Tights, Ranked

If you want to wear anything other than pants throughout the colder months, tights are an essential. But they’re also a real pain in the ass. Sometimes literally. And tights are not cheap. Even the drugstore varieties, which often last only one wear, cost around $6 to $8. If you wear tights an average of three days a week during the fall and winter, that means the total cost could be over $600 for a single season! That’s more than most people spend on clothes for an entire year. While a few women I spoke to have tights brands they swear by, most continue to search in vain for a pair that won't snag, run, or pull after only a few wears. As one reviewer put it, "I dread tights shopping because it's a Russian roulette of wasted money." But does it have to be this way? Determined to find a pair I could comfortably recommend — a pair that looks good, keeps me reasonably warm, doesn’t feel like torture, lasts for several wears, and most importantly, doesn’t feel like lighting a pile of nylon money on fire — I tried on more than 40 pairs of tights made by 16 different brands (and convinced a dozen other women to join me). The winning tights are listed by brand as well as category: opaque, semi-opaque, shaper and extended size, and best value. I’ve included winners as well as honorable mentions, because we don’t all have the same bodies, budgets, preferences, or pet peeves. Each recommended pair has been worn at least twice and washed at least thrice (in a machine!) and come out okay. We tested for sheer pairs, too, but in this category there is truly no answer. Our tip: Go for the cheaper varieties and expect them to be one-time use, because even the expensive ones rip after one to two wears. Read more