17 Surprising Ways to Style Your Favorite Fishnets
Photo:
Allison Kahler.
Fishnet tights have long communicated one thing and one thing only: sex. During the early 1900s, fishnet stockings were worn under maxi dresses—accentuating the leg any time it made a rare appearance.
Decades later, burlesque dancers appropriated the trend. Though this decision had more to do with fishnet tights’ comfort and mobility than anything else, it further cemented fishnet’s role as a seductive textile—a reputation that precedes it to this day.
Over time, fishnet tights have truly transformed—and then transformed again and transformed again. Fishnets are available in all kinds of colors and patterns these days, and tights are no longer the only way to wear the textile. Fishnet tops and socks have pervaded the sartorial zeitgeist in recent years, offering style stars new ways to play with shape, texture and print.
Still, the notion that fishnet tights are a purely seductive item persists. Styling fishnet tights requires immense finesse and creativity; the wearer has to reinterpret the fabric—wearing it in a new way or pairing it with unexpected items—to keep it from conveying something unintended.
Ahead, you’ll find 17 surprising ways to style your favorite fishnets—whether that go-to is a pair of fishnet tights, a fishnet top, some fishnet socks or something else entirely.
Consider this your unofficial field guide to styling fishnet pieces—street-style-star-suggested, StyleCaster-approved.
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17 Surprising Ways to Style Your Favorite Fishnets | @stylecaster
Peekaboo fishnet socks are a total power move.
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Christian Vierig/Getty Images.
It's 2018. Even your bag can wear fishnet now.
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Edward Berthelot/Getty Images.
Fishnets in shades of maroon can transform the accessory from statement-making to supplementary detail (in the best way possible).
Photo:
Christian Vierig/Getty Images.
A classic way to sport the trend? Pair your fishnet tights with a graphic tee and leather jacket.
Photo:
Edward Berthelot/Getty Images.
OK, trench coats and fishnets are definitely a new look. But we're super into it.
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Melodie Jeng/Getty Images.
Tear-away pants are cool in and of themselves. Tear-away pants layered over fishnet tights are even cooler.
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Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images.
Feel like wearing tights, but weather won't permit it? Fishnets offer the best of both worlds.
Photo:
Timur Emek/GC Images.
Why, yes, fishnet tops are a thing now. Thanks for asking.
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Nataliya Petrova/NurPhoto via Getty Images.
Power suits are only made chicer when juxtaposed with fishnet tights.
Photo:
Matthew Sperzel /Getty Images.
Layer your most distressed jeans over your favorite fishnets for a seriously textured look.
Photo:
Christian Vierig/Getty Images.
Fishnet socks offer pops of texture that'll render your look even more dynamic.
Photo:
Christian Vierig/Getty Images.
Because sometimes you want to add a little stylistic flair to an otherwise-simple look.
Photo:
Timur Emek/Getty Images.
Dress up your fishnet tights with a flirty skirt. Then dress them down with casual sneaks.
Photo:
Edward Berthelot/Getty Images.
Fishnet tights aren't limited to a single pattern.
Photo:
Matthew Sperzel/Getty Images.
White fishnets offer a not-so-obvious way into the trend.
Photo:
Christian Vierig/Getty Images.
The maximalist's approach to styling fishnets? Layer, layer and layer some more.
Photo:
Edward Berthelot/Getty Images.
When your stockings are higher-waisted than your pants, you're doing something right.
Photo:
Georgie Hunter/Getty Images.
