Colored Tights Are Having a Renaissance, Here Is Why

Pantyhose Fashion Magazine

Black opaque tights have been the safe, default choice for so long that it is easy to forget they were ever a color decision at all. That is changing. Elle India called coloured tights one of the most divisive trends of the moment, and a season later the runway evidence backs that up: specific, named looks from Hermès, Prada, Miu Miu, Alaïa and Dior all pointing the same direction.

What Actually Showed Up on the Fall 2026 Runways

This is not just styling-site talk. Grazia’s rundown of the fall 2026 shows names real collections: Hermès sent out sheer tights in maroon, olive and mustard, while a bold purple reigned over both the Prada and Miu Miu collections. Mustard yellow also showed up at Alaïa and Dior the same season.

Close-up of bright red opaque tights — Bright red opaque tights

Burgundy and maroon keep coming up as the color that splits the difference between loud and wearable, close enough to black to pair with the same shoes and coats, warm enough to actually read as a color choice rather than a default.

Woman in burgundy opaque tights with brown boots and a furry wool coat — Burgundy opaque tights with brown boots

Where the Comeback Actually Comes From

Grazia’s piece traces the look back to Mary Quant pairing miniskirts with candy-colored tights in the 1960s, then on through Princess Diana and, decades later, Blair Waldorf’s rainbow tights collection on Gossip Girl. The current wave reads as the latest round of the same idea rather than something brand new.

Woman in mustard yellow opaque tights with a blue skirt and black flats — Mustard yellow opaque tights with a blue skirt

Mustard specifically gets singled out as the warm option for grey days, which tracks: it is a statement without being a primary color, the kind of shade that still reads as considered on a Tuesday.

Woman in mustard yellow opaque tights reclining outdoors — Mustard yellow opaque tights, worn as the whole outfit's color statement

The People Actually Wearing It

It is not only runway casting. Grazia quotes Leandra Medine Cohen, the Man Repeller founder who now writes The Cereal Aisle, pairing cobalt tights with Chanel shoes and reaching for red tights often enough that she calls them “a complete outfit maker.” Julia Fox wore sheer purple tights with a matching bodysuit to the Marc Jacobs show in February, and stylist Sinead Gorey wore bright lavender tights on the London runway circuit the same season.

Woman in navy blue opaque wool tights with peep-toe heels — Navy blue opaque wool tights

None of these looks read as costume-y, specifically because the rest of the outfit stays controlled: one loud color, everything else quiet, or in this case, a tonal grey outfit with all the color saved for the shoes instead.

Woman in grey opaque tights with a grey dress and bright pink heels — Grey opaque tights, tonal with a pop of color at the shoes

How to Actually Wear One

The styling advice that keeps repeating is simpler than it sounds: treat the tights as the one loud decision in the outfit and keep everything else neutral or tonal. Grazia’s own suggestions lean the same way: violet tights with a charcoal dress and black loafers, or mustard against a chocolate knit dress or a burgundy skirt.

Woman in opaque red tights with a beige skirt and striped top — Opaque red tights with a beige skirt

Pick one color, commit to it head to toe or close to it, and let the rest of the outfit stay out of the way, the same logic that makes orange against a plain black dress and brown boots work instead of clashing.

Want to try it yourself? Browse red, burgundy, yellow and blue tights in the shop.

Sources: Elle India and Grazia.

Woman in orange opaque tights with brown boots and a black dress — Orange opaque tights with a black dress and brown boots

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