Every product is independently selected by obsessive editors. Things you buy through our links may earn us a commission. While some flight attendants and all Hooters waitresses are still required to wear flesh-toned pantyhose as part of their uniforms, almost every major American corporation has banished any mention of pantyhose from dress-code manuals. And there is one corner of the world where pantyhose are still very much de rigueur: Hollywood. The women I dress for TV shows, films, and commercials almost never go on camera with bare legs — they all want a smooth, sleek leg line; the kind you can only get with leg makeup or flesh-toned pantyhose. But nobody wants it to be obvious that they are wearing pantyhose, so I swear by a handful of brands that deliver perfect-looking legs — without calling any attention to themselves.

Pantyhose — or stockings or nylons or tights, which are not exactly the same things but are often used interchangeably — are one of those items of dress that seems innocuous and unimportant, but is actually a giant generational, occupational and cultural lightning rod. For women of a certain age, they are simply a part of girding yourself for the world; for others, they are a symbol of old-fashioned female repression and outmoded gender rules. Indeed, if you ever want to start a lively discussion during a lull in a dinner party, bring up the question of pantyhose.

Pantyhose , called sheer tights , or tights in the United Kingdom and a few other countries, are close-fitting legwear covering the wearer's body from the waist to the toes. Like stockings or knee highs , pantyhose are usually made of nylon , or of other fibers blended with nylon. Pantyhose are designed to:. Besides being worn as fashion, in Western society pantyhose are sometimes worn by women as part of formal dress.