Need Advice Dress and Hose Advice

[I12Cruise]

I will be taking a just-above-the-knee length dress for a formal night on a Pacific coastal cruise we have booked next May. It is black and has a sheer (see thru) panel just above the hem, so my legs will be visible. Here's my question. Do you think nude or sheer black pantyhose will look better? My shoes are black. Thanks for your help.

[clo]

I'm 72 and haven't worn "hose" in at least 10 years.  But if you really want to then definitely "nude."

[janniebabe]

I agree with c/o  no hose!

 

[simplelife]

She did not ask hose or no hose - she asked what color hose. I think the head-to-toe black look looks dressier than the black broken up by nude-colored legs

[clo]

12 minutes ago, simplelife said:

She did not ask hose or no hose - she asked what color hose. I think the head-to-toe black look looks dressier than the black broken up by nude-colored legs

And I don't think it looks better.  I assume she's not covering her arms with black 🙂

[I12Cruise]

47 minutes ago, simplelife said:

She did not ask hose or no hose - she asked what color hose. I think the head-to-toe black look looks dressier than the black broken up by nude-colored legs

That was my thought, too. I haven't worn pantyhose in years either, but with this dress, I think I need to.

[Anita Latte]

If you want to appear taller...wear sheer black hose. This will elongate your legs also with the black legs extended into your black shoes. Also, if you don’t want to showcase your shoes...wear the sheer black.

 

If breaking up your body into black, nude, black shoes isn’t a negative, and you want to highlight your shoes and/or that sheer panel on the dress, wear sheer nude as close to your skin tone as possible.

 

I think both work these days and it depends specifically on your own goal with your overall look.

[DeeDee Groff]

Agree with Anita Latte.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[I12Cruise]

Thank you all. And except for formal night when wearing this dress, you won't find me wearing pantyhose either!

[waterbug123]

In my opinion, black hose would be too much, so I'd wear nude.  The sheer panel on the dress sounds like a nice detail, and with black hose, that detail won't be as clear.  Nude hose will allow the style details of your dress to look their best!

[shipgeeks]

I vote for nude.

I wear pantihose (nude) every evening on a cruise, and find them quite comfortable, more so than bare feet in dress shoes.  And much more flattering than showing the "imperfections" on my bare legs.

[I12Cruise]

7 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

I vote for nude.

I wear pantihose (nude) every evening on a cruise, and find them quite comfortable, more so than bare feet in dress shoes.  And much more flattering than showing the "imperfections" on my bare legs.

Thank goodness for your post! I thought I was the only one even thinking of doing this! Legs definitely look better in pantyhose!

[puppycanducruise]

I vote for nude hose.

And in addition to making my legs look better, I sometimes appreciate the extra warmth that pantyhose provide.

[ducklite]

To me black hose are dated back to the 90's unless you're attending a funeral.  Go with nude.  

Edited August 24, 2019 by ducklite

[slidergirl]

2 hours ago, ducklite said:

To me black hose are dated back to the 90's unless you're attending a funeral.  Go with nude.  

Ah ha!  That's why the females at my hotel have to wear black hose with their uniform dresses.  I'm lucky: since I'm "management", I don't have to wear a uniform.  Summertime we can go bare leg if we wear a dress or skirt.  But, in Winter, we must wear hose.  I wear pants, so I can avoid the whole mess.  

 

For the OP:  I'd go with nude.  Puts the emphasis on the dress instead of trying to keep the color going down just the legs. 

[Langley Cruisers]

The first thing I thought of was nude hose, but it's easy to figure out: buy a pair of sheer black hose, put one leg into them and put on your shoes. Look in the mirror and I think you'll decide which leg looks better. I'm not saying which leg WILL look better, just giving you a suggestion.

 

Or take two pairs of hose with you and decide on the formal night. You (or your partner) might have a definite opinion at the time.😊

[shipgeeks]

Another thought re nude vs. sheer black.  I've found that black tend to show even the tiniest snag, stretch pattern, etc., whereas nude looks smooth regardless.

 

[Anita Latte]

An alternative to the sheer black nylons is to find sheer black tights with a pattern. Patterns are very current and could also help with snags. Could be something elaborate with lace looks or smaller scale patterns, something simple like:

 

 

 

Fishnets are also more current...smaller scale fishnets like:

 

 

I think the main thing to be aware of with either choice is the idea of SHEER. The lower the level of denier, the more sheer.

 

 

[I12Cruise]

1 hour ago, Anita Latte said:

An alternative to the sheer black nylons is to find sheer black tights with a pattern. Patterns are very current and could also help with snags. Could be something elaborate with lace looks or smaller scale patterns, something simple like:

 

 

 

Fishnets are also more current...smaller scale fishnets like:

 

 

I think the main thing to be aware of with either choice is the idea of SHEER. The lower the level of denier, the more sheer.

 

 

I love the sheer pattern idea--thanks!

 

[shipgeeks]

I wear skintone fishnets many evenings.  They do look nice and matte; they are comfortable and long-wearing.  I got mine from a dance supply store.

[Langley Cruisers]

LOVE the first picture Anita! Gorgeous. 😍

[sssteele]

I would dress exactly how I plan to on the special night, and check myself from all angles in a full length mirror at home.  Try it with more than one type of hose.  Try it standing and sitting.  One will stand out as being the look you love, and then take 2 pair of the hose you've selected just in case.

 

[clo]

23 hours ago, sssteele said:

I would dress exactly how I plan to on the special night, and check myself from all angles in a full length mirror at home.  Try it with more than one type of hose.  Try it standing and sitting.  One will stand out as being the look you love, and then take 2 pair of the hose you've selected just in case.

 

Wow.  I feel humbled.  I didn't do anything like that when we got married 30 years ago.  I actually was wearing hose at the time.  It's nice to have something that I no longer own 🙂

[sssteele]

23 hours ago, clo said:

Wow.  I feel humbled.  I didn't do anything like that when we got married 30 years ago.  I actually was wearing hose at the time.  It's nice to have something that I no longer own 🙂

No hose for me either, but she wants to wear them so I gave my 2 cents on how to make the decision.  My MawMaw taught me how to make up my mind about such things.  I hope she lets us know what she goes with, and posts a photo.

[clo]

7 minutes ago, sssteele said:

No hose for me either, but she wants to wear them so I gave my 2 cents on how to make the decision.  My MawMaw taught me how to make up my mind about such things.  I hope she lets us know what she goes with, and posts a photo.

My husband and I say that we've bought houses in the amount of time some people take to buy a pair of shoes.  Now I can modify that to "a pair of hose."  LOL.