Ah, January. With over fourteen weeks until the next Bank Holiday, it’s hard to find motivation. The chilly weather doesn’t help either, and even festive sequins can’t offer much comfort. But here’s a simple yet effective styling hack to lift your spirits: matching tights to your shoes.

This idea first came to me after spotting Sharon Horgan, the Bad Sisters actress, in a photo a couple of months ago. She wore a velvet, tuxedo-collar dress by Temperley, but what truly caught my eye was her styling below the knee. Rather than the typical bare legs and stilettos, she rocked sheer, lipstick-red tights paired with matching satin pumps. It was striking, a little sexy, and completely unforgettable.

This week, as I mourned the dullness of my wardrobe—grey and uninspiring after December’s festive outfits had been packed away—I remembered Horgan’s red tights. I realized it was the perfect way to elevate boring January looks. So, I reached out to the stylist behind Horgan’s chic hosiery and heels, Rachel Davis, to find out how to master the art of matching tights and shoes.

“My inspiration for the look came from Valentino’s Spring/Summer 2025 show,” Davis explains. “Alessandro Michele styled a monochrome dress with red tights, and I was sold.” Davis put her own twist on the outfit for Horgan, choosing Louboutin heels (“because there’s no sexier shoe in the world”) and tights from Swedish Stockings. For more style inspiration, keep reading…

Go sheer

Coordinating tights and shoes isn’t entirely new—Princess Diana was rocking the look back in 1985. She took it up a notch by matching her tights, court shoes, and skirt suit, all in bold poppy red.

Horgan’s take feels fresh and undeniably sultrier. Davis achieved this by experimenting with opacity. “I wanted the tights to be slightly sheer, not thick or heavy, because that feels sexier,” she explains. A calf-length dress or skirt can sometimes feel frumpy, Davis admits, but a bold tomato-red tight adds the perfect touch of allure.

“It’s sexy without showing skin,” she says. “Once you hit fifty, it’s like, ‘I still want to look hot and feel attractive, but I don’t want to reveal too much.’”

An easy update

This styling hack has another perk – it refreshes your wardrobe without the need to buy anything new. It’s an easy way to embrace trends affordably and sustainably. For a speaking event, Davis dressed Horgan in a black shirt dress by Serena Bute. The look was elegant but simple, until baby-pink tights and matching Louboutin stilettos transformed it into something unforgettable.

“I bet everyone has something like that dress in their wardrobe – a reliable staple,” says Davis. “Adding colored shoes and tights makes it feel more curated and intentional. It’s a simple way to breathe new life into an old dress.”

Mix and match

When it comes to choosing a shade, Davis suggests going with the current Pantone color—last year, it was “peach fuzz” (as seen in Horgan’s ballet-pink look), and this year it’s “mocha mousse”—or any trending hue like red. “Or just pick a color you love,” she says, naming lilac, teal, and red as her current favorites. “Darker colors and neutrals are often more flattering,” she adds, recommending dark green, berry, or camel for those who shy away from brights and pastels.

Don’t shy away from mixing textures and tones. A patent-leather shoe can help mask any color mismatches, while a neutral-colored outfit gives you some creative freedom below the knee. Davis shares a look she’s planning for Horgan this January: a buttermilk dress by Edeline Lee, paired with baby-blue tights and teal Louboutin heels. “It makes your legs look hyper-real, like something from a Guy Bourdin photo,” she says.

Find your prints charming

Nor should you shy away from patterns, especially for special occasions. Katie Mackay-Sinclair, Partner at Mother London, tells me she wore head-to-toe leopard print recently.

“It all started with the Roberto Cavalli blazer,” she explains. “I couldn’t resist adding more, so I paired it with a Norma Kamali bodysuit, which worked as tights thanks to the built-in feet.”

The final touch? A pair of leopard-patterned pumps. “The more leopard I added, the more the look came together. For me, when it comes to prints, there’s no such thing as too much!”

For a more subtle way to incorporate patterned tights, try recreating another of Horgan’s looks—a black roll-neck dress, styled by Davis with white, semi-sheer tights featuring tiny, tonal polka dots, and white, pointed pumps. Monochrome has never looked so exciting. The tights are from Tabio, Davis’s go-to hosiery brand.

“I’m obsessed with Tabio,” she says. “I dare anyone to walk in and not spend at least a hundred pounds on tights and socks.”

Start slowly, with socks

A snazzy pair of socks can work wonders if you’re not ready to commit from waist to toe. Davis recalls styling Horgan in a seamed, sheer pair with a Simone Rocha dress. Meanwhile, the Telegraph fashion team loves a statement ankle sock. Acting fashion director Sarah Bailey recently wore red, glitter-flecked socks from & Other Stories with scarlet, block-heel loafers from Gucci to the office.

Stick to heels

Davis insists that heels are essential when styling colored tights. “It’s trickier to wear flats,” she explains. “I mean, Alexa Chung, Lucy Boynton, and all those style icons can pull it off, but for mere mortals, it’s less forgiving.”

As many of Horgan’s outfits show, the stylist loves a sharply pointed pump, but she also suggests a knee-high boot or peep-toe for a different vibe. “Sexy as hell,” Davis says. I don’t know about you, but that’s all the motivation I need to spend the rest of the year with rainbow-colored limbs.