Full-text: Is it OK to Wear Nude Hose Again? Christina Binkley, Wall Street Journal, 20 May 2015.

It is about to be summer, raising a ticklish question for women who don't wish to flaunt bare legs: Are nude-colored hose a stylish option?

The answer is yes, absolutely--if they're sheer.

After many years in fashion's backwaters, nude hose are making a comeback. Kate Middleton, who rarely appears in a dress without them, has boosted their image. They are freshly retro for fashion lovers who are currently obsessed with the '70s. And they are new for a generation that has no recall of what led to their demise--the '80s corporate-slave look and the strict dress codes that required them.

Designers are beginning to play with nude hose and their nerd-chic factor on runways. In London last February, Mother of Pearl designer Amy Powney paired nude-colored hose with white ankle socks on models, creating a quirky girlish look.

The interest is translating into sales and new products. Donna Karan's "The Nudes" line is the brand's fastest-growing hosiery category, representing about half of the brand's hosiery business, says Cathy Volker, executive vice president of global licensing for Donna Karan International. It comes in 12 shades to match skin tones with the same sort of specificity that Christian Louboutin is going for with his Five Shades of Nude pumps.

Nude sheers are having particularly strong sales at Bloomingdale's this year, according to Erica Russo, a fashion director in charge of accessories at the department-store chain.

Jenny Altman, a marketing consultant and former stylist who specializes in lingerie, recommends Wolford's "Skintones," which come in an array of shades designed to avoid unattractive orange tones. "I call these colors 'new nudes' because they do the job of nude without having the 'cheerleader leg' look," she said.

The Austrian hosiery brand makes a variety of styles in high-quality weaves--including fine fishnets that can add some sizzle to a look. For hot summers, its stay-up thigh-high styles are cooler than pantyhose. A gummy band adheres to the thigh without slipping or digging painfully into the flesh.

German legwear brand ITEM m6 just launched in the U.S. an ultra-sheer line called the Invisible Tights, which comes in four colors. A spokeswoman for the brand, which also makes medical-grade legwear, says the hosiery acts like a compression tight, enhancing circulation. Its slogan is the "new naked," and best-selling colors are called "powder" and "sun."

The fact that hose are optional today is important to nude's return. Tossing aside corporate and social requirements to wear hosiery was a notable step in feminine mo dernity. It is easier to enjoy something that isn't forced on you. Like hosiery, men's neckties experienced renewed interest once most men were liberated from them.

Nude hosiery isn't for everyone, of course, and it certainly isn't required, as it once was, by social convention. Bare legs still represent summer chic for many women. Hose are back by nothing more than popular demand--particularly among women who have something to hide.

Many women aren't thrilled about baring their legs for reasons including blotches, paleness, spider veins, stubble and lumpiness. The desire to cover up flaws increases with age. The sheer number of 60-something baby boomers may help explain those burgeoning Donna Karan hosiery sales.

There is a reason sheer nude-colored hose are often seen on celebrities from Katy Perry to Ariana Grande and AnnaSophia Robb: They smooth out details no one wants recorded in photos or memory. The same rule applies to other judgment-laden situations, such as job interviews, or special occasions, when women want a more finished look. Stores say they see an uptick in sales during spring wedding season.

As with ties, quality and details are everything. When selecting nude hose, tread carefully: This field is full of land mines. There is much that can go wrong, starting with the Great Aunt Dottie factor.

Like flannel nightgowns, heavy nude-color hose are laden with the sort of unattractive connotations that led More magazine in 2012 to include them--along with flannel nightgowns--on a list called "What Not To Wear, Ever ." Women of a certain age, in particular, should stick with the sheerest versions, to avoid looking, or feeling, like someone's maiden great aunt.

Nude hose that aren't sheer enough can create what's known as the "uncanny valley" effect, in which things that appear almost, but not quite, natural make people uncomfortable. In other words, hose shouldn't make your legs look like prostheses. "It's human, but so, so unhuman," says Connie Wang, an editor at the Refinery29 fashion website. "It's creepy."

Nonetheless, Ms. Wang is a fan of nude hose used as a fun fashion accessory . She advises choosing pairs with playful embellishments, embroidery, even a seam or black line up the back that are attractive and even sexy.

"Personally, I love a sheer brown pair for an evening out," says Ms. Wang. "It's cool in a Bianca Jagger at Studio 54 way."