I don't think hose should ever be included as a requirement in a dress code. It's easy enough to write a dress code that focues on looking professional without micromanaging the actual articles of clothing. This also will help deal with people like the one SheFly mentioned who probably was following the letter of the law for an office dress code (hey, she had on a skirt and hose, right?) but not the spirit of the law. And what is considered professionally acceptable these days has changed dramatically. When you have the future first lady of the United States getting on t.v. and admitting that she stopped wearing hose ages ago, you have to figure that the rules have changed.

Me personally? I heard last fall at some point that hose were considered hopelessly out of date. They were the dividing line between young professionals and old fuddy duddy professionals. I'm an old fuddy duddy professional myself and still wear them, at least when I'm wearing dress shoes. Tights look weird and are uncomfortable on me, and bare legs are only comfortable if I have on shoes that leave my heels and toes uncovered. If a shoe covers my heels or toes, I'll get blisters in about five minutes if I don't have on hose. So it's not about the legs for me--it's the feet.

Sarah