# Can I go to a formal event without pantyhose? need answer fast ;) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 4, 2010, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-go-to-a-formal-event-without-pantyhose-need-answer-fast/562961 "2010-12-04T20:21:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-go-to-a-formal-event-without-pantyhose-need-answer-fast/562961/21 "2010-12-05T01:32:04Z")
I wouldn’t wear hose with a cocktail dress. Mainly because I like to wear strappy sandals and I think hose looks completely ridiculous with sandals. I have worn hose one time in 10 years - my stepfather’s funeral (and I was wearing close toed pumps). ---
**Author:** ![aerie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e9a140/32.png) [@aerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aerie)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-go-to-a-formal-event-without-pantyhose-need-answer-fast/562961/22 "2010-12-05T02:09:37Z")
Pantyhose are out, done, over, a fashion mistake. The formality of the occasion makes no difference. I agree w/ drastic\_quench, you won’t see them on a Hollywood runway! ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-go-to-a-formal-event-without-pantyhose-need-answer-fast/562961/23 "2010-12-05T05:09:19Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Things must be different here in the South - even for formal events I’m surprised to see women under 40 in hose. Definitely not mandatory at all. They’re still wearing them here. I don’t understand what’s so horrid about them, I think they help make lots of legs look nicer. I also wouldn’t go bare-legged in the deep of winter - brr! ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-go-to-a-formal-event-without-pantyhose-need-answer-fast/562961/24 "2010-12-05T05:13:46Z")
Yeah, because that molecule of nylon really warms you up! ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-go-to-a-formal-event-without-pantyhose-need-answer-fast/562961/25 "2010-12-05T05:47:31Z")
Well maybe it’s psychological. And you know, the coldest it gets here is in the teens. It’s not so much that I am amazed that fashion changes, it’s that hose seem to have a practical use (making the legs look better). What will people with ugly skin do? ---
**Author:** ![Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-go-to-a-formal-event-without-pantyhose-need-answer-fast/562961/26 "2010-12-05T09:03:37Z")
See, I don’t think hose makes legs look better. I would argue, that for what women will do for beauty, if most of thought it DID make our legs look better, we’d wear them and hose wouldn’t be going out of fashion. I color my hair, I’m not against artificial beauty aids. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-go-to-a-formal-event-without-pantyhose-need-answer-fast/562961/27 "2010-12-05T09:19:11Z")
Open toes, no hose. And hose definitely make your legs look better. But no, you will not see them on a Hollywood red carpet (because all the shoes will be open-toed) (Well, except Lady Gaga’s, who knows what she’s going to wrap around her feet) People with bad skin will wear fake tan makeup. (So will people with good skin, probably) ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-go-to-a-formal-event-without-pantyhose-need-answer-fast/562961/28 "2010-12-05T09:25:51Z")
You don’t _need_ to wear hose. Just make sure your legs are shaved!! p.s. Post pics!! ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-go-to-a-formal-event-without-pantyhose-need-answer-fast/562961/29 "2010-12-05T09:51:23Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > Someone showed a picture here some months ago that showed several important women at a formal White House function and none were in hose. Formal open toed/peep toed shoes basically ended the hose requirement, I think. That was me, it was the (now former) White House Social Secretary, the Senior Advisor to the President, the Press Secretary for the First Lady and East Wing and the president and CEO of a major publishing company and friend of the President. No hose on a single one of them. If it’s acceptable at a White House function, it’s acceptable anywhere, IMO. > [@KittenKat](#): > > I remember that thread and picture. I never got around to mentioning it at the time, but the thing about the women in that picture was that they were all wearing long gowns, so while you saw their feet, you didn’t see their bare legs. I happen to be one of the old fuddy-duddies who thinks most women’s legs look better in hose, and that wearing dress pumps with bare feet/legs looks odd. No woman has an obligation to “look better” to anyone’s standard but her own. If she’s happy with how she looks in any length of dress with bare legs, or legs with makeup/spray tan on them, or legs with tattoos on both calves (or, like a dear friend, vine patterns tattooed up each of them not dissimilar to what you might see on patterned tights) then that’s all that matters. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-go-to-a-formal-event-without-pantyhose-need-answer-fast/562961/30 "2010-12-05T14:34:40Z")
I have consulted with my sister who was “the colonel’s lady” and a fashion guru. Her opinion is that hose are an absolute requirement for an event formal enough that men will wear tuxedos. That was also my opinion but I needed her input before I voiced mine. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-go-to-a-formal-event-without-pantyhose-need-answer-fast/562961/31 "2010-12-05T15:06:42Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > That was me, it was the (now former) White House Social Secretary, the Senior Advisor to the President, the Press Secretary for the First Lady and East Wing and the president and CEO of a major publishing company and friend of the President. No hose on a single one of them. > > If it’s acceptable at a White House function, it’s acceptable anywhere, IMO. > > No woman has an obligation to “look better” to anyone’s standard but her own. If she’s happy with how she looks in any length of dress with bare legs, or legs with makeup/spray tan on them, or legs with tattoos on both calves (or, like a dear friend, vine patterns tattooed up each of them not dissimilar to what you might see on patterned tights) then that’s all that matters. Thanks! Here’s the [original thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=12873936), with the link. ---
