Taylor Russell's opaque tights at Harper's Bazaar Women of the Year 2026, with Holly Willoughby and Sam Taylor-Johnson

Black paillettes down to mid-calf, black tights from the hem to the shoe: Taylor Russell turned up at Claridge's in a single column of black. On Thursday 5 November 2026, at the Harper's Bazaar Women of the Year Awards in London, she wore Dior with opaque black tights, the fullest legs of the night, and the detail critics liked least. Two other women chose black tights too, in the sheer version and under a mini: Holly Willoughby in Alexander McQueen and Sam Taylor-Johnson in Saint Laurent. Below, the three looks, each with its photo, and what is known about the tights.

The evening, held with The Platinum Card by American Express, gave Cate Blanchett the Theatre Actress of the Year award, Mikey Madison Film Actress of the Year and Claudia Winkleman the Television Icon award, according to the Getty Images captions. We read the coverage from Harper's Bazaar UK, Red Carpet Fashion Awards and Tom + Lorenzo and went through the Getty arrivals, guest by guest: long gowns, trousers and bare legs almost everywhere, and these three pairs of black tights.

Taylor Russell in Dior: opaque black under the paillettes

Taylor Russell, a Dior ambassador since January, came to present the Film Actress of the Year award to Mikey Madison, also in Dior. Harper's Bazaar UK describes "a black Dior dress covered in shimmering paillettes". Top to bottom: a shirt collar open at the throat, a buttoned front, long sleeves ending in wide, flared black cuffs; the whole surface covered in matte black discs that overlap like scales; a straight midi hem below the knee. Hair up in loose curls, a smoky eye.

Below the hem, opaque black tights. Red Carpet Fashion Awards mentions them in its caption ("black tights and two-tone pointed pumps"), Tom + Lorenzo in its verdict: "the opaque tights don't help". No outlet credits a brand. In the Getty photos the shin is fully covered, matte, with no skin showing even where the leg turns: by our reading a 60-80 denier. The shoes are pointed pumps in two colours, black and pale, the only light point of the look; one blog credits them to Ferragamo, which we could not confirm.

Getty also photographed the shoes up close, next to Mikey Madison's bare feet in sandals: the contrast between the two presenters says more than any review.

Holly Willoughby in Alexander McQueen: sheer black under the blazer

Holly Willoughby chose, in Harper's Bazaar UK's words, "a classic black Alexander McQueen blazer mini dress": black satin lapels, a neckline plunging to the waist, a hem at mid-thigh. Red lips, hair loose in waves, a small black clutch.

The tights are sheer black: in Karwai Tang's photos the skin shows through over the knee and the shin, darker along the edges of the leg, the typical shading of a fine nylon. By our reading 15-20 denier. On her feet, pointed black pumps. No outlet mentions the tights, let alone a brand.

Sam Taylor-Johnson in Saint Laurent: sheer black and colour on top

Sam Taylor-Johnson collected the Artist of the Year award, presented by Isla Fisher, "wearing a lace mini skirt, sheer blouse and blazer" by Saint Laurent, Harper's Bazaar UK writes. The colours do the work: a rust-orange blazer with wide shoulders, an olive-green blouse with a long scarf collar, a green lace mini skirt that barely shows below the jacket. Red Carpet Fashion Awards notes that Natalia Dyer wore the same look in June.

Underneath, sheer black tights, the finest of the three: in the photos the leg is a light grey veil, with the black visible only on the outer edge. We read around 15 denier. The shoes are dark pointed pumps. Here too, no brand and no mention in the coverage.

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

No brand was credited for any of the three. The only written mentions concern Taylor Russell: "black tights" in the Red Carpet Fashion Awards caption, "opaque tights" for Tom + Lorenzo. The deniers are our reading of the Getty photos: 60-80 for Taylor Russell, 15-20 for Holly Willoughby, around 15 for Sam Taylor-Johnson. The picks above are our own alternatives, not the exact pairs.

Why it works

Tom + Lorenzo found the dress "a little dour" and the tights no help; another review called them too heavy under such a dense texture. We read it the other way. Paillettes catch the light in small, separate points; an opaque, matte black below the hem gives them a dark, still surface to stand out against, and makes the leg part of the dress rather than a pause between hem and shoe. With bare legs the look would end at the knee; with tights it ends at the two-tone pumps, which become the full stop. Holly Willoughby and Sam Taylor-Johnson show the opposite rule: when the hem is high and the leg is long, the sheer keeps the black light. It is the same formula as October's sheer black red carpets and of the CFDA Awards three days earlier.

How to copy them

• Midi skirt, opaque tights. Under a dress that stops below the knee, a 60-80 denier black continues the fabric: only a few centimetres of leg show, and they should be the same black. Our denier guide explains the steps.
• Matte under shine. With paillettes, sequins or satin, choose a matte tight: two shiny surfaces compete, a matte one makes the light of the dress stand out.
• Mini dress, sheer black. Above mid-thigh, 15-20 denier keeps the leg visible and the look evening-appropriate; an opaque one would turn it into a school uniform.
• One light point at the bottom. Taylor Russell's two-tone pumps break a black that runs from neck to toe. A pale toe cap or a metal heel does the same job.
• Colour on top, black below. Sam Taylor-Johnson keeps orange and green on her torso and sheer black on her legs: the colour stays where the eye starts. More combinations in our guide to which tights to wear with a black dress.

The photos

The photos are from Getty Images (Ian West/PA Images; Gareth Cattermole; Karwai Tang/WireImage) and are shown with Getty's official embed. The cover illustration is our own.

Under a dress of black scales, the heaviest choice in the room was also the most coherent one: black, all the way down.