Pantyhose & Tights

A Print That Looks Like It Grew There

A single illustration running up the leg does more for an eerie look than an all-over pattern. This one reads almost like bare branches or cracked lightning against the deep purple, close enough to black to pair with anything, but with just enough detail to look deliberate under a short skirt or dress. It is the kind of print that works for a costume night and for every other dark-academia outfit in your closet after.

Fishnet is the one Halloween staple that never actually reads as costume-y, which is exactly why it is worth having a real pair rather than a flimsy costume-aisle one. Layer it under ripped denim shorts for a quick witch or rocker look, or wear it alone under a slip dress for something dressier. Either way it is the easiest base layer for a last-minute Halloween outfit that does not look last-minute.

Texture Instead of Print

Not every dark look needs an actual motif. A textured knit in near-black purple reads as moody without trying, and it photographs better under flash than a flat black opaque does, worth keeping in mind if the night involves a lot of phone cameras. Pair it with boots and a long coat for a witchy, lived-in costume that still looks like real clothes.

Color Still Works for Halloween

Black and purple do most of the heavy lifting for a spooky-season look, but a bright fishnet in violet or electric purple is a good way to signal “Halloween” without going full costume. It pairs naturally with black, works under a short dress or shorts, and it is distinctive enough to photograph well in a group costume where everyone else went black.

If you do want a literal skull or skeleton print for a specific costume, those tend to be seasonal, thin stock on Amazon this close to the 31st, so check availability before you build an outfit around one.

Shop the looks: Silver Branch Deep Purple, Black Fishnet, Goth Zigzag Textured and Electric Purple Fishnet, all in stock now.

Spotted on Other Style Blogs

A few real Halloween-season looks worth crediting properly rather than just describing. Both are from Tokyo Fashion, a long-running Harajuku street-style site, so the photos stay where they were taken and we are linking out rather than reposting.

Hanaen’s skeleton tights, photographed in Harajuku: skeleton-print tights worn under cutoff shorts with a long cosmic-print tee, goggles and a wide belt, proof the print works as a street-style layering piece and not only a costume.

Nontas’s horror-makeup look, also in Harajuku: white thigh-high stockings with a velvet bow, paired with a purple trident corset, matching purple hair and full horror makeup, a good example of how a pale stocking can balance out an otherwise all-black, all-dark costume.