This fall, the most exciting accessory might be hiding in your lingerie drawer. On the fall 2026 runways, colored tights stepped boldly into the spotlight. Hermès, for example, sent models out in sheer shades of maroon and olive. Street style followed with gusto, turning a flash of leg into the punchline of the whole outfit. Few people have championed the look as joyfully as Leandra Medine Cohen, the founder of Man Repeller, who now writes the newsletter The Cereal Aisle. She calls tights a complete outfit maker, and her looks prove it every week. The idea also has a glorious past. In the 1960s, Mary Quant paired her miniskirts with tights in candy colors, giving mod girls legs as bright as their eyeliner. Two decades later, Princess Diana slipped colored tights under her royal hemlines. And a whole generation of TV fans still remembers Blair Waldorf’s rainbow collection in Gossip Girl.

Cobalt Blue and Cherry Red, the Dream Team

Cobalt blue feels electric and surprisingly sophisticated. Medine Cohen likes to start from the legs, pairing cobalt tights with Chanel shoes and building a neutral outfit above them. Her secret is a flash of red somewhere in the look, a combination that crackles with energy.

Cobalt also appears in the 2026 runway color forecasts, so your timing is perfect. Red tights, meanwhile, are practically her signature. She wears the same pair again and again, often with single-strap backless sandals for an easy after-dark lift. Styled with head-to-toe black, they turn any evening into a party. And with tomato red ranking among fall 2026’s hottest shades, the moment could hardly be better.

Royal Purple Mustard Yellow, for the Fearless

For maximum drama, try the color that reigned over the fall 2026 collections at Prada and Miu Miu. On the London runway, Sinead Gorey styled her looks with bright lavender tights that clashed in the most delicious way. Julia Fox, never one to play it safe, wore sheer purple tights with a matching bodysuit to the Marc Jacobs show in February. For a more grown-up take, pair violet tights with a charcoal dress and polished black loafers.

Finally, mustard yellow brings a sunny twist to gray days. Hermès sent sheer mustard tights down its fall runway, and the shade glowed across collections at Alaïa and Dior. Try them with a chocolate knit dress or a burgundy skirt for instant warmth. Mary Quant once dressed a generation’s legs in candy colors. Six decades later, the brightest part of a fall outfit still begins just below the hem.