How to Choose Stockings for Women in India: A Buyer's Checklist

To choose stockings for women in India, check five things in order: shade (a warm skin tone for a bare-leg look, black for evenings and dark outfits), weight (a light pair for most of the year, fleece-lined for North Indian winters), style (waist-high, with feet for closed shoes or footless for sandals), size by both waist and hips, and how tough the knit is.

Most of us buy ladies stockings in a hurry: the night before a December wedding, or after a week of shivering in a skirt under the office AC. That is how you end up with a pale beige pair that looks grey on Indian skin, a waistband that rolls down by lunch, or a ladder before the pheras.

Skin colour or black: which shade should you buy first?

Skin colour keeps your legs looking like your own, only more even, which suits daytime, office skirts, sheer and net sarees, pastels and open sandals. Black is a styling choice for evenings, winter, dark suiting, jewel tones and black shoes.

Matching skin colour is the hard part, because many pairs come in a cool, pinkish beige that sits on warm skin like a film. Look for a warm nude and test it properly:

• Stretched. Pull it over your hand against your leg; a knit always looks lighter on the body than folded.
• In daylight, near a window, not under warm bedroom bulbs that flatter every shade.
• Warmer if in doubt. A shade lighter than your skin looks ashy; one a touch deeper simply looks like your legs on a good day.

Our skin shade is a warm nude designed for Indian complexions, and it runs through our skin colour stockings. For a first purchase, one skin and one black pair covers most outfits, and our guide to black vs skin colour stockings goes occasion by occasion.

Light or fleece-lined: what do your city and season need?

Colour does not keep you warm; fabric does. Choose the weight for where and when you will wear the pair.

• Light, everyday stockings suit most of India for most of the year: Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and anywhere the real cold is the office AC.
• Opaque tights hide the leg completely. They look good with boots and knit dresses, but heavy under sarees.
• Fleece-lined stockings are for North Indian winters, roughly December and January in Delhi, Lucknow, Chandigarh and Jaipur, and for hill-station trips.

Our fleece-lined winter stockings are soft brushed fleece on the inside. Off the leg, the outer knit looks dark brown, almost black; stretched on, it turns a sheer skin tone, so at a normal distance the legs read as bare. Look closely and they are clearly warm hosiery, not skin, and they feel thicker than a summer pair.

Waist-high or thigh-high, with feet or footless?

Women's stockings in India are sold as stockings, pantyhose or tights, often for the same thing. Strictly, stockings stop at the thigh, but most pairs sold here are really waist-high pantyhose for women; our guide to stockings vs tights vs pantyhose untangles the names.

• Waist-high or thigh-high. Waist-high pairs need no help to stay up and also smooth the hips, which makes them easier for office days, sarees and weddings. Thigh-high hold-ups make washroom breaks quicker, but the band can slide on freshly moisturised skin.
• Waistband grip. A thin elastic rolls down the moment you sit. Look for a wide band with a silicone grip, and wear it at your natural waist, not below the belly.
• Feet. Footed pairs suit closed shoes, boots and closed juttis, and they are warmer. Footless pairs suit kolhapuris, toe-ring sandals and strappy heels, and are easier at a temple where you will be barefoot.

Our anti-scratch stockings are full-length, waist-high and footed, with a silicone grip waistband. The winter stockings come with socks or footless.

Which stockings suit which occasion?

Here is how the checks come together for the usual occasions.

Most wardrobes need only two or three of these rows. You can compare both styles side by side in our range of stockings for women.

How do you find your stockings size?

Measure rather than going by your dress or kurti size: waist at its narrowest, hips at their fullest, in inches. Then find the row that covers both.

• Waist and hips disagree? Choose the larger size: a 28-inch waist (M) with 39-inch hips (L) makes you an L.
• Between sizes? Go up, especially for fleece-lined pairs, where the lining adds a little thickness.
• Don't size down for a firmer fit. A tight pair stretches thin and shiny over the thighs, snags sooner and drags the waistband down.
• XXL on the product page is the same as 2XL on the chart.

The stockings size chart page has the same chart for both our styles, and our stockings size guide covers measuring at home and height. Since intimate wear can't be returned for size or preference, it pays to measure before ordering.

How long will a pair last, and how do you look after it?

No stocking is indestructible. Ordinary sheer pairs can ladder on the first wear from a bangle, a fingernail or the torn edge of an auto seat. Our anti-scratch stockings use a tear-resistant stretch knit made for those everyday snags, with two pairs per pack so you can rotate. Even so, a nail poking out of a chair, the hook side of a bag fastener or a sequinned lehenga lining can still pull a thread.

1. Dress sitting down. Remove rings and bangles, smooth any rough nail, and ease each leg up from the toe instead of pulling from the waist.
2. Hand wash in cold water. Use a little mild detergent, squeeze gently and never wring.
3. Dry in the shade. Fleece-lined pairs go inside out so the lining dries fully. Keep fleece away from heaters and strong sun, and skip the iron.
4. Rotate. Give each pair a day off between wears, and allow fleece-lined ones extra drying time in the monsoon.

Choose the shade for the light you will be in, the weight for your city's winter, the feet for your shoes and the size for your waist and hips together. Get those four right, and the rest is gentle handling.

Frequently asked questions

How many pairs of stockings should I buy to start?

Two: one skin and one black, so daytime, office and evening are covered. Add a fleece-lined pair if you spend December or January in the north.

Can I wear stockings in summer in India?

Yes, when they serve a purpose: an air-conditioned office, a sheer saree or thighs that rub under a dress. On long, hot days outdoors, going without is usually more comfortable.

Do fleece-lined stockings look thick under a saree?

From a normal distance, no. Once stretched on, the outer knit reads as a sheer skin tone. Close up, you can tell they are warm hosiery, which is the trade-off for the warmth.

Do skin colour stockings suit dusky skin?

A warm nude blends far better on dusky and deep skin than a pale beige does. Test it stretched, in daylight, and if it still reads lighter than your leg, choose black.