Love them or hate them, they become an essential if you want to still wear dresses and skirts for autumn ... Try this under-£50 beauty with black tights and pointed ankle boots.

If tights are your style nemesis, here are some alternative outfits you can wear instead ... For those who prefer a dress at all times of the year, yet have a fraught relationship with hosiery ...

Do you have to wear black to a funeral ... "It was a chilly day in early March so I wore the knee-length dress with black tights, black boots and a black cape coat. The service was being recorded ...