm all for it!
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