Brun et Noir: The Answer to Your Nude Tight Woes

I’ve been raving a lot recently about a brand called Brun et Noir which offers skin coloured tights for women of colour. Someone actually asked me if, in all honesty, I would wear these days if I wasn’t working with the brand. At the end of the day – I tend to wear black tights or no tights, but I asked the question if that was out of choice, or because the option of skin coloured tights has never actually been available to me – and I went with the latter. The truth is, I remember being in Primark with my friends when we were younger feeling like I didn’t want to be restricted to black tights only; they were buying skin coloured tights – why couldn’t I? Really, if I wanted something close to my skin tone all I could get were some weirdly unflattering greyish toned alternatives…

…And that’s why Brun et Noir is important! Whilst there have been other brands in the past that have tried to recognise an essentially forgotten demographic in this area, these tights have usually been so overpriced that I’ve never even bothered paying them much mind. One thing I worried about was actually finding the right colour given its an online brand, however they do have detailed references on their “Know Your Shade” page which will make it very easy to find what you’re looking for (for me, all I had to see was a reference to being a NW45 at MAC to know that Cocoa was the shade for me).

So, for all your ladies that have had similar problems to me in the past – here a few ways you can utilise the nude tights option…

1. These are perfect for the summer

In the summer at work I still tend often to go with the black tights option. Yep, even at 25 degrees you’ll find me rolling around Canary Wharf in black tights with my work wear. I tend to exclusively wear dresses or skirts to work, and given that it is work and is a corporate environment, I don’t ever really feel comfortable going with the ‘no tights’ option especially given the majority of my dresses/skirts although not inappropriately short are still not the over-the-knee option. I’d feel way too exposed without tights, but don’t want to give up my usual choices outfit wise for work, and so stick to my black tights whatever the weather not worrying about if it makes me look completely out of place. Whenever the sun does decide to come out in the UK again, I know now that I don’t have to worry about feeling exposed as I now have a new and viable option open to me.

It means you don’t have to shave your legs…

I really only tend to shave my legs if they’re going to be out (gross? but true…), and given the way the weather is inclined in England, that is just for nights out here and there. When it gets a bit hotter in the summer, I find myself shaving more and more (just not to scare anyone trying to go about their day with my grizzy bear legs). Anyhow – these skin coloured tights now offer a method for me to continue being completely lazy with no one having to see anything!

 

They give you more versatility with your outfits

Sometimes the option of no skin coloured tights can actually be quite restricting outfit wise. For me this particularly happens with shorts – sometimes I want to wear shorts when it’s not super hot outside, but at the same time I really don’t always like the way black tights look with shorts. Which just means that more often than not, this option goes right out of the window. Finally, this option is open to me. I don’t have to be restricted with my outfits because of cold weather because I know there is now always an option 2.

As you can tell, this is more of a light hearted post. Of course no one needs to wear nude tights – but we definitely should have the option to!

I remember wearing these tights home after the shoot and the weather suddenly turning super dreary. Everyone around me was wrapped up in coats and wearing jeans and meanwhile I was out in a short dress with what looked like completely exposed legs. Then I reminded myself that actually – my legs weren’t out – considering my own coat and the tights, I was also wrapped up. And as small as it seems, it was a small little win with an option that had previously had its doors closed to me.

Shop This Look

Photos: Nimtendo

Special thanks/shout outs for a lovely shoot: Bonita Rochelle for helping to set everything up, Buki Anthony the brain child behind the brand, amazing videographer Peter Anthony, the lovely Nim Brimah-John for shooting the photos and fellow blogger babe Jasmine at Afia and Jay