On the third night of Couture Fashion Week in Paris last night, Valentino showed perhaps the most standout collection of the season so far and earned creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli a standing ovation from the fashion elite. And, while it was the opulent feathered hats (designed by Philip Treacy) that stole most of the limelight, we couldn’t help but notice that he may just have kickstarted a new trend – teaming tights with sandals.

Every skirt and dress in the collection was paired with black sheer tights worn under colourful or metallic strappy, heeled sandals. The tights drew attention to and accentuated the extravagant party shoes, making a convincing case for why we should be wearing black tights with our eveningwear this spring.
 

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Valentino Haute Couture spring 2018. Image by: Imaxtree

Tights have had something of a renaissance in high fashion during the past few seasons. Gucci’s Swarovski-embellished offering (coming in at £1,080 a pair no less) are one of the most coveted items to come out of the spring/summer 2018 ready-to-wear collections. Chanel, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Celine and Mulberry have also given tights the luxury seal of approval in recent years.

And, when it comes to pairing them with sandals, the trend is not altogether that surprising when you consider the socks-and-sandals comeback that took place recently. From Prada to Gucci, Loewe to Tommy Hilfiger, the catwalk was all over the trend, while stars including Sarah Jessica Parker and Leandra Medine made them work for the red carpet.

So, how to do it the Valentino way? Pick a pair of low-denier black tights and team with your fanciest party shoes on your next night out. This is a trend that your feet will actually be grateful for while we wait for summer to arrive.

This article first appeared on ELLEUK.com.