To Wear or Not to Wear….Pantyhose that is!

The weather is definitely getting warmer as Summer is upon us. Fashion and Image are often times not on the same page. The magazines say one thing is in style and the boss says another. Women can’t look to magazines or store fronts for direction on our professional image. Over the past few years, I have seen a lot of controversy on wearing pantyhose or nylons in the workplace during warmer months.


Fashion experts have been telling us that we are out of style if we wear pantyhose. I remember a pretty recent television special on VH1 in regards to this topic. The fashion consultants were telling us that in lieu of nylons we should be wearing dark or fun-colored stockings. Now, this is all relative of course, but what professional (aside from people who work in marketing or artsy-related professions) do you see walking around in yellow tights with their skirted suit? It might look fantastic and fashionable, but where is the attention drawn to? Yes, your bright yellow stockings!

Before you begrudgingly reach into your top drawer to pull out a pair of knee highs in 90 degree weather consider these questions:

1. Do you work in an office environment with men who might be distracted by the lack of nylons and your skirt?

2. Do you work in a laid back environment where nylons would cause you to stand out and you might appear to be too dressed up for the type of business you are involved with?

3. Will not wearing nylons be a safety hazard?

To wear pantyhose or not is not cut and dry. It really boils down to the culture of your work environment and most importantly, the expectations of your organization and external customers you interact with.

What message do you want to send?