Each of these picks aces below-freezing temperatures with ease. I first discovered the magic of fleece-lined tights years ago, while out with friends and totally unprepared for a temperature drop. I purchased a $5 pair at CVS, slipped them on as soon as I stepped onto the street, and was immediately protected from the icy wind on my bare legs.
They weren’t the best fleece-lined tights I’d ever wear—too thick and quick to lose their waist elasticity after a few washes—but they freed me up to comfortably wear my dress without freezing my butt off. Since then, I’ve tested dozens of these tights in my daily life (a perk of being Glamour’s shopping editor). My favorites are warm without being as bulky as fleece leggings, with a sleek look that could pass for regular tights.
I’ve learnt that there are lightweight, sheer-looking styles for the office, cozier opaque pairs that can double as thermal layers under pants, and even shaping options I can wear to weddings, holiday parties, or just on evenings out. Below are the pairs that impressed me—and another editor—most, with picks for different temperatures, occasions, and budgets. Best Overall: Spanx SpanxShape Plush Tights, $45 Best on a Budget: X-Cheng Fleece-Lined Tights, $10 Best for Work (and Your Office Commute): Noosh Toast Fleece-Lined Sheer Illusion, $38 Most Versatile for Styling: Calzedonia Opaque Matte Ultra Thermal Tights, $34 Best Overall: Spanx SpanxShape Plush Tights What we loved: Of all the fleece-lined tights I tested, Spanx’s were among the thinnest—but they still kept me comfy in 30-degree weather.
They’re streamlined enough to wear like regular tights with a dress or skirt, thin enough to layer under jeans when it’s colder, and warm without feeling stuffy. I especially love the shapewear brand’s built-in tummy control: The high-waisted, silky smoothing panel supports my stomach without digging in or creating a visible line under tighter dresses. The tights are completely opaque, with a rich black finish (though this is the only color they come in).
For reference, I’m 5’4” and usually wear a women’s size large; in these, I wear a size D. Best on a Budget: X-Cheng Fleece-Lined Tights What we love: If you want a pair you can stock up on for winter, these $15 fleece-lined tights are the cheapest we tried—affordable enough that you could rotate between two or three pairs throughout the week. You could never tell it’s not my skin.” She wears them with “just about everything,” from miniskirts to trousers, and finds the waist comfortably snug, though the fabric has bagged a bit around her backside over time.
They come in an extended plus-size range, which cannot be said of many of the tights we tested. Best for Work (and Your Office Commute): Noosh Toast Fleece-Lined Sheer Illusion What we love: Noosh makes some of the most convincing sheer-illusion tights I tested, with several skin-tone options as well as sheer and opaque finishes. I wore mine frequently under dresses to the office last winter, and the thick fleece lining blocked wind on my subway commute.
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