Q: I have to go to a black tie thing this week, and am unclear on the stocking issue. I know that nylons are "out" at the moment, but does that mean I can get away without them at a super-formal event?

A: Good question! It's true: You go to fashion shows in New York even in the dead of winter and see magazine editors tiptoeing through the slush in bare sandals and no hose. But how many of them will be in attendance at this black-tie thing you're going to?

Context is crucial: Will other attendees know that stockings are out? (Otherwise, if you don't wear any, they'll just assume you're some no-account floozie who doesn't know better.) Even assuming they do know, will they care? Are they the sort of people for whom a current fashion trend outweighs accepted notions of propriety? If not, you're better off wearing stockings.

The length of your dress also matters (if it's a long dress, maybe nobody'll notice) and so does the condition of your legs (i.e., do they stand up to close inspection without the aid of hose?) You may wish to know that, just to complicate things further, Donna Karan is selling pantyhose designed to look as if you aren't wearing any.

Another new wrinkle in the hosiery world: open-toe pantyhose that show off your pedicure in sandals while still providing your legs with a bit of cosmetic veiling.

Patricia McLaughlin is a nationally syndicated fashion columnist.
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