Sheer Black Tights: Deniers, Fits and Picks for Dresses

Sheer black tights are thin black hosiery, roughly 30 denier or lower, that tint your legs rather than cover them. They're the dressy choice under a cocktail dress, a work dress or a wedding guest dress from fall to early spring.

This page covers denier, the shades of black, control tops and seams, sizing, and how to wear black tights with a dress. The six picks are described from their Amazon listings alone, not from wearing them.

Sheer black tights by denier

Denier measures how heavy the yarn is: the lower the number, the sheerer the tights. Brands draw the lines a little differently, but roughly:

• Ultra sheer, under 15 denier: barely there, with a light black tint. The dressiest look and the easiest to snag.
• Sheer, about 15 to 30 denier: clearly black, with skin showing through. The everyday dressy pair.
• Semi-opaque, about 30 to 50 denier: dark, with a little skin showing at the knee.
• Opaque, about 50 denier and up: solid black, a different look that belongs with knits and boots.

Ultra sheer black tights suit an evening gown or a black-tie wedding, where you want legs that look bare but finished. None of the six pairs here is labeled ultra sheer, so look for a denier under 15 on the listing if that's the look you're after. The Citystl and Berkshire listings both give 20 denier. The Hanes, L'eggs and no nonsense listings don't give a number, so go by the word sheer and the shade.

Jet, off black or barely black

Hosiery brands name their blacks differently, and the name hints at how dark your legs will look. Jet usually means the deepest black, off black a slightly softer one, and barely black the lightest, closer to a smoky tint.

The Hanes Silk Reflections pair is offered in Jet and Barely Black. The L'eggs Everyday pair is offered in Jet Black and Off Black, the L'eggs Silken Mist in Jet Black, and the no nonsense pair in Off Black multipacks. Berkshire calls its shade Fantasy Black.

Control top, sheer toe or back seam

• Control top: a thicker knit panty section, as opposed to tights that are sheer all the way to the waist. Every pair here has one except the Citystl tights, whose listing doesn't mention it.
• Sheer toe: no darker reinforced patch at the toe, so it's the one for open-toe heels. The Hanes, both L'eggs and the no nonsense listings say sheer toe.
• Sandalfoot: no reinforcement at the toe or heel, made for strappy sandals. The Berkshire pair has one.
• Back seam: a line up the back of each leg, a vintage detail for evening. The Berkshire 8011 is the back-seam pair here.

A back seam needs a minute of care. Put the tights on slowly, then check in a mirror that each seam runs straight up the middle of your calf.

Sizing, including plus sizes

Tights sizes are letters or numbers, and each brand maps them to height and weight on its own chart. Hanes sizes go from A-B to I-J, the L'eggs pairs from A or B to Queen, no nonsense from A to Queen Plus, and Berkshire from 1-2 to 3X-4X.

For plus sizes, the Citystl tights are sold in X-Large Plus, XX-Large Plus and 3X-Large Plus at 20 denier, and the Berkshire pair goes up to 3X-4X. If you're between two sizes, take the larger one: tights that are too short pull at the waist and sag at the crotch.

Black tights with a dress

Black tights with a dress look most polished when the shoes are black or dark too, so the color runs from hem to toe. Sheer black tights for a dress work best with:

• a black, navy, burgundy or jewel-tone dress for an evening or a winter wedding (see burgundy wedding guest dresses)
• a dark, solid work dress with pumps or loafers
• a cocktail dress at knee or midi length, with heels (see winter cocktail dresses)

They look out of place with pastel summer dresses and with white. With strappy sandals, choose a sandalfoot pair so no reinforced toe shows.

Making a pair last

Sheer tights snag more easily than opaque ones, whatever the label says. The L'eggs Silken Mist listing calls them run resist; that's the brand's claim, so still treat them gently. Take off your rings, smooth any rough nail, roll each leg down before you step in, and wash them by hand, as all six listings say to.

And when the forecast drops below freezing, sheer nylon won't keep you warm. The winter swap is fleece-lined tights with a sheer look.