Fishnets: Take Your Star Quality Anywhere!

 

 
October 16, 2017 – By Suzy Evans

Fishnet stockings are a costume staple from Broadway to competitions. But they also add star quality to everyday looks far from the stage.

Fishnets boost your glam factor by adding a dash of show-biz razzle dazzle to even the most basic outfit. And they do it by playing trick on the eye: The web-like pattern adds shade, making the leg appear long, tight, and toned.Pairing them with a simple dress or a low skirt immediately brings subtle attention, without being flashy or over-the-top.

“Wearing fishnets is now acceptable in the workplace because they are an everyday accessory just like the new ‘it’  bag or shoe,”
said Maggie Eigen, a fashion stylist for women.

Her tips: “They should never been worn with an extremely tight dress or skirt,” said Eigen, who advises against pairing them with busy patterns. “I prefer them with solids.”

Want a great example of how to wear? Fire up that clip of “Top Gun” when Kelly McGillis strides into the jet hangar to lecture on aerodynamics. She’s wearing a boxy jacket and a below-the-knee pencil skirt — with a pair of fishnets that make Tom Cruise and the boys take notice.

Capezio’s fishnets come in three varieties. The cropped version comes to the mid-calf ($12), while the basic edition ($16) encloses the foot and is geared toward fashion. [Take 20% off with the discount code Dance20]. The professional-grade fishnets ($27.50, with or without seams at the back) are designed to meet the needs of performers: The bottom of the foot is solid, so toes won’t slide through the mesh, whether you’re walking to the office — or performing at the Super Bowl halftime. [Take 20% off with the discount code Dance20].

And it’s the durability of these tights that Capezio the go-to brand for everyone from Beyonce to Katy Perry.

 

At the 2016 Super Bowl, Beyonce and her dancers wore black fishnets with their costumes. Beyonce and dance captain Ashley Everett has said the dancers typically wear multiple pairs when performing.

 

Lady Gaga’s costumes for the stage often include fishnet tights, and her Instagram feed features those looks. But she wears them offstage, too. 

“I always have a black pair and nude pair in my bag with me just to be prepared for gigs,” she said.

Cipolla said she wears Capezio “because there’s no other fishnet I’ve tried like them. They just hold everything in better.”

When it comes to musical theater and film, costume designers let their imaginations run wild with fishnets. In the revival of “Chicago,” entire unitards were made of fishnets, a look that Tony Award-winning costume designer William Ivey Long had custom-made in Austria.

Olivia Cipolla; Photo by Ab Sesay

Long also made the spider-web style legwear for actress Laverne Cox, who played Dr. Frankenfurter in Fox’s “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” The stockings are made out of laser-cut latex and offer a character-specific aesthetic option that still shapes the leg on top of a nude stocking. Spider-web stockings are a little outrageous for everyday. But the skirt pictured here, paired with Capezio nude fishnets, is spot-on!