Add Patterned Hosiery

Last year I had a dressy alumni event to attend and needed to look the part of a fashionista. An over 45 fashionista, that is. So while I tried on dresses with ankle boots and bone-aching platforms, I decided that none of those looks were quite age or occasion appropriate.

So I turned to my stylist friend (I won't drop his clients' names, but I'll give you a hint: his biggest client likes sparkle and plays a guitar.) Wear a simple black dress, patterned black pantyhose and fabulous shoes, he advised.

Never one to turn away good fashion advice, I found a great little drop-waist black dress and insanely cute suede wedges. Then it came time to shop for the patterned hose. Once I got into it, I was amazed by how much there was to shop for in this category: lace patterns, florals, fishnets and dots.

I eventually went with a combination lace/stripe pattern that elongated my legs (something that most women can use.) Oh, and mine were from Spanx, because, well, there can just never be too much Spanx in our lives.

Since my first venture into patterned hosiery, I've become a devotee. This year there's even more to choose from and a wide variety of prices.

If you haven't tried this look yet, you'll find (like I did) that it's surprisingly easy to carry off and elevates the most basic black dress. You can wear patterned hose with any type of shoe, even an open-toe shoe. Elaborately patterned hose look best with clean-lined clothes and simpler shoes.

Here are some of my favorite patterned hosiery:

• Lace hose. White House/Black Market does a great lace pair for $15 and DKNY has an updated lace for $18. Black lace is one of the trendiest looks of the season and a perfect way to update everything from a simple little black dress to a black pencil skirt and sweater. Great for holidays and special occasions.
• Bold-patterned hose. Argyle prints and bold stripes are just two of the ways to wear your legwear with style. Keep your outfit very basic and make the legs the focus.
• Subtle-patterned hose. Pin dots are one way to add some texture without an in-your-face pattern; also a subtle diamond pattern works to add surface interest without obvious pattern.
• Fishnets. One way to get a bare-legged look without going bare is to wear a flesh-colored fishnet  (Diane von Furstenberg wears this look.) Or you can go with vavoom black fishnets for a classic sexy look.