On Wednesday, TV personality Tan France was spotted in New York City in a flash of lilac nylon. France, who serves as the style expert on Netflix’s “Queer Eye,” among other gigs, brought a pop of color to an otherwise muted ensemble with some statement hosiery. And while his tights were opaque, they were a clear marker of what could be next in fashion.
France was spotted sporting lilac tights earlier this week. Credit: Gotham/Getty Images
Quant, who is also credited with the invention of the mini skirt, re-imagined hum-drum pantyhose in garish patterns, bright washes and glittery finishes. “When I was 13, I sat down and had a good cry about the business of growing up,” she told a US newspaper in 1976. “What really unnerved me was the awful realization that grown-up dressing was grotesque and drab. I wanted to evade the entire issue of adulthood by wearing childlike clothes forever.”
Furthermore, Quant’s whimsical tights were the perfect companion for (and perhaps distraction from) the controversially high hemline of her mini skirt.
Whimsical colorful tights were populairzed by the late British designer Mary Quant. Credit: PA Images via Getty Images
Though that’s not to say sartorial radicals haven’t tried reviving interest in recent decades: David Lee Roth, of glam metal band Van Halen, was known for his array of bold tights worn on stage during the ’80s, while Jean Paul Gaultier sent men down the runway wearing Quant-esque mustard and cobalt blue tights for his Spring-Summer 1987 collection titled “Souvenirs de Vacances.”
And the trend did make it off the runways and into the real world, according to street photographer Bill Cunningham, who wrote about the growing phenomenon for the New York Times in January 1987: “Either there is a rash of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ productions Off Broadway or we are once again on that precipice known as the cutting edge.”
In November 2022, Anya Taylor-Joy wore a monochromatic outfit accessorized with red tights. Credit: MediaPunch/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images
Still, outside of costume dressing (see: many a superhero, any rendition of “Robin Hood” or even professional ballet), tights are one of a few clothing garments still widely perceived as staunchly gendered, despite a long history of men wearing tights pre-19th century, when trousers came into fashion.