The fashion world these days is full of dictates about legwear.  And much of it -- like the recent Internet article advising job-seekers to choose only fishnet tights for interview attire -- is irrelevant for real-life situations.

Yikes!  What job is she interviewing for?

 Many women have strong feelings about their choices, so let’s explore some of the options and the plusses/minuses.

The bare-leg option can be suitable for:

•  Younger women with firm legs and even skin tone
• Casual situations and sports clothing
• Warm weather seasons and climates
• Sandals and other open, casual shoes
• Jeans and many other pants.

Hosiery of some type is a better choice for:

• Women with less toned or evenly-colored legs
• Career or community leadership activities
• Semi-formal or formal events
• Cold weather clothing
• Dressier shoes
• Most skirts and dresses

Panty hose can smooth the look of your skin and create a more polished appearance, especially in dressed-up looks and career wardrobes. Unless you are going for a specific fashion effect with color,  look for panty hose in the shade that most closely matches your skin.

Some women like colored hosiery to blend the color of their skirt to their shoe color for a longer, sleeker line.  This look works best if the color is a dark neutral and the hosiery is quite sheer.  Off-black gives a more subtle look than stark black.  And since this styling adds visual weight to an outfit, it works best in cool-weather seasons.

         Body Shaper panty hose include Spandex fibers that firm and tone your lower body.  Unlike older control top styles – which ended the control right in the fleshy area of the thigh, causing an unattractive bulge – Body Shapers  diminish the Spandex content gradually from waist to toes for a more even control. There are many brands in a range of prices – the most affordable seems to be NoNonsense brand available in stores and at www.NoNonsense.com.

 Of course all that smoothing has one drawback – the potential for a little roll of soft flesh just above your waist where the panty hose end.  Minimize that problem by buying Body Shapers one size larger than the height/weight indicates you need.  You’ll still get plenty of firming effect, but without   the bulge.

For  the smoothing effect, but a bare-leg look, check out footless panty hose from Spanxx brand.  The same company makes a more affordable line of legwear for Target stores under the brand name "Assets" - get it?

For  the finished look of hosiery, but without the shaping component, sheer pantyhose could be your best bet.  The weight of hosiery is measured in deniers, an indicator of the diameter of the thread used to knit the fabric.  The smaller the denier, the more sheer the look.

Sheer pantyhose are available with a reinforced panty area for longer wear, in sheer-to-waist styles to avoid a darker shadow under sheer fabrics or very short styles, and with a lacy panty for a flirty, seductive look. These examples are from www.NoNonsense.com.

So what about hosiery with open-toed shoes?  With peep-toe pumps, plain-toe pantyhose can be inconspicuous enough.  If the toe area is completely open – in a dressy sandal, for example – try “thong” pantyhose that end just above your toes, with a strand of material between your first and second toe to hold them in place.  The edge of the hosiery is covered by the strap of the shoe.   This styling is easiest to buy in warm-weather months when open shoes are more prevalent.

For options to traditional sheer hosiery, check out Lesson #41...  coming soon