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I am definitely not a tights person; in the winter, I’d rather wear jeans (or thigh high boots) until it’s warm enough to return to bare legs. But if the occasion calls for it, I will suck it up (literally) and put on a pair of black tights.
I usually swear by Uniqlo’s Heattech tights because they do really work, but this season I graduated to Donna Karan’s Luxe Layer Leggings ($24). They’re great, and luxe is not an understatement. Here, let the product description do the talking: “A supple stretch knit contours to the figure in these warm and cozy leggings lined with a soft brushed-fleece interior.” I was sold after supple stretch, but soft brushed-fleece interior, whatever that is, sealed the deal.
The brand is restocking the footed version, but I usually just wear the leggings with a pair of socks, and no one is the wiser that I’m not wearing real tights. (I also always wear socks over my tights anyway, because the foot of a tight is not an actual sock — it provides no warmth or cushion to the bottom of your feet.)
What’s also great about these is that they’re deeply opaque, which I prefer to tights that are more on the sheer side. They almost feel like actual pants, and if it were 2007, I could probably get away with wearing them like that.