6 Pairs Of Tights You Need In Your Wardrobe Right Now

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1. A pair of opaque tights available in a wide range of sizes that you can wear with anything and everything in your closet.

Elizabeth Lilly / BuzzFeed

I *live* in dresses. One of my post-college BFFs didn’t see me in jeans ’til about four months into our friendship. So I have a drawer full of tights to help get me from October through April in NYC. I’ve run (literally and figuratively) through dozens of brands, but I keep going back to these DKNY opaque control-top tights. They’re reliable, stay up as the good lord intended, opaque but not too opaque, and seem to withstand my ragged manis and fanged ring that’s snagged other pairs.

As a tall-ish person with thick thighs, I love me a pair of control-top tights. Many one-size-fits-most pairs — especially those of the non-fishnet variety — feel like they have a drop crotch as soon as I walk a city block. Neither a good look nor feel. Then you have your control-top variety that’s extremely obvious with a darker control-top area that hits just above the knee. If I want to wear bike shorts or a damn pair of Spanx under my dress, I will! But 99% of the time I do not. The control-top area for this hits just below crotch level, if we want to get anatomical. The tall size fit me perfectly and I buy these en masse out of fear that they’ll stop making them. So if you need a control-top pair that feel a tad structured to wear with your mini dresses, these have your stems covered. —Elizabeth Lilly

Get them from Amazon for $7.68–$28 each (available in 14 colors, sizes small–plus, also in petite) or as a two-pack for $15.98–$34.99 (available in four colors, sizes small, medium, tall, and plus petite).

2. Fleece-lined tights that are basically the sweatpants of hosiery and will make you feel cozy AF all winter long.

Bek O'Connell / BuzzFeed

Winter is a bleak time, so we should all practice self-care and bundle ourselves in the warmest, coziest things we can find. Tights are a necessary evil, but they don't have to be nightmare garments that make your legs feel like encased sausages. These fleece-lined tights are honestly a dream come true. They're soft and plush, and don't squeeze your legs to death. It seriously feels like wearing cuddly footie pajamas. But unlike footie pajamas, these things actually look really good. They come in a nice matte black that matches with truly everything. Also, did I mention they're on sale? So they're amazing *and* cheap. —Bek O'Connell

Get them from Urban Outfitters for $5 (available in sizes S/M and L/XL).

3. A pair of solid investment tights that have the potential to last nearly a decade (seriously).

Jessie Gaynor / BuzzFeed

I live with two roommates. I don't own a car. I get most of my books from the library. Until I found one for under $10, I considered a computer case an unreasonable expense. I'm not a profligate spender. But friends, these expensive tights are the truth. In 2008, I bought my first pair of Wolford Matte Opaque 80 Tights, and my fiercest brand loyalty was born. The next winter, I bought two more pairs. And...that was it. I have worn the same three pairs of black tights for six cold New York winters and two teeth-chattering Iowa ones. I don't take it easy on tights, either. I have limited spacial awareness, which often leads to grazing rough surfaces, like brick walls and and unfinished wood. I also lived with a rambunctious cat for a few years; the most damage she did to the tights was give them a healthy coating of hair.

Here's a short list of everything I love about these expensive AF tights: 1) They're perfectly opaque and matte; they have no trace of a shine. The fabric doesn't appear thick, though, or add bulk to my legs. 2) They're comfy! The have a knitted waistband that doesn't dig into my belly. 3) They're super stretchy and haven't lost their shape in nearly a decade. 4) None of them have ever gotten a hole or a snag. Not once! In nine years! 5) They keep my legs warm, even in the dead of winter. 6) I have never once hand-washed them: They go into the machine with everything else. Usually I hang dry them, but I have accidentally put them in the dryer and they're always completely fine.

If you want comfortable tights that will look great on your legs for years and years to come, I can't recommend these highly enough. —Jessie Gaynor

Get the Wolford matte opaque tights in three colors from Amazon for $50.51–$61 (available in sizes XS–L), or the similarly opaque Velvet Deluxe 66 Tights in eight colors from $14.99–$61.82 (available in sizes XS–XL).

