If you can learn anything from being around a few decades, it’s that what goes around most certainly comes back around. That goes for how people decorate their homes, do their hair (velcro rollers, anyone?), and what they wear. While there are some fashion trends best left in the past, such as neon shoulder pads, we’re happy to see others return to add a bit of fun back in our wardrobes. 

This year, we’re already beginning to see a certain color-oriented fashion trend reemerge from the depths of the 1960s and 1980s archives: colorful tights. 

The History of Colorful Tights

This trend certainly isn’t new, and you can track it back to the 1960s when mod outfits were made complete with a bright pair of red, purple, and orange tights, often opaque for ultimate color pop; as well as the 1980s through the early 1990s when sheer brown, burgundy, and even white tights were popular to complete an outfit. 

One of the most notable fans of colorful tights in the 1980s was Princess Diana of Wales, who was known as quite the trend-setter and fashion icon at the time and, still, in retrospect. She wore no shortage of statement-making colorful tights, from red to white, to official royal appearances. 

Additionally, in the 1960s, anyone donning the mod aesthetic (perhaps, most famously, Twiggy) was no stranger to a mini dress with bright opaque tights. However, the 1980s-1990s colorful tights trend is more on par with what is popular again today. 

How To Wear Colorful Tights Today

While the brighter shades of yellow, orange, and green tights aren’t making as big of a comeback in current fashion, there’s been an uptick in red, burgundy, navy, dark purple, and even metallic grey tights that we are seeing on Pinterest, social media, and our favorite tastemakers. 

Particularly if you are a fan of the easiness of a dark, neutral winter outfit, colored tights are the perfect addition to your wardrobe. They can boost up an all-black outfit instantly, or you can go even more trendy by wearing a monochrome outfit (think all red, all brown, or all winter white, including tights).

The most popular combination currently seems to be an all-black or all-brown outfit paired with sheer burgundy tights, and it is subtle enough to not feel like you’re stepping too far out of your comfort zone. There’s no need to splurge on colorful tights if you’re looking to get in on the comeback trend. You can find them affordably online and in stores.