Spring is finally here. The clocks have now gone forward, bringing with them lighter evenings, there are lambs in the fields, daffodils blooming and chocolate eggs have just left the shelves of every supermarket. All of these things signify the approach of warmer weather, and as nature starts to transform and shed its wintery guise, it’s time for us to do the same. We’re all packing away the winter coats and slowly starting to ditch the jumpers and scarfs, and along with them, those trusty fleece lined leggings and 80 denier tights that have kept you cosy through the winter months are probably also being pushed to the back of the drawers. But even now, with the sun making an occasional appearance here and there, you might not be ready to completely say goodbye to your tights in favour of bare legs. With the emergence of your lighter spring wardrobe you may be looking for some inspiration on how to move on from your thick autumnal coloured hosiery. I for one tend to wear tights right through the year, so this seemed like a good opportunity to have a look at how to move with the season and spring forward into spring.
Lower Your Denier
This is quite an obvious one, but warmer weather means you’ll want a lower denier. First it might help to know what denier actually means. Denier is the number used to measure the thickness of a weave. Tights tend to range from five through to one hundred, and the higher the number, the thicker the material. Simple! Throughout the winter you’ve probably been wearing tights that are over fifty denier. For the spring you’ll want to look for something below fifty, but it’s probably best not to go too low, as you know, the temperature can still be a little on the chilly side at times, especially if you find yourself in a pub beer garden later in the evening! Somewhere around the twenty to thirty mark would be a good place to aim for you spring collection.
Go Patterned
Patterned tights are set to be in trend this season, which is great because spring allows you to wear thinner materials which really lend themselves to patterns. There’s no better way to make a statement this spring than picking a bold pattern set against a more transparent background. Picking a black pair of patterned tights is a great way to let some of your personality show through in the office where a slightly more formal look is still needed. The great thing is, there are so many patterns to choose from: polkadots, stripes, diamonds, flowers, bows, the choice really is endless! Oroblu’s ‘flower blossom’ design are a beautiful pair of 20 denier tights (https://www.uktights.com/product/9405/oroblu-flower-blossom-tights) that would lend themselves wonderfully to a more formal spring outfit and Sarah Borghi’s Lilian design would look gorgeous with a lovely plain spring dress (https://www.uktights.com/product/9202/sarah-borghi-lilian-tights).
Be Inspired by Nature
You’ll probably have noticed that with spring comes flowers. Everywhere you look there’s little blooms starting to appear, bringing vibrant splashes of colour to the landscape. Birds are singing and becoming very active. So why not let your look take inspiration from these key elements of the season? You could choose a pretty floral pattern for your legs. Flowers are gorgeous any time of year but they really do cry out spring and there are some fabulous floral designs out there. Falke’s ‘Botanical Dye’ tights are a perfect example. They’re fresh, pretty and neutral with a lovely splash of colour and they just cry out spring is here! Or you could look to our feathered friends for some inspiration. I love Fiori’s ‘Rondini’ tights which have a cute and subtle cluster of little swallows taking flight around the ankles, and given these birds arrive in the UK in the spring these are a perfect expression of the new season (https://www.uktights.com/product/6396/fiore-rondini-20-tights).
Choose Soft Pastel Colours
Well, we’ve covered patterns, which are great for pairing with a plainer outfit to make a statement, but what if you have a lovely floral dress or a highly patterned skirt as part of your spring look? You’ll want to let your tights take a bit more of a back seat in this case and avoid anything too patterned. You’ve probably noticed that hosiery trends often reflect the traditional colours of the season. In Autumn it’s all about muted reds, oranges and browns, but spring has its very own pallet that you can incorporate into your look. What colours remind you of spring? Think yellows, greens, pinks. Try to stick to more of a subtle pastel pallet to really capture the spirit of the fresh new season. Pretty Polly do a pair in ‘misty green’ as part of their sheer shine collection whose pastel shade really makes me think of spring. They’d be a stunning addition to any spring wardrobe. Similarly, Trasparenze have a range called Oleandro which include some very spring like shades such as a ‘Llillia’, a pretty lavender shade and ‘Azzuro’ which is a fresh sky blue. All sure to leave you feeling bright and cheerful for spring (https://www.uktights.com/product/1283/trasparenze-oleandro-20-coloured-tights).
So there you have it. Spring is such a vibrant and attractive season and just like spring cleaning your house, it’s a wonderful time to update your hosiery collection for something more befitting of the warmer weather and the sheer sense of joy and new beginnings that this time off year brings. This is the season where tights start to really become a fashion choice rather than just something that keeps you warm. As much as I love my cosy, thick tights and my darker winter colours, I really can’t wait to embrace a new start and step into some nice cheery colours and designs. Here’s to the spring!
Raven Taylor