4. A pair of classic black tights minus the restricting control top, for when you're not in mood to be ~held down~.

Katy Herman / BuzzFeed

I hate tight things, but I wear a lot of tights. This would seem to be a total contradiction. And yet, these Ann Taylor tights are the stretchiest, easiest things in the world. I don't feel at all constricted in them, and I rarely have that tingly, the-blood-cells-in-my-legs-have-been-holding-their-breath-all-day feeling when I take them off. They're just the right level of opacity — not so dark that they weigh down an outfit but not sheer, either.

I have about 10 pairs and they're the only solid black tights I wear. I've learned that it's difficult to find great tights that don't have a control top, and these don't, which I love. I can't be tamed! No piece of hosiery can control me! Really, I just don't want the life squeezed out of my thighs. All I want is to wear cute dresses in the winter, and with these babies I can do so AND be comfy. —Katy Herman

Get them from Ann Taylor for $20 (available in sizes S–L).

5. Playful ombre tights that are as long-lasting and inexpensive as they are fun to wear.

Elena Garcia / BuzzFeed, Daphne Chen / BuzzFeed

I have very basic requirements for a pair of tights: They can’t be itchy, they shouldn't tear after the first few wears (I've basically given up on sheer tights), and they can't be so tight at the top that I feel like my stomach's being intensely smushed. I don't think I'm asking for a lot, yet it's always a struggle to find decent ones.

So against the backdrop of me always settling for very mediocre tights, I came across these gradient tights and just knew I had to buy a pair (in gray)...and then a second (in blue). They're super comfy to wear (read: not itchy), keep me decently warm, and are still kicking it like the day I got them A FULL YEAR LATER — I'm not careful with my tights at all, so the fact that they haven't ripped anywhere, not even in the usual thigh and big-toe departments, is really a miracle. Basically, I can wear dresses all year round!! My dream life has become reality.

Ombré also just speaks to my soul: It's mesmerizing and these tights are no exception. The gray pair is by far my favorite because they make a statement without being super difficult to pair. The blue needs a little extra planning but still looks damn cool when I get my color combinations right. I've gotten so many compliments on these to date, from friends and strangers alike. And for the price, these seriously can't be beat! Like, I can't think of anything bad to say about these. I'm contemplating buying a second gray pair JUST IN CASE they're ever discontinued. Brb, buying another right now! —Sarah Han

Get them from Amazon for $7.99+ (the gray- and blue-to-black are only currently available in sizes XS–M but many of the solid colors are available in L–XL).

6. A pair of surprisingly durable and comfy $5 tights from ol' standby Old Navy.

Emmy Favilla / BuzzFeed

I don't demand much from a humble pair of tights. I generally prefer them on the opaque side, with a comfortable, sturdy waistband that doesn't easily stretch out. Bonus points if they can survive a season or two without a hole in the crotch area or a run from bumping into something that snags 'em (which my clumsy ass is wont to do quite often). I also have a cat who enjoys "playing" by biting at human ankles and a dog who enjoys "playing" by jumping up and pressing all 50 pounds of his body weight against my torso, his nails inevitably finding their way to a spot on my legs on the way back down. All that to say throwing down a hefty wad of cash for tights is not on my agenda.

So when I picked up this pair of gray tights on an impromptu trip to Old Navy three years ago, because I had a gift card and their price was but single digit, I most definitely did not expect them to stay in rotation in my wardrobe for three years (and counting) unscathed. The fabric is a light to medium weight, of medium opacity, and matte — no hint of shine in sight, which is just the way I like it. The control top is snug but not constricting and hasn't stretched out a bit, AND they've yet to get holey even in the toe area, which is usually the first place I tend to see wear in my tights. Old Navy, you done good. —Emmy Favilla

Get them from Old Navy for $5 (available in heather gray and dark brown heather, sizes S/M–L/XL).