Goodbye black tights? The 4 colours to wear instead this autumn: cobalt, red, purple and mustard
Cobalt, tomato red, purple and mustard: the four tights colours Grazia picks as the alternative to black for autumn 2026, with runway and street style examples and how to wear them.
The short answer: this autumn the alternatives to black are cobalt, tomato red, purple and mustard. These are the four colours Anna Maria Giano picks in Grazia US as the replacement for black tights, citing runways and street style. Here is what she says about each, where we've seen them and how to wear them.
Cobalt
Cobalt blue, Grazia writes, appears in the 2026 runway colour forecasts, and Leandra Medine Cohen wears it starting from the legs: cobalt tights with Chanel shoes and the rest neutral, plus a red detail: "Her secret is a flash of red somewhere in the look." The same blue was on the legs in Paris Fashion Week street style, outside Lacoste.
How to wear it: opaque cobalt tights with a camel or grey coat and a black shoe; a red accessory, as Grazia suggests.
Tomato red
Red, Grazia writes, is "practically her signature" for Medine Cohen, and tomato red is among the hottest shades of autumn 2026. She wears it with single-strap sandals for the evening, or with head-to-toe black. On the spring/summer 2027 runway, red tights with matching pumps were at Elisabetta Franchi.
Red from tights to shoe: Elisabetta Franchi, spring/summer 2027. Photo: Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana.
How to wear it: with a black dress and a black or red shoe. More ideas in London street style in red tights.
Purple
Purple, Grazia writes, reigned over Prada and Miu Miu's autumn/winter 2026 collections; Sinead Gorey wore bright lavender tights on the London runway, and Julia Fox sheer purple tights with a matching bodysuit to the Marc Jacobs show in February. For a more grown-up look, Grazia suggests a charcoal dress and polished black loafers. On the spring/summer 2027 runways, lilac was at Jil Sander, under a grey suit with shorts, and at Kiko Kostadinov.
Lilac under grey: Jil Sander, spring/summer 2027. Photo: Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana.
Pale lilac with black pumps: Kiko Kostadinov, spring/summer 2027. Photo: courtesy of Kiko Kostadinov, via WWD.
How to wear it: with charcoal and a black shoe, as Grazia suggests and as Jil Sander does.
Mustard
Hermès, Grazia writes, sent sheer mustard tights down its autumn/winter 2026 runway, and the colour also appeared at Alaïa and Dior. The advice: mustard tights with a chocolate knit dress or a burgundy skirt.
How to wear it: with chocolate brown or burgundy, never with full black, which deadens it.
The rules for all four
| Colour | With | Shoe | Denier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cobalt | Camel, grey, a touch of red | Black | 40–60 opaque |
| Tomato red | Black | Black or red | 40–60, or sheer at night |
| Purple | Charcoal | Black loafer | 40–60 |
| Mustard | Chocolate, burgundy | Brown | Sheer or semi-opaque |
- Keep the rest neutral. The colour is on the legs: black, grey, camel or brown on top.
- Start with opaques. A 40 to 60 denier opaque gives a full, even colour; to choose, see our denier chart.
- A dark shoe. Black or brown closes the leg and makes the colour easier to wear.
We covered the return of coloured tights in colourful tights; for tights in the same tone as the outfit, see Jil Sander's opaque grey tights.
Frequently asked questions
What coloured tights are in for autumn 2026?
Cobalt, tomato red, purple and mustard: the four colours Grazia picks as the alternative to black, seen on the runway at Prada, Miu Miu and Hermès and in street style.
What do you wear with coloured tights?
Neutral pieces, black, grey, camel or brown, that leave the colour to the legs. A black shoe is the simplest choice; a small touch of a second colour, like red with cobalt, adds energy.
Sheer or opaque coloured tights?
Opaque, 40 to 60 denier, for a full colour that's easy to wear in the daytime; sheer for a lighter, evening effect.
What goes with purple tights?
Grazia suggests a charcoal dress and polished black loafers for a more grown-up look.
