Braving Bare Legs In Winter Time

Can’t stand tights anymore? Well, you’re not alone. Whether it’s because they are uncomfortable and itchy or they just need constant annoying adjustments, more and more midlife women are banning them from their wardrobes and are starting to “warm up” to the bare legs trend in winter time too.

Amongst the midlife celebrities joining the naked leg brigade, who followed the look first launched by the sirens of HBO’s hit “Sex and the City”, are Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Charlize Theron, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Victoria Beckham and Courteney Cox.

But the trend goes beyond being a fashion statement. It was Anna Wintour the one who invented bare legs as a power move by ditching black tights and arriving at fashion shows in February wearing “nude” Manolo Blahnik slingbacks for the first time a couple of years ago. Since then, nude legs are considered empowering and liberating: the new cleavage.

Still, a very chilly winter awaits. Having your legs bare in winter isn’t so difficult if you have a driver waiting; it’s also perfectly doable if you have to wait a few minutes for a taxi; however, it’s going to be a bit of a struggle if your bus isn’t coming for 20 minutes or so. We’ve also got to realise that after a certain age our knees may have stopped looking their best and our legs may have a couple of spider veins, blotches or bruises which may look better covered.

So, how can we sport the look and avoid hypothermia at the same time?

As a rule of thumb, experts at Vogue suggest going for midi-length skirts (exposing calves only is a trick that fashion editors have long known), wearing hiking socks and wrapping yourself in a chunky jumper, scarf and hat. If you’re looking for something more sophisticated, then the over-the-knee boots and jumper dress combo might work even better.

The secret here is that as long as your torso is properly insulated, your legs can be fooled into thinking they are warm.

However, sporting the look is a thing, showing off bare legs in your 50s is another. Enter: a bit of extra maintenance.

In this case, you’ll need to put a little bit more work into making your legs look great by exfoliating regularly, moisturizing and opting for a regular spray tan. If self-tanning sounds too much, there’s one thing that makes legs look better quickly: lotion. As we age, our cell turnover strats to slow down, and our legs start to get scaly, so a rich nourishing lotion may smooth roughness and improves luminosity.

But please spare a thought, if it’s really “brass monkey” weather outside, then it’s better to consider pairing your favorite dresses and skirts if not with tights then at least with leggings to keep your legs warm (they are designed to fit snugly, shaped to fit the contour of the body and still very comfortable), and then allowing you to have a decent time out. Be wise, age playfully!

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