Women's Hosiery 101

"What color of hose should I wear?"  It's one of the most frequently asked questions I get, right after "What color should my hair be?"

Hosiery is the finishing touch, not the focal point. A lot of women get this wrong by wearing hose that are either too dark or too light for the rest of their ensemble.

Here are some guidelines:

1. Hosiery needs to be in the same color base as your garment. Don't mix warm hosiery colors with cool garment colors. 2. Colored hosiery for dressy or business situations needs to be very sheer. Charcoal gray or off-black is more subtle than a solid black. 3. With a brightly colored garment, choose neutral shoes and match hose to shoes. Example: red dress, taupe hose, and taupe shoes. 4. Two-color spectator pumps look best with hose matched to the lighter color, NOT the darker one.

5. Very dark, light or bright hosiery colors and patterns or textures draw attention to your legs.

6. Control top hose are more durable than regular hose, and Lycra extends the resiliency of both.

7. Avoid emergencies by purchasing hose in quantity and keeping a spare pair in your desk drawer and glove compartment.

So what's one of the biggest bugaboos I see? Wearing dark hose to hide spider veins. Unless your ensemble is dark, you're calling attention TO your legs, not AWAY from them. Dress in darker colors to match the hose, or wear a longer skirt to cover what you want to hide.

Wearing hosiery gives you a refined, polished look that can't be beat, so do incorporate it in your wardrobe.  With a few guidelines and a nice hosiery wardrobe, you can look great no matter what occasion comes your way.

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Diana Pemberton-Sikes is a wardrobe and image consultant and author of "Accessory Magic," an ebook that shows women how to use their fashion accessories to define their style and stretch their budgets. Visit her online at www.fashionforrealwomen.com .

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