bare legs vs. hosiery

swampwitch · Apr 17, 2014

What do you think - when and where are women's bare legs appropriate (other than the obvious like pool / beach)? What about work or dressy or formal occasions, does it depend on the person, the dress, or the event?

I've been wresting with this for a while. It seems to me that legs should be covered in the winter and most days in fall, especially if the temperature outside is cold. (But if you are living in 99-degree temperatures in January in Texas, for example, you get a pass.) Cotton tights or thigh-highs are always the way to go, imo.

It just looks weird to me to wear a winter coat with bare legs. If it's warm enough for bare legs, why are you wearing a coat?

Spring and summer are good bare leg days, with the except of dressy or formal occasions when I think you should always be dressed up, head to toe, and that includes legs.

How about you - do you wear bare legs, hose, or combination of both?

blueyedgirl5946 · Apr 17, 2014

I wear bare legs in the spring and summer if I have on shorts or cutoffs. If I wear jeans, I have on socks. If I wear a dress, I always have on hose. But I am in my sixtiies. I think young women look okay wearing sundresses and bare legs. I am from the old school and I think in church it is always appropriate if wearing a dress to wear hose.

MoochNNoodles · Apr 17, 2014

I haven't worn any kind of hosiery in years! But I also don't wear dresses very often.

catwoman707 · Apr 17, 2014

SwampWitch said:
What do you think - when and where are women's bare legs appropriate (other than the obvious like pool / beach)? What about work or dressy or formal occasions, does it depend on the person, the dress, or the event?

I've been wresting with this for a while. It seems to me that legs should be covered in the winter and most days in fall, especially if the temperature outside is cold. (But if you are living in 99-degree temperatures in January in Texas, for example, you get a pass.) Cotton tights or thigh-highs are always the way to go, imo.

It just looks weird to me to wear a winter coat with bare legs. If it's warm enough for bare legs, why are you wearing a coat?

Spring and summer are good bare leg days, with the except of dressy or formal occasions when I think you should always be dressed up, head to toe, and that includes legs.

How about you - do you wear bare legs, hose, or combination of both?

Exactly my thoughts

Winchester · Apr 18, 2014

I'm 59 and if I wear a dress or skirt, I probably wear panty hose. In the winter, I wear tights. No thigh highs, no knee highs; if I'm going to wear hose, it's just panty hose. I don't wear much other than pants anymore, although sometimes, if I have a meeting at work, I'll surprise everybody...not often though.

I post on another board sometimes and the women there are very judgmental. You do NOT wear a dress without wearing hose. You do NOT wear white between Labor Day and Memorial Day (winter white is acceptable, however

) You must be very age-conscious and, when you reach a certain age, you no longer wear shorts, you no longer wear anything remotely low-cut, you can't have longer hair, and so on. You do NOT go to a store in sweats. You do NOT walk outside for the newspaper in your PJs and robe. You do NOT go outside without a full face. It borders on the ludicrous. And they're very serious.

mani · Apr 18, 2014

I can't stand hosiery .. I dislike the feel of it. If it's winter I'll wear something with leggings, a longer skirt or pants. Summer here is hot, so I get the OK for bare legs.

bbdoll22 · Apr 18, 2014

I don't do dresses but if I have to I always wear pantyhose. My legs are ghostly sickly white so I have to.

peaches08 · Apr 18, 2014

Winchester said:
I post on another board sometimes and the women there are very judgmental. You do NOT wear a dress without wearing hose. You do NOT wear white between Labor Day and Memorial Day (winter white is acceptable, however

) You must be very age-conscious and, when you reach a certain age, you no longer wear shorts, you no longer wear anything remotely low-cut, you can't have longer hair, and so on. You do NOT go to a store in sweats. You do NOT walk outside for the newspaper in your PJs and robe. You do NOT go outside without a full face. It borders on the ludicrous. And they're very serious.

