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When it’s cold out, warm tights are a wardrobe essential. “Tights are a great way to add warmth to an outfit without a ton of bulk or fabric,” says fashion stylist Audree López. “Tights easily layer underneath clothing and help pieces transition from season to season.”
To find the best warm tights, we spent hours evaluating options and speaking to experts. In particular, we spoke to stylists López, Liz Teich, Holly Chayes, and Kendra Sharpe, as well as Frej Lewenhaupt, CEO and co-founder of the clothing care company Steamery.
1. Best Overall Warm Tights – Berkshire Cozy Hose Non-Control Top Tights
What Stands Out
These 70-denier tights are fleece-lined and entirely opaque for a soft and smooth look.
What Could Be Improved
They’re only available in black.
Berkshire’s Cozy Hose Tights are everything a great pair of warm tights should be. Since they’re made with a cozy fleece-lined interior, these tights are incredibly warm and cozy. And with a 70 denier, they’re thick and opaque, but not enough to cause you to feel too warm. That 70 denier also means that they appear a bit sleeker than thicker tights, so they’re super versatile.
Material: 91% nylon, 9% spandex | Denier: 70 | Size Range: Petite-3X/4X
2. Best Budget Warm Tights – G&Y Fleece-Lined Tights
What Stands Out
These fleece-lined tights come in a budget-friendly set, and you choose whether you want them footed or footless.
What Could Be Improved
They aren’t the best quality.
If you’re looking for a pair (or two) of budget-friendly tights, we recommend G&Y’s Fleece-Lined Tights for a few reasons. For starters, the tights are made of plush microfiber and lined with polyester fleece, so they offer twice as much warmth as some of the other pairs on our list.
We also love that these tights come in footed and footless varieties, so you can choose the version that works best for your wardrobe. Because while traditional footed tights are great, some people (like those who are mainly looking for a warm layer to wear underneath pants) would rather wear tights with their go-to socks.
Material: 87% polyester, 13% spandex | Denier: 100 | Size Range: S–XL
3. Best Splurge Warm Tights – Wolford Merino Tights
What Stands Out
These stylist-approved tights are made of a soft merino wool blend that’s very durable.
What Could Be Improved
They cost twice as much as our Best Overall pick.
If you’re in a position where you can splurge on high-quality materials, Wolford’s Merino Tights are some of the best tights money can buy. Many other warm tights are made of a nylon-elastane blend and occasionally lined with fleece for added warmth—but these are made of equal parts merino wool and nylon, with a little elastane thrown in. This hard-to-find material blend makes the tights extra warm and cozy, though they’re still sturdy and stretchy enough to wear every day.
Material: 49% virgin wool, 49% nylon, 2% elastane | Denier: Not listed | Size Range: XS–XL
4. Best Sheer Warm Tights – Blostirno Fleece-Lined Tights
What Stands Out
Though these tights look sheer, they’re lined with beige fleece to keep you warm.
What Could Be Improved
The lining only comes in beige.
Sheer tights are rarely as warm as opaque tights. But if you love the look of sheers too much to ditch them when it’s cold, stylist Audree López has a clever trick. “Look for [specialty] fleece-lined tights,” she says. “They appear to look sheer, but are lined with skin-toned fleece to keep you warm.”
Blostirno’s Sheer Fleece-Lined Tights fit the bill. Though the tights appear sheer, they’re lined with a layer of beige fleece, in either a footed or stirrup design. And if you don’t want the sheer look, these tights are also available in opaque black or tan.
Material: Nylon, spandex, polyester fleece | Denier: Not listed | Size Range: XS/S-XL
5. Best Warm Cashmere Tights – Natori Cashmere Sweater Tights
What Stands Out
While most cashmere tights are pricey or low on cashmere, these have 20% cashmere at a reasonable price.
What Could Be Improved
Because they contain less nylon, they stretch out more easily.
It’s nearly impossible to find a pair of 100-percent cashmere tights, and even cashmere-blend tights can get really expensive. But we love Natori’s Cashmere Sweater Tights for a simple reason: They offer a good amount of cashmere at a reasonable price. Sure, you can find more affordable tights that contain half as much cashmere, or cashmere-heavy tights that cost three times the price. But we think that these tights hit the sweet spot, giving you the cozy feel of cashmere without costing a small fortune.
Material: 33% nylon, 27% viscose, 20% cashmere, 18% polyester, 2% spandex | Denier: Not listed | Size Range: S/M–L/XL
6. Best Patterned Warm Tights – MeMoi Juneau Diamonds Sweater Tights
What Stands Out
These tights are woven with an argyle design, so they’re patterned without being sheer.
What Could Be Improved
The tights only come in one pattern.
It’s hard to find a pair of warm patterned tights. Warm tights tend to be opaque, and opacity makes patterns hard to see. But MeMoi’s Juneau Diamonds Cotton-Blend Sweater Tights get around this common problem in a clever way: The knit tights have been woven into an argyle-like pattern that doesn’t sacrifice warmth.
Material: 56% polyester, 40% cotton, 4% spandex | Denier: Not listed | Size Range: S/M–L/XL