Tights are a kind of cloth garment, most often sheathing the body from the waist to the toe tips with a tight fit, hence the name. They come in absolute opaque, opaque, sheer and fishnet styles — or a combination, such as the original concept of the American term pantyhose with sheer legs and opaque panty.
Opaque black synthetic tights with cotton gusset
A woman wearing tights under a skirt
Renaissance-era costume
Henry VIII of England in tights
Pantyhose, sometimes also called sheer tights, are close-fitting legwear covering the wearer's body from the waist to the toes. Pantyhose first appeared on store shelves in 1959 for the advertisement of new design panties as a convenient alternative to stockings and/or control panties which, in turn, replaced girdles.
High-gloss, sheer-to-waist pantyhose
Pantyhose brief styles (top to bottom, left to right): control-top, sheer-to-waist and simple-panty sections
The Macarte Sisters wearing tights under their leotard-based costumes in 1910
Sheer tights with a control-top