Sounds like the Sea Island folk down here. Except for shorts. They'll wear shorts but they must be in the form of a Chanel pantsuit get-up.

nurseangel · Apr 18, 2014

I think bare legs are fine, regardless of the event. I wear hose because I have pale skin, but would love to go without. So uncomfortable, I hate them! A 70+ year old woman that used to work with me never wore hose with her dressy clothes and she looked great.

kookycats · Apr 18, 2014

Haven't worn panty hose in years, but I practically never we ar a dress. Even on our yearly cruise my "dressy outfit" is black pants and a top. I think bare legs have gotten more and more acceptable in recent years and that's great with me. And why hide a nice pedicure with panty hose?

peaches08 · Apr 18, 2014

nurseangel said:
I think bare legs are fine, regardless of the event. I wear hose because I have pale skin, but would love to go without. So uncomfortable, I hate them! A 70+ year old woman that used to work with me never wore hose with her dressy clothes and she looked great.

I'm very pale, and believe it or not using a gold shimmer lotion can make pale legs look better. Not glitter, but a slight shimmer.

denice · Apr 19, 2014

I very rarely wear a dress anymore but when I do I wear panty hose. I am 58 and have the spider veins so I need to wear hose. I think younger women who don't have that issue and have some color can get away with bare legs. Especially with things like sundresses.

stewball · Apr 19, 2014

I don't have any dresses. I wear sandals in the summer. I wear house dresses at home bare legged.
I'm closing up on 70!!!!
I gave my hair in a pony tail. I do not wear makeup except for lipstick and perfume. If I've a 'do' then eye shadow mascara blush and lipstick. Nothing heavy. My daughter would beat me joke.
I do have a skirt for the very infrequent times I go to synagogue.
I'd go yi the canyon in sweats if I wore them.
I don't understand the not wearing white between ? And labour day!

pinkdagger · Apr 19, 2014

I prefer bare legs. Panty hose always tore on me and are such a pain to wear. I find it easier to do bare legs, or if it's chilly or I'm too lazy to deforest my legs, I'll wear tights. But if it's really chilly, I'll be lazy and throw on some skinny jeans. If it's really cold, like snowy wintery cold, I have fleece lined tights that I wear under my jeans. Something about thigh highs and knee highs, even though I think they're SUPER cute and I have a bunch, are touch and go for me. For some reason, I think those socks have such a sultry connotation that I'm afraid to wear them in public.

laralove · Apr 27, 2014

I really like the way hose make legs look, and they especially help mine because I'm so pale my legs looks like they belong on a corpse. However, they are entirely too uncomfortable. Not only do they itch, but they never stay in place on me. I'm tall and thin, so the size for my waist is never long enough. It's embarrassing to have to constantly run to the bathroom to hike them up. So I just go without. That also means wearing heels without any protection for my feet, so that can be painful if the shoes aren't the perfect size.

jcat · Apr 27, 2014

I almost never wear skirts or a dress except in hot weather. If it's hot enough for a skirt, it's hot enough for bare legs and sandals. Shorts only get worn at home in hot weather. If I go out, I change into jeans.

Willowy · Apr 27, 2014

In the winter I wear nice thick cotton tights with dresses. A necessity to not freeze to death. In the summer, I only wear pantyhose with a dress if I haven't shaved my legs in a while, to hide the hair. . .but ugh, I reallyreallyreally hate nylons. The feel on my fingers (while putting them on), thighs, heels, and toes is just, ugh. But I also hate the feeling of bare feet in flats :/. And I'm too old to get away with ankle socks :lol3:. So I wear sandals mostly. But, yes, definitely bare legs in summer.

I don't know if I've ever seen anyone wearing hose with shorts :tongue2:. Besides tween girls wearing colored tights with shorts, but I don't know if that's in right now or not. I would think it weird if I saw an adult dressed like that.

tiho · Apr 27, 2014

I used to wear stockings at dress up occasions, then pantyhose when they came into fashion. Wore different coloured tights with miniskirts & minidresses. I've always hated wearing hose & bras, so uncomfortable. Now I wear long dresses & skirts - actually have done so for years - & trousers sometimes. Bare legs, only wear bra when I go out, hair in a high ponytail, no makeup except for mascara when I go out. I'm in my 60's.

bare legs vs. hosiery

swampwitch

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blueyedgirl5946

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MoochNNoodles

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catwoman707

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Winchester

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mani

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bbdoll22

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peaches08

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nurseangel

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kookycats

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peaches08

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denice

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stewball

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pinkdagger

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laralove

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jcat

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Willowy

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tiho

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