How to Style Faux Thigh-High Tights

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Faux thigh-high tights give you the look of stockings with a garter detail without any of the fuss: it’s one pair of tights, so there’s nothing to roll down, nothing to clip and nothing that slips halfway through the day. The mock stocking top, whether it’s a sheer band, a strappy garter print or a bow at the back, does all the styling work on its own, which makes them an easy way to make a very simple outfit look deliberate. Here are five ways to wear them, from sweet to edgy to full winter layers.

What Are Faux Thigh-High Tights?

Faux thigh-high tights, also sold as over-the-knee effect tights, mock stockings or fake thigh highs, are a single pair of tights made to look like thigh-high stockings worn over sheer tights. The stocking top is knitted or printed into the fabric: a sheer band, a lace edge, a garter strap print or a small bow at the back. Because it is all one garment, there is no garter belt to clip, no silicone band to dig in and nothing to slide down when you walk.

They are different from real thigh-highs, which are two separate stockings, and from plain opaque tights, which have no contrast at the top of the leg. To see the effect up close on real pairs, have a look at our haul of five faux thigh-high and knee-high effect tights. If you want a simple base to start from, see how to style sheer black tights, or for a small print that pairs well with the same outfits, how to style black polka dot tights.

Let the Back Detail Be the Focus

Some faux thigh-highs save their best detail for the back: a diamond lattice panel, a back seam and a little bow where the stocking top would sit. With a look like this, keep everything else quiet. A flowy black dress with a subtle texture, like this swiss-dot one, and simple pumps let the tights be the only thing anyone notices as you walk away.

Black faux thigh-high tights with a diamond lattice back panel and bow, worn with a black swiss-dot dress and grey pumps — Faux thigh-high tights with a lattice back panel, worn with a swiss-dot dress

Pair Strappy Details With Leather Shorts

Tights with a mock garter strap across the thigh are made for shorts, because the detail sits right where the hem stops. Black leather shorts and chunky platform ankle boots keep it edgy, and a bright knit poncho on top gives the whole look some color. Keep the top loud and the bottom black and the tights read as a deliberate accent instead of a busy print.

Black faux thigh-high tights with strappy mock garter detail, worn with black leather shorts, an orange fringed poncho and platform ankle boots — Strappy faux thigh-high tights with leather shorts and platform boots

Wear Them With a Mini Skirt and a Long Coat in Winter

Faux thigh-highs are one of the few ways to wear a mini skirt in cold weather without looking underdressed. The opaque section covers your knees and shins where you feel the cold most, while the sheer band above it keeps the look light. A long camel coat, a dark turtleneck and a pale skirt turn it into a winter outfit with real contrast, finished with ankle boots.

Black over-the-knee effect tights with a sheer top, worn with a white quilted mini skirt, camel coat and black ankle boots in the snow — Over-the-knee effect tights with a mini skirt and long coat in winter

Add a Skater Skirt and a Biker Jacket

A flared skater skirt is the ideal shape for faux thigh-highs, since the skirt stops right above the sheer band and the two layers frame each other. Jewel tones like this burgundy sit well against black, and a leather biker jacket and a fedora add the edge. Suede platform booties in the same dark family stretch the leg line all the way down.

Black faux thigh-high tights worn with a burgundy skater skirt, black leather biker jacket, fedora and suede platform ankle boots — Faux thigh-high tights with a burgundy skater skirt and biker jacket

Go Sweet With Tulle and a Printed Top Band

Not every pair has to look edgy. A sheer band printed with little hearts turns faux thigh-highs into something playful, and a tulle skirt, a soft knit top and a cardigan tied around the waist push the whole look toward romantic. Add a flower crown and it becomes a festival or spring picnic outfit that still works with the same black tights you wear in winter.

Faux thigh-high tights with a sheer heart-print top, worn with a tulle skirt, a soft knit top, a pink cardigan tied at the waist and a flower crown — Heart-print faux thigh-high tights with a tulle skirt and pink cardigan

Use Color and a Novelty Print for Something Playful

Faux thigh-highs don’t have to be serious. This pair has a sheer band scattered with tiny bows, and a bright green shift dress, a belt with a bow buckle and a piano-key tote turn it into a fun, slightly quirky outfit. The trick is that the tights stay black, so the dress and the bag can be as loud as you like while the bow print sits quietly just below the hem.

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Black faux thigh-high tights with a sheer bow-print top, worn with a green mini dress, black belt and a piano-key tote bag — Bow-print faux thigh-high tights with a green dress and piano tote

Pair Them With a Colorblock Top and a Lace Skirt

On a cold day, faux thigh-highs make a short lace skirt feel much more wearable. Here the sheer band peeks out under a black lace mini while the opaque part keeps your legs warm, and a black and mustard colorblock blouse adds the only pop of color. A beanie and ankle boots keep it casual, and because everything else is black, the tights blend in and the outfit still looks put together.

Black faux thigh-high tights with a sheer top band, worn with a black and mustard colorblock blouse, a black lace skirt, a beanie and ankle boots on a snowy street — Faux thigh-high tights with a colorblock blouse and lace skirt

Choose a Textured Pair for a Retro Look

A knitted or shimmery over-the-knee section gives faux thigh-highs a vintage feel that a smooth pair doesn’t have. With a black leather-look skater skirt, a bright yellow blouse and a red fedora, the dark texture keeps the outfit grounded, and brown lace-up booties and a leopard-print bag tie the colors together. If your outfit is bright, a textured black pair is a good way to add depth without competing with it.

Dark textured faux thigh-high tights with a sheer top band, worn with a bright yellow blouse, a black leather-look skater skirt, a red fedora and brown lace-up booties — Textured faux thigh-high tights with a yellow blouse and red fedora

Dress Down a Lace Top With a Graphic Sweatshirt

Some faux thigh-highs finish in a lace scallop instead of a plain band, and it looks best when the rest of the outfit is relaxed. A white graphic sweatshirt, a black pleated skirt and chunky platform ankle boots keep this one casual, so the delicate lace edge stands out by contrast. It’s a good example of mixing something pretty with something a bit rough, and it works just as well on a grey, misty day as it does in summer.

Building Your Own Look

Whatever the mood, the formula is the same. Let the tights be the one detailed piece, keep the hem short enough for the stocking top to show, and match your shoes to the dark part of the tights so your legs read as one long line. A sheer band works best under skirts and shorts, while a bolder strap or bow detail is worth showing off with a flared or short hem. If you’re new to them, a plain black pair with a simple mock stocking top is the easiest place to start.

Try Polka Dots With a Scalloped Top Band

Polka dots are one of the easiest patterns to pair with a faux thigh-high band, since the dots keep going right up until the scalloped top edge takes over, which makes the transition read as deliberate rather than random. This pairing works especially well with lace shorts instead of a skirt, since the shorts don’t hide the top band the way a longer hemline would, and a structured collar with a contrast cardigan up top balances out the busier legwear underneath.

Polka dot faux thigh-high tights with a scalloped top band, lace shorts and a black-and-white cardigan

Go Tonal With a Black-on-Black Bow Print

A bow motif doesn’t have to be bright to make an impression. Worked in black on black, it reads as a subtle finishing detail rather than a bold statement, closer to a woven pattern than a print. That makes it an easy pair for a soft oversized knit sweater and a flared mini skirt, since nothing about the tights is competing for attention until someone looks twice.

Tonal black bow-print faux thigh-high tights with an oversized grey sweater and flared mini skirt

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