Brown tights are the alternative to black this autumn: what the Telegraph says, and how to wear them

For years the answer to "which tights?" in autumn was black, ideally opaque. This season there is a second answer, and it is brown. On 9 October 2026 the Telegraph ran a piece by Alexandra Fullerton on the tights to buy this season, and its clearest recommendation came from a buyer, not a designer: chocolate brown instead of black.

Sheer brown, 30 denier, with shoes in the same shade. Photo: Calzedonia, Soft Comfort 30 denier tights in Brown.

What the Telegraph says

The article opens in the front row at Milan Fashion Week and goes through the season's options, from stripes to stirrup tights. On black, it is blunt: once the default for a streamlined silhouette under dresses, "black opaque tights are waning in popularity and fashionability".

The voice behind that is Lizzi Amboule, accessories buying manager at John Lewis. She doesn't write black off: "They're a classic that people buy year after year… [but] we're seeing a move to slightly more sheer styles for a contemporary look." The Telegraph sums it up as "Instead of an 80 denier, try a 20."

Then the colour. Rather than black, Amboule recommends chocolate brown: "It is a hero hue for autumn and… this will also translate into tights. Brown is softer than black, and can sometimes be more flattering." The Telegraph itself, not the buyer, then adds navy as the other chic alternative for anyone who wants to dip a toe into colour.

One detail worth knowing: none of the pairs pictured in the article is brown. The products shown are Wolford 50 denier tights (£40), navy 10 denier tights from Marks & Spencer (£10), Swedish Stockings' stripes (£32) and The Thirty Five from Heist's collaboration with stylist Aimée Croysdill (£35), in black and white. The brown is in the advice, not in the shopping list.

Where brown came from: the runway

The Telegraph also points to the catwalk: for autumn, "Ralph Lauren opted for heavy denier opaque tights in rich chocolate-brown". The show took place on 10 February 2026 at the Jack Shainman Gallery in Tribeca, New York, as The Zoe Report recorded, and the whole collection was built on that colour: according to Grazia Singapore, "almost the entire run of the show was confined to shades of brown", from mahogany leather to Donegal tweed "shot through with coffee-coloured graining".

Brown came back in the spring/summer 2027 shows in Paris. At Julie Kegels, dark brown sheer tights appear in two looks: under a lilac-grey satin skirt with pale ballet flats, and under a white lace mini with a rust-brown top. We covered the show in Julie Kegels SS27: tights as trousers.

Looks 13 and 27: dark brown sheer tights. Photo: Julie Kegels, courtesy of the brand, via WWD.

Brown on famous legs this month

Heidi Klum for Calzedonia. In the Lace Tights campaign that came out on 12–14 October, one of Klum's looks is all chocolate: a brown bodysuit with sheer sleeves and fine brown floral tights. According to theFashionSpot they are Calzedonia's Sheer Floral Tights in the new Coffee Brown shade, 40 denier. Our full story: Heidi Klum for Calzedonia, look by look.

Heidi Klum in the chocolate look. Photo: Calzedonia, Lace Tights campaign.

Jade Thirlwall at the Vogue dinner. At the British Vogue x Calzedonia dinner for Lily Allen in London on 13 October, Jade Thirlwall wore sheer brown floral tights with a short chocolate-brown slip dress: brown on brown, the pattern visible only up close. She is in the fourth image of Lily Allen's post below; who wore what is in our report from the dinner.

Brown was already on autumn/winter 2026 runways in a playful form too: in Copenhagen, Caro Editions sent out micro-dot tights in chocolate, white and black (see polka-dot tights for FW26).

How to wear brown tights

These are our suggestions, built on what the sources and photos show.

• Pick the weight. Following the John Lewis buyer's hint, sheer brown (20–30 denier) is the more contemporary choice and lets the skin tone warm the colour. Opaque brown, around 50 denier, is the winter option and reads almost like a deep neutral. For the numbers, see our denier guide.
• Tonal. Brown tights with brown, camel, cream or burgundy: the Heidi Klum and Jade Thirlwall looks both repeat the colour of the dress or bodysuit on the legs.
• With black. It works: in Calzedonia's photo for its 50 denier brown tights, the model wears a black mini skirt and black patent slingbacks with bows. Brown is softer than black next to the face and the hem, and the black shoes keep it sharp. If you usually wear black tights with a black dress, our guide to which colour tights go with a black dress covers the alternatives.
• The shoes. The same brown as the tights lengthens the leg, as in the Calzedonia 30 denier photo. A darker, reddish brown works too, as in Heidi Klum's campaign photo.
• Brown as a colour, not a nude. A warm chocolate looks intentional; a pale tan close to skin colour reads as a nude tight. If you want colour beyond brown, see the four colours to wear instead of black; if you want the tan that works as a nude, see make-up effect tights.

Brown with black: 50 denier opaque tights. Photo: Calzedonia, Soft Comfort 50 denier tights in Brown.

Where to find them

On Calzedonia's site the Soft Comfort tights come in Brown in two weights: 30 denier semi-opaque and 50 denier opaque, both in soft-touch microfibre, at £9.99, €7.95 or $17. The Sheer Floral Tights in Coffee Brown are the pair theFashionSpot links to Heidi Klum's chocolate look. They are in the box below. It is the same brand that, in September, put a taxi with legs on the streets of New York.

The photos

The product photos of the brown Soft Comfort tights come from Calzedonia's product pages; the image of Heidi Klum is from Calzedonia's Lace Tights campaign. The Julie Kegels looks are from the WWD gallery, images courtesy of the brand. The Instagram post is Lily Allen's, embedded from her account. The Telegraph article was read in its syndicated version on Yahoo; its own photos are not reproduced here.