Question Submitted to Hello50: Should You Wear Panty Hose to a Formal Event

Submitted question to Ask Hello50 from one of our readers

Women who completed our Hello50 survey had a lot of questions about what is appropriate and not appropriate to wear over 50. Recently, someone from our community submitted a question to Ask Hello50 wanting to know if panty hose are required for formal events. We received a variety of responses from women in our Hello50 community as well as insight from fashion stylist Cindy Lovas about panty hose.

Here are some of the responses we heard about wearing or not wearing nylons.

1) One woman shared that she stopped wearing panty hose when Princess Diana ditched hers in the mid 1990’s. We all remember what a fashion icon Diana was and she certainly had the legs to go without the hose. Her style choices impacted a whole generation of women and obviously left one of our readers following Diana’s lead over 20 years later. It is noteworthy that Diana did bring back decorative panty hose in her later years. Also interesting, Kate Middleton has made it very fashionable to wear hose and she prefers nude sheer that is a perfect match to her skin.

2) We heard from someone who said it depends on whether it is an indoor or outdoor formal affair. This recommendation was to wear panty house for indoor formal affairs but not outdoor formal events. Some women told us they wear black, colored or patterned tights in the winter but they do not wear panty hose to formal events or otherwise.

3) We also had women share their opinion about wearing panty hose in the work place. The overall consensus seems to be that it depends on the industry. Certain fields, such as the legal, finance and airline industries seem to trend more towards wearing panty hose while tech companies seem to not embrace hose as much. While you should decide what is most suited for you, knowing that particular workforce culture might be an important consideration.

4) Finally, we wanted to know what stylist Cindy Lovas thought about wearing panty hose. She tells us that panty hose are a personal choice since bare legs are acceptable for all occasions, even formal affairs, weddings, and galas. Cindy recommends, however, to decide how you will feel at your event with or without nylons. If you are not going to walk into that room with confidence unless you are wearing nylons, then wear them, especially if your dress or skirt is an inch above the knee. She said if you feel you can “rock” that event with your bare legs that is acceptable as well. Cindy did say if you are wearing an open toed shoe and you want to wear nylons, make sure it is a finished open toed panty hose option and never wear traditional nylons when choosing open toed shoes.

The good news is there doesn’t seem to be a right or wrong answer. If you are comfortable without your hose, don’t wear them. If you love the look of wearing the nylons, then go for it. Fashion experts say if you choose to wear nylons, invest in a good pair that will smooth and shape your figure and not run or snag easily.

We love getting your Ask Hello50 questions! Do you have a question about anything of importance to you and are looking for input from our community? Go to www.hello50.com and select Ask Hello50 to submit your question.