In Defense of Candy-Coloured Legs

Some ladies play it safe in blustery, snowy weather. They choose sensible, thick, black tights and pair them with warm, cozy boots and lined wool trousers. These practical women likely have mothers who sleep easy at night knowing their daughters are not going to freeze for fashion’s sake, by glances of approval from their like-minded peers and by being toasty warm in the bitter Canadian cold.

Despite all of this (and much to my own mother’s dismay) I prefer to wrap my legs in thin, candy-coloured tights throughout the long winter. There are a million reasons why I love and prefer bright tights for freezing cold weather. For one, Rainbow Brite legs lend a bit of sunny optimism to the intensely bleak, dark and unforgiving Maritime winters. Fun, patterned tights also speak volumes about your personality. When I see girls clutching fair trade coffees and strolling downtown in hot pink or neon yellow, I just know that they are quirky and creative individuals who are probably on their way to an off-the-wall photography exhibit or modern dance class.

Finally, I prefer bright and patterned tights because they remind me of my favourite fashion decade: the sixties. I always feel I’m living in Swinging London, wearing Mary Quant and befriending stork-legged supermodel Leslie Hornby. In Charlottetown, I buy my impractical, but original, hosiery at the Demi-Point Dance Shop (62 Queen St., 902-892-2759) but if you want to play it safe (and warm!) the store also carries tights in the plain, black and sensible variety.