Dressing for the office has become something of an art. The office environment can appear to encourage dour pant suits and monotone colour palettes, but increasingly women are exploring their corporate fashion possibilities and embracing more of the imagination in their corporate wear.

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Brands such as Chloe, Bottega Veneta and Michael Kors have begun to include pieces which can seamlessly form part of the office scene. What you choose to wear to the office can say a lot about you as a person, and make a huge difference not only to the impression you send out, but also how you represent the company you work for!

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Fortunately, there is a more affordable and simple way to spice up your office attire: incorporate a killer pair of tights! Make an impression by keeping shapes classic, and adding unique and interesting details. Our Mia tights for instance can be added beneath a classic pencil skirt to give your look that subtle edge, featuring a subtle polka-dot pattern. They’ll look great against a burst of white incorporated into your outfit.

Don’t be afraid of colour; though some research suggests that too bold a colour can appear confrontational, choosing a burgundy tone, like our Lexi tights, instead of a bright red or a deep sea green (like our Envy tights) can give your look a colourful touch without appearing loud or eccentric. Our Envy tights also incorporate a subtle geometric finish to add texture to your look.

Plain black or neutral stockings have traditionally represented standard wear for the office, but you can always take a new approach to these classics by substituting a different dark colour for black (like our Chameleon tights in Mulberry or Dark Green) or choosing tights which feature an eye catching pattern. Our Chantilly and Imbroglio tights add interest and fun to an outfit, allowing you to flaunt your style and personality in a sophisticated way. Pair these with block colour to make the most of the leg lengthening illusion they create!

(Image: FireHosiery HQ – wearing bold patterned tights with a classic outfit)

And for a fun take on the traditional nude stocking, our Clara tights feature flattering vertical lines in a soft fawn colour, which is also perfect as the weather warms up. Viva also comes in both Ivory and Black, and features a distinct geometric pattern which will also come in handy for spring.

Picking a nicely tailored finishing piece like a great blazer or jacket can help ensure your office look remains appropriate and presentable. As we approach spring, look for lighter, flowing fabrics and don’t be afraid to finish your look with a pair of strappy, more breathable shoes (see our post How to: Wear Hosiery With Open Shoes for some style suggestions!).

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Make a day at the office that little bit more fun with some fun accessory pieces. How will you incorporate a bit of your personality into the office?

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To peep toe or not to peep toe? It seems like style aficionados simply can never decide whether wearing hosiery with open toed shoes is fashion brilliance or faux pas.

However, here at FireHosiery HQ, we’re obviously mad about hosiery, which means we’re always up for fun new ways to wear tights! And why not attempt the peep toe and tights look? There are a few ways you can try it without rocking the fashion boat.

For instance, the best way to avoid unnecessary contrast is to make sure you don’t go for a reinforced toe. Start with a thicker strapped shoe as well, which will expose less of your foot and give you a good place to start experimenting with hosiery and shoe combinations. It can also help with any potential slipping and sliding of the foot!

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One way to get into this budding trend is to minimise contrast between shoes and hosiery, which makes the look much easier to pull off. Our Milano or Envy tights come in great variety of colours, making it simply up to you to pick the best colour combination to offset your shoe of choice. Pair black shoes with black tights, or try to match colours as closely as possible if you’d like the subtler overall look.

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Of course, plenty of runway collections have done exactly the opposite as well: making the contrast more extreme can create a fun and fashion forward detail in your overall look as well. It’s a daring look, but the risk can definitely be worthwhile!

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If the idea of a fully covered leg with peep toes is too intimidating, you can start with just a pair of socks, like our new Paige range of socks, which can be paired with jeans or slacks to create a tasteful overall look. And if the whole idea is way out of your style comfort zone, then our Aztec footless tights can be a nice compromise, allowing you to expose your foot and wear a great pair of tights at once.

Some socks and tights are way too exciting to hide behind a closed shoe! It’s a great way to add some more bursts of colour to an outfit too (think of our Lexi tights or Chameleon range in particular!), and as long as you’re staying true to your style you can avoid any potential faux pas.

Socks and sandals took over the runways in the recent past, and in our opinion, that definitely means it’s time to have fun pairing up your favourite open shoes with some exciting tights!

The American preppy look continues to inspire designers. From Gap to Jil Sander, prep continues to be given new life; varsity jackets and luxurious detailing have turned the potential for student shabby into serious chic. This look endures owing to its deference to the classics – a well-cut item of clothing never really goes out of style and, of course, looks great on everyone. Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger have made their name owing precisely on this principle; classic tailoring and streamlined chic is timeless.

Image: Elle.com

Image: Pinterest

Here at FireHosiery, we’re excited to have just released our first range of socks that pay tribute to this trend. Whilst the weather is still cool, knee-highs can add a little extra warmth with a skirt, and can even be layered on top of simple full leg stockings. Our Paige socks come in burgundy and black, and feature a little of the luxe detailing we’ve been seeing on the runway.

Forget your high school sports socks; Paige features delicate cutaway detailing, adding sophistication and comfort for a more grown up take on this trend.  Keep your eye out as well for our Milano range, which will feature more textured knee-highs in some great new colours for you to choose from!

Our Paige tights in Burgundy complement a plaid skirt or jumper perfectly, carrying through the college spirit to the top half of your look.  Pair them off with a pair of dark brogues or even let them poke out from a pair of mid-calf to knee-high boots. Polo shirts, tailored Capri pants or chinos and pleats can all add to your look, as well as classic pieces like the trench coat or oxford shoe. Finish with a well-cut blazer and classic accessories, like a streamlined handbag and simple jewellery.

Keeping the overall details tailored and clean will add a sense of preppiness simply and with sophistication.

How will you indulge in some school nostalgia?

Some of the biggest names in fashion have been eagerly reintroducing colour for some time now. Bright, bold colours have been making a huge comeback, and this continues well into spring. Nowhere is this more obvious than on red carpets around the world at the moment. Pairing bold lips with statement colour popping accessories adds a bright touch to your wardrobe, and demonstrates a simple and effective way to spice up your style and stay on trend.

Marion Cotillard, for instance, at London’s The Dark Knight Rises premier takes up this trend perfectly: she’s added excitement to an otherwise simple silhouette by choosing a lip colour, heels and purse in solid crimson.

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Fun makeup choices can really bring out the boldness in your tights as well. Brown eyed gals can make eyes pop with shades of green and blue around the eyes, and blue or green eyed girls can add spice with pinks, blues and silver.

Following this pop colour trend, FireHosiery has just released the ‘Chameleon’ range of coloured tights in a selection of fun and fabulous shades including turquoise, fuchsia, lilac and tangerine. Complement these fun colourful tights with a lip colour or eyeliner in the same colour, and finish with a belt detail, purse or earrings in the same colour.

Make the rest of your outfit simple and sleek with shades of grey, blue or black, or go for the more adventurous option and pick a contrasting colour! Other popular and eye catching combinations include red with green tights, navy with pink or orange, or even purples and golden hues with bright turquoise tights.

There are lots of combinations which work, just make sure to keep accessories or makeup accents consistent. For a simpler take on this trend, just stick to a lip colour or eyeliner in the same colour as your stockings, or pick an appropriately matching nail polish. By selecting just one of these to complement your tights, you can still achieve a very sophisticated look which can be just as effective as incorporating colour from head to toe.

Are you embracing colour bursts? We hope these tips and ideas inspire you to add some fun details to your wardrobe!