Fashion moves in cyclical patterns — if anything, the 2020s return of Y2K styles proves that we love looking back on things. Colorful tights, which celebrities around the world have added to their wardrobes over the past year, are among the closet throwbacks making a fast return to the mainstream.
According to Google Trends, the search term “red tights” reached a peak in December 2023, when the bold accessory was taking over social media and holiday campaigns. Since July 2024, however, the term has steadily regained popularity.
Retro Roots
Images of pop culture icons such as Blair Waldorf (Gossip Girl) and Princess Diana might’ve resurfaced online to inspire fashion enthusiasts with their takes on red tights, but colored tights have been a fashion staple for decades.
Originally surfacing in 1959, tights — and specifically, colored tights — rose to popularity in the ‘60s. Aided by the miniskirt boom and the Mod movement, colorful tights became a symbol of the passage from childhood to adulthood, breaking away from societal expectations and embracing modernity. Women like Twiggy, the uber-popular model who pioneered every trend in the 1960s, and fashion designer Mary Quant turned Crayola-colored tights, prints and pleated mini skirts into the uniform of the era.
Colored tights once again remerged in the ‘80s and ‘90s, with playful spins, from patterned combinations to textured iterations, that young women embraced unapologetically. The iconic Italian designer Gianni Versace, for example, famously presented a collection that tapped into colored tights for Spring 1991, prompting a monochrome outfit craze featuring red, yellow and other dopamine colors. The world even saw fashion icons like Linda Evangelista rock red tights on the runways of designers such as Oscar de la Renta.
Coming in Hot
Now, colored and red tights, in particular, are making a big return. Celebrities have taken the trend to the streets (and their Instagram feeds) in a red-hot frenzy. Everyone, from K-pop star Jennie Kim to actor Jenna Ortega, is putting a modern twist on this retro-inspired trend.
As a trendsetter, Jennie embraced red tights early on, in December 2023, when she fronted the Jacquemus holiday campaign. The “Matra” singer wore a Christmas-approved ensemble, pairing a forest green sweater and silver metallic skirt with opaque red tights. The outfit fit seamlessly into Jacquemus’ “Guirlande” holiday collection, which highlighted festive colors. Nearly a year later, Jennie embraced red tights again ahead of her return as a soloist. Her look once again tapped into the holiday aesthetics, mixing a miniskirt, high-knee boots and a tinsel scarf with matching cherry red tights.
More recently, Jennie even reinvented the look in her music video for “Mantra,” her fresh-from-the-oven single. The K-pop icon opted for a white and red combination featuring red high-knee nylon socks paired with the Adidas Tenis Handball Spezial shoes — considering Jennie’s ability to stay ahead of trends, maybe red socks will be the hosiery style we’ll see everywhere next spring?
Back in January, Thai star Davika Hoorne also sported a similar red and white ensemble in a series of posts shared to her Instagram. The Thai actress paired a loose-fitting white tank with ruffled shorts that played with the “no pants” trend. Davika wore a pair of sheer red tights that matched her vibrant red leather jacket and Gucci Jackie Notte Mini Bag, completing her risqué look with a pair of thick oval-framed sunglasses and red kitten heels.
Monochrome Looks
Ariana Grande took a different route. The American singer used red as the foundational color for one of the looks featured in her latest album, Eternal Sunshine. Her opaque red tights were paired with matching elbow-length mesh gloves, which she used to complement a Maison Margiela Four-Stitch Cotton Bodysuit. The singer later wore a monochromatic red outfit — red tights included — for media promotions.
Speaking of monochrome red looks, which have been rather popular in 2024, American actor Jenna Ortega also hopped on the red tight craze during her press run for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. The star nodded to the no-trousers trend with a burgundy double-breasted blazer from Alexander McQueen and elevated the ensemble with the use of contrasting red hues and thematic accessories.
Red On The Runways
Bright-colored tights are equally popular on the runways and the streets. Earlier this year, the Miuccia Prada-led Miu Miu sent down the catwalk a selection of colorful tights — orange red, green and electric blue — worn underneath long jackets and shirts. The outfits, equal parts eclectic, risqué and chic, tapped into the same spirit of the ‘60s, finding inspiration in the clothing shifts that accompany the transition period between childhood and adulthood.
The streets of every major fashion capital, from New York to Paris, followed suit. Fashionistas across the globe quickly popularized all sorts of red combinations including total red looks: miniskirts worn over red tights and matching boots, minidresses paired with red hosiery and Mary Janes shoes or the popular pantless looks featuring opaque tights.
Meanwhile, in the most recent Spring Summer 2025 fashion circuit, brands such as Versace, Vivienne Westwood, Ester Manas and Tibi presented both monochrome and pantless styles featuring red tights. In Paris, however, Alessandro Michele took a step forward for his creative director debut at Valentino. The designer introduced maximalist looks accessorized with opaque and lace red tights with bows attached to the ankle, hinting at the next evolution of the colored tights trend and the endless styling possibilities for this wardrobe staple.
Shop The Look
If you feel ready to give red a try, browse through these EnVi-curated offerings and get started with the right tights for your fall and winter wardrobe.
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Craving more trend coverage? Read about the recent rise of bagcharms here.
