Sydney Sweeney's white lace stockings at the Immaculate premiere, worn over her pumps, and how to wear them

An old-fashioned white bridal gown, a high slit and, inside the slit, a white lace stocking that runs all the way down over the shoe. At the world premiere of Immaculate, on 12 March 2024 at SXSW in Austin, Sydney Sweeney did not hide her stocking under the skirt: she opened the slit to show it. The look is more than two years old, but it is still one of the clearest lessons in wearing white lace on the legs. Here is how it was put together, what is known about the stockings, and how to wear the idea without a red carpet.

The night: Immaculate at SXSW 2024

The world premiere of Immaculate, the horror film Sweeney stars in, took place at The Paramount Theatre in Austin during SXSW, on 12 March 2024. On the festival's yellow red carpet she was joined by Benedetta Porcaroli and Simona Tabasco, according to Getty Images captions. The film opened in cinemas on 22 March, as Hello! noted.

Two days earlier, at the Oscars, her stylist Molly Dickson had dressed her in an archival Marc Bouwer gown first worn by Angelina Jolie in 2004. In Austin, writes Marie Claire, Dickson "kept with the throwback theme and Monroe inspiration". Earlier the same day, at the festival, Sweeney had worn a black zip-front Del Core dress with black pumps.

The look, top to bottom

• Hair and make-up. Her new bob, which W Magazine calls "Marilyn Monroe-inspired", and dewy make-up.
• Jewellery. Octavia Elizabeth pearl drop earrings and rings from EFFY, Nouvel Heritage and Jennifer Meyer, as listed by Marie Claire.
• The dress. A custom white lace Richard Quinn gown: strapless corset bodice, satin drop sleeves sitting off the shoulders, a long full skirt and a leg slit W Magazine calls "even steeper" than the neckline. Marie Claire saw a vintage bride in it; Hello! called it "nuptial-chic".
• The stockings. White lace thigh-highs, which Marie Claire describes as "layered on top" of the shoes.
• The shoes. White pointed-toe pumps.

The stockings: what we know and what we don't

The stockings are not credited. Marie Claire, Hello! and W Magazine don't name a brand, and none of the sources we read quotes the stylist on them. Even the word changes from one title to the next. Marie Claire and Hello! call them "thigh-high lace stockings" worn over white pumps; W Magazine calls them "sheer, over-the-knee lace boots". To the eye the difference is small: either way the lace reaches mid-thigh and covers the foot as well.

From the full-length photos, and this is our own reading, the lace has a fairly open floral pattern, with skin showing between the flowers, and the top edge sits at mid-thigh, just below the top of the slit. At the bottom the lace runs over the vamp of the pump, which is still recognisable by its pointed toe and slim heel: that is the detail that makes it read as a boot. Of the left leg, covered by the skirt, only the white shoe shows.

For the names, thigh-high, hold-up or suspender stocking, see our guide to thigh-high stockings and what they're called.

Why it works

It works because it is one colour from the shoulders to the toes. Dress, stocking and shoe are the same white: the lace on the leg seems to carry on from the bodice, and the slit becomes a window onto the same fabric rather than a place where something else appears. The white shoe, meanwhile, disappears under the lace and stretches the line of the leg all the way to the point.

There is also restraint. A bridal gown plus a lace leg could easily be too much. Here the stocking shows on one side only, only when Sweeney walks or poses, and the long skirt does the rest. It is lace that appears in glimpses, and that is why it stays elegant.

Benedetta Porcaroli, next to her that night, later put tights at the centre of her own red carpet look: in Rome, in October 2026, with sheer grey tights under a feather-cuffed blazer.

How to wear it

• Tone on tone, no exceptions. Stocking, shoe and dress in the same white or the same ivory. Optical white under a cream dress makes the stocking look colder and more artificial.
• One leg on show. A side slit or an asymmetric hem shows the lace without making it the whole outfit. With a mini skirt the stocking top becomes the first thing anyone sees.
• Keep the top under the hem by day. If your skirt is shorter than Sweeney's slit, choose a stocking that comes higher, or switch to lace tights: no silicone band on show when you sit down.
• A slim pointed pump. A narrow toe and a fine heel hold the lace over the shoe. With a chunky sole the lace bunches and the boot effect is lost.
• The everyday version. Ivory lace tights under a white or cream midi skirt, with the same pale pump. More ideas for daytime lace are in our guide to how to wear lace tights.
• The right occasion. A register-office wedding, a winter ceremony, an all-white party: white lace on the legs carries a bridal feeling, so use it when you want one.

Mistakes to avoid

• White lace with black shoes. The contrast cuts the leg at the ankle and the stocking starts to look like costume.
• Two whites that don't match. If the dress is lace, the stocking must be the same shade. If the shades don't match, a plain dress is safer.
• White lace under heavy black. A long black coat over white lace stockings breaks the whole idea. White on the legs needs something pale higher up too: ideas on our page about the white tights trend.

A bridal gown, a slit and one leg in lace: take away the red carpet and what is left is a simple idea, one white from the shoulder to the tip of the shoe.

The photos

The photos on this page are embedded from Getty Images (Gary Miller/Getty Images; Rick Kern/Getty Images for NEON) and stay on Getty's servers with their credit. The description of the look comes from Marie Claire, Hello! and W Magazine; none of them names the brand of the stockings. The photo in the cover circle is by Jay Dixit (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0) and was taken at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024, not in Austin.