To wear fleece-lined tights, treat them like regular tights that let you keep wearing skirts and dresses in winter. Pair dark or sheer-look tights with a sweater dress, mini or midi skirt, or shorts, add knee-high or ankle boots, and finish with a long coat. Pick a shade that matches your shoes or skin tone, and size up if you are between sizes so they don't sag or dig in.
Fleece-lined tights are the easiest way to keep wearing your favorite dresses and skirts when it gets cold. The outside looks like normal tights, while the inside has a soft brushed lining. Below you will find outfit ideas, the best shoes, how to choose a shade, what temperature they make sense for, and how to size and care for them. We use our fleece-lined sheer-look tights as the example, but the tips work for most lined tights.
What are fleece-lined tights?
Fleece-lined tights are footed tights (pantyhose) or leggings with a thick brushed lining on the inside. They are much warmer than standard 20 to 80 denier hose, and they come in two main looks:
- Opaque: solid black, brown or coffee color, like classic winter tights.
- Sheer-look ("fake translucent"): a skin-tone layer under a dark sheer outer layer, so from a normal distance your legs look like they are in thin black or coffee sheer tights.
Our pair is the sheer-look style. The listing gives nylon as the main fabric and a 200g weight, and it comes in black sheer-look over dark coffee, light coffee or skin tone, plus brown, coffee and skin colors. It is listed at $25.85.
7 outfit ideas with fleece-lined tights
1. Sweater dress and knee-high boots
The classic winter combination. A knit dress, black sheer-look tights and knee-high boots look polished and keep your legs covered from hem to boot. For hem lengths and boot heights, see our guide on how to wear a sweater dress.
2. Mini skirt, oversized sweater and loafers
Wear a short skirt in wool-look, corduroy or faux leather with a chunky sweater tucked in at the front. Black tights and chunky loafers make it look current, and the lining means you can wear a mini in December.
3. Midi skirt and ankle boots
A pleated or slip midi skirt with ankle boots shows only a little leg, so this is a good outfit to try skin-tone or coffee tights. Add a fitted turtleneck and a long coat.
4. Shorts with tights for fall
Tailored or denim shorts over black tights are a fun way to keep wearing shorts in cold weather. Add an oversized blazer or cardigan and lug-sole boots to balance the look.
5. Work dress and pumps
For the office, choose a sheath or wrap dress with skin-tone or light coffee sheer-look tights and block heels or pumps. The result reads like classic sheer hose, but you stay warm on the commute.
6. Party dress for the holidays
Velvet, sequin or satin dresses look great with black sheer-look tights. You get the dressy sheer effect without freezing on the way to dinner or a holiday party. Add heeled ankle boots or pointed pumps.
7. Under jeans or trousers on very cold days
A thinner pair of lined tights can work as a base layer under loose jeans or wide-leg trousers. Very thick tights may feel tight under skinny jeans, so save this for relaxed cuts.
What shoes to wear with fleece-lined tights
- Knee-high boots: the warmest choice, and they hide the thickest part of the tights.
- Ankle or Chelsea boots: easy with midi skirts and sweater dresses.
- Loafers and Mary Janes: a cute, slightly preppy look with minis and shorts.
- Pumps and block heels: best with skin-tone or coffee sheer-look tights for work or events.
For a longer leg line, match the color of your tights to your shoes, for example black tights with black boots.
How to choose a shade
If you want the "bare legs in winter" look, choose the skin-tone or light coffee shade that is closest to your own skin. Black sheer-look tights are the most versatile and look good with almost every dark dress. Brown and coffee shades are softer with camel, beige and brown outfits. When in doubt, start with black.
What temperature are fleece-lined tights for?
There is no official rule. Most people reach for them when regular tights feel too thin, usually once daytime highs are in the 40s °F or lower. In heated offices or on mild days they can feel warm, so keep a thinner pair for those days. In very cold or windy weather, add tall boots and a long coat so less of your leg is exposed.
How to get the right size
Tights that are too small slide down and dig in, and tights that are too big wrinkle at the ankles. Our pair is sized by body weight on the size chart: M/L for about 88 to 154 lb (40 to 70 kg), L/XL for about 154 to 198 lb (70 to 90 kg), and 2XL/3XL for about 198 to 254 lb (90 to 115 kg). The listing notes that Asian sizes run small, so if you are between sizes, choose the larger one. Our Asian to US size chart explains how to measure.
How to put them on and care for them
- Roll each leg down to the toe, put your foot in, then ease the tights up a little at a time to the waist.
- Remove rings and keep your nails smooth to avoid snags.
- Wash inside out in cold water, ideally in a mesh laundry bag, and air-dry. High dryer heat can wear out the lining and the stretch.
Where to shop
Shop our fleece-lined sheer-look tights for $25.85, and browse more warm layers in our leggings collection and dresses. You can use code WELCOME15 at checkout, and shipping is free on US orders.
FAQs
Are fleece-lined tights warm?
Yes, they are much warmer than regular sheer hose because a soft brushed lining sits against your skin and holds in body heat. They are made for cold-weather outfits with skirts and dresses. In very cold or windy weather, add knee-high boots and a long coat so less of the leg is exposed.
What temperature should you wear fleece-lined tights?
There is no official rule, but most people save them for days when regular tights feel too thin, usually once daytime highs drop into the 40s °F or lower. On mild days or in heated offices they can feel too warm, so a thinner pair is better then.
Are fleece-lined tights see-through?
Most fleece-lined tights are opaque. Sheer-look styles use a skin-tone layer under a sheer dark outer layer so they look like black or coffee sheer tights from a normal distance while staying lined inside. Up close they read as a sheer-look effect, not bare legs.
What shoes do you wear with fleece-lined tights?
Knee-high boots, ankle boots, Chelsea boots, loafers and lug-sole boots all work. Match dark tights to dark shoes for a longer leg line. Skin-tone sheer-look tights pair well with block heels, pumps or loafers.
How do you keep fleece-lined tights from sagging or pilling?
Choose the right size by the weight range on the size chart, pull them up gradually from ankle to waist instead of tugging at the waistband, and wash them inside out in cold water in a mesh bag. Air-dry them flat instead of using a hot dryer.