Fall Legwear Fashions by Mallory Foushee
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Bare it all? Not this Fall.
Designers feature leg-wear in their shows in a big way.

Designers, models, photographers, celebrities, and potential buyers fled to New York City for Fashion Week this past February to preview this fall’s newest trends. However, something is distinctly different about the upcoming trends—no bare legs, in sight. . Last fall, fashion week saw the return of leggings, an eighties trend that had been banished to gyms, yoga and aerobics classes for more than a decade. Have the trendiest designers decided to finally break “grandma’s stockings” out of the attic?

Today’s hosiery, however, is far from what we used to consider “grandma’s stockings.” It is more durable, comfortable, and thanks to the addition of patterns, textures and colors, hosiery has become very fashionable. Leg-wear does more than just give warmth and a flawless color like previous generations were accustom to; today’s hosiery promotes health and wellness, self-confidence, fashion and beauty for the everyday woman. Companies are creating cellulite reducing and moisturizing hosiery as well as hosiery that enhance circulation. Many brands now carry body shapers and control tops to help women feel great. Panty hose in the 21st century also comes in a wide variety of skin tones and colors ranging from ultra sheer for a more natural look to black for a dramatic change. A great deal has been done eliminate negative connotations pertaining to leg-wear which was spawned from previous generations in order to bring a fresh new face to today’s hosiery.

Fashion Week 2007

This fall we can expect to see the return of “skinny” pants, Bermuda shorts with knee-high boots, and lots of black, brown and grey. Along with these returning trends will be a new adaptation of the mini skirt in the form of short dresses. Nearly every designer paired these dresses with some form of leg-wear. Many stuck with the classic black sheer, but some put a new spin on an old classic and created unique designs and looks with their hosiery. Anna Sui, a young American designer, effectively used fashion leg-wear to add drama and style to her fall line. Patterns, texture, and glamour made her leg-wear standout on the runway. Another American designer, Pegah Anvarian created a dramatic look using a lacy pattern in some of her hosiery. She also incorporated different colors including, black, beige and gray into her leg-wear. Nanette Lepore used colored hosiery with many of her designs and Vera Wang used a textured gray design with different pieces during the runway show. In addition to being worn with dresses, leg-wear was also shown with oversized shirts, sweaters and jackets. Betsey Johnson even incorporated socks into her fall line. Models wore basic white, high socks with heels, skirts, and dresses.

For a product that many believed to be slowly drifting out of existence, hosiery or leg-wear certainly made a strong appearance during Fashion Week. Don’t be surprised when hosiery products start flying off store shelves this fall.