Fishnets: The NFSW tights making a stylish comeback

But, are they enough to persuade the bare leg brigade?

Thursday 31 August 2017 13:24 BST

Jason Wu paired full-length tights and ankle styles with two-piece suits, floaty midi dresses and ruffled skirts (Rex)

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Once the reserve of ladies of the night, fishnets are officially back en vogue, but how do you shake the connotation of all things kinky?

With such a risqué reputation, it can be difficult to muster the gumption to don holey hosiery but thanks to a surge in popularity on the runway, the fishnet has quickly become a mainstream accessory for all to enjoy.

Forget trash talk because these tights are now a sartorial trophy piece.

The perfect way to toughen up a girlish ensemble, Lanvin’s artistic director, Bouchra Jarrar, sought to describe the “tenderness and force” of women with a collection that perfectly straddled the masculine-feminine boundary.

Here, typically femme dresses rendered with frothy flowers, plisse and chiffon were juxtaposed with black or white fishnets, while sock versions peeked through tailored trousers too.

Similarly at Jason Wu there was a 50-50 split between tailoring and cocktail-wear, with full-length tights and ankle styles accessorising everything from two-piece suits, floaty midi dresses and ruffled skirts.

Lanvin used fishnets to toughen up girlish ensembles (Getty) (Getty Images)

The masculine-feminine balance also continued at Simon Miller, where feminine touches such as ruffled-trim slip dresses and miniskirts struck an androgynous feel with the addition of black fishnet tights and pointed black booties.

The perfect happy medium for those not sure when to start wearing tights, fishnets promise to instil an inordinate amount of pleasure into everyday garb. A great styling flip, the important thing to remember when wearing yours is to keep your skirt of longer-length – to the knee or midi – otherwise you run the risk of looking less than classy.