**Author:** ![KittenKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kittenkat/32/306_2.png) [@KittenKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KittenKat)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-go-to-a-formal-event-without-pantyhose-need-answer-fast/562961/32 "2010-12-05T15:26:11Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > That was me, it was the (now former) White House Social Secretary, the Senior Advisor to the President, the Press Secretary for the First Lady and East Wing and the president and CEO of a major publishing company and friend of the President. No hose on a single one of them. > > If it’s acceptable at a White House function, it’s acceptable anywhere, IMO. > > No woman has an obligation to “look better” to anyone’s standard but her own. If she’s happy with how she looks in any length of dress with bare legs, or legs with makeup/spray tan on them, or legs with tattoos on both calves (or, like a dear friend, vine patterns tattooed up each of them not dissimilar to what you might see on patterned tights) then that’s all that matters. While it may be true that no one has an _obligation_ to dress or otherwise adorn themselves to anyone’s standard but their own, people apparently do care what they look like to others or they wouldn’t bother posting all the “what should I wear” threads. Why would a woman wear sheer hose? Well, not to keep warm, as a woman who has lived in the northeast all her life, I can tell you that. Women generally do it because the consensus is, or at least has been, that they make a woman’s legs look better, smoother. If a woman doesn’t agree with that, fine, she needn’t wear hose. I doubt there’s anyplace that would refuse her admittance because she’s barelegged. And the point I was making about that White House function is that it if a woman is wearing a long dress and her legs aren’t being seen anyway, then it hardly matters if she’s wearing hose or not. Put those same women in skirted business suits and see if they wear hose then. And you may note that I did not tell Opal to wear hose, I told her to do what would make her most comfortable, because that seems to be the trend these days. If anyone had asked what I personally would do, then yes, I would wear hose, for the reasons given in a previous post. But I do recognize that my preferences are just that and not incumbent upon anyone else. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-go-to-a-formal-event-without-pantyhose-need-answer-fast/562961/33 "2010-12-05T15:46:41Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > If she’s happy with how she looks in any length of dress with bare legs, or legs with makeup/spray tan on them, or legs with tattoos on both calves (or, like a dear friend, vine patterns tattooed up each of them not dissimilar to what you might see on patterned tights) then that’s all that matters. Or legs with hose, even? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-go-to-a-formal-event-without-pantyhose-need-answer-fast/562961/34 "2010-12-05T16:00:31Z")
Put a pair of hose in your purse or your car. If all the other ladies are wearing hose and you feel underdressed/uncomfortable/like you stick out, go to the bathroom and put them on. If not, don’t worry about it. They’re cheap and don’t take up much space. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-go-to-a-formal-event-without-pantyhose-need-answer-fast/562961/35 "2010-12-05T16:06:05Z")
The thing about nude/tan hose is that they make the legs look WORSE. Unless you pay top dollar for the sheerest-of-the-sheer and they match your skin tone PERFECTLY. To me, most so-called “flesh-colored” stockings look tan, orange, pasty, and are not flattering. Taupe, gray, brown… those are better, but have to match your skirt, and might or might not be appropriate for a formal occasion. Ditto the comment that exposed toes mean NO hose. Those hose that have the toes cut out so they can be worn with open-toed shoes: yuck. Bare, shaved, lotioned, slightly shiny/glowy legs, even if very very white are sexy. They’re NAKED, for pete’s sake. Now sheersheersheer black hose are a different kettle of fish. Where there is the illusion of a shadowy black outline to your leg… those generally look great and you can get away with cheaper ones. I’d be interested in some comments in this thread from black women. I remember years and years ago (early 70’s) going to a party in a floor-length gown, gray with some faded palm trees and flamingos, clingy, with a tied halter top, and I wore absolutely NOTHING under it. Whooo-hoooo… now THAT was fun. ---
**Author:** ![lshaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e36b37/32.png) [@lshaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lshaw)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-go-to-a-formal-event-without-pantyhose-need-answer-fast/562961/36 "2010-12-05T20:55:08Z")
When we are talking about pantyhose, are we referring to any sheer to semi opaque leg covering? Because tights (=pantyhose?) are definitely **not** out. I see it on the runways and out on the streets of many fashionable metropolitan cities, and I am noticing that it is an especially salient feature in the recent holiday presentations, catalogs, and storefront models. I think they look great with cocktail dresses and give a more polished look, the caveat being you have the right style of dress and accessories. If the overall look is frumpy, the culprit is more likely the dress and not the tights. > [@drastic\_quench](#): > > Why haven’t I seen any/many on actresses at formal Hollywood red carpets? Even women wearing short dresses, I don’t recall seeing them. Au contraire, I’ve seen it soooooo often. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-go-to-a-formal-event-without-pantyhose-need-answer-fast/562961/37 "2010-12-05T21:41:17Z")
> [@nyctea scandiaca](#): > > You don’t _need_ to wear hose. Just make sure your legs are shaved!! > > p.s. Post pics!! I want you to read this post again and think about what you just asked. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-go-to-a-formal-event-without-pantyhose-need-answer-fast/562961/38 "2010-12-05T22:02:58Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I want you to read this post again and think about what you just asked. Probably for the humor value. I am sure that I, for one, look absolutely _hilarious_ when I’m shaving my legs. It is not like a girly razor commercial. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-go-to-a-formal-event-without-pantyhose-need-answer-fast/562961/39 "2010-12-05T22:13:10Z")
> [@lshaw](#): > > Au contraire, I’ve seen it soooooo often. I just googled image searched red carpet dresses, and in the first three pages of results, Björk’s infamous swan dress was the only one without bare legs – and I saw scads of results. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-go-to-a-formal-event-without-pantyhose-need-answer-fast/562961/40 "2010-12-05T23:23:01Z")
I think the key word there was “tights”. I googled “red carpet dress + tights” and got several images of actresses wearing dresses with tights. Here’s one, just for example: [http://www.handbag.com/cm/handbaguk/images/MF/or\_cf33048b12729689289643.jpg](http://www.handbag.com/cm/handbaguk/images/MF/or_cf33048b12729689289643.jpg) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-go-to-a-formal-event-without-pantyhose-need-answer-fast/562961.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-go-to-a-formal-event-without-pantyhose-need-answer-fast/562961.md?page=3)