Though tights with shorts is not a-okay, it does not mean tights are out of style. I love the look of tights, just be careful how you wear them.
Cut-out tights are definitely in right now. There are so many to choose from. My favorites are the floral tights. These are cute because they put a twist on just wearing ordinary black ones. For those of you a little intimidated by changing up a typical look into something more on the edgy side, cut-out tights are tights that have a design on them made out of an assortment of holes. Normally, tights with holes are trashy looking, but if they are meant to be there, it is a good statement to make.
A lot of times girls will wear tights with a cute dress or skirt. This is a cute fashion statement, but the whole look can go from bad to good if you have a big gaping hole in your non-cut-out tights. I understand that not snagging your tights is a little on the challenging side, but it is not impossible. If there is a hole in your tights, it can make your look go from pretty to hobo-chic.
A little trick my dance teacher taught me years ago was when you see a small snag in your tights, put some clear nail polish over it to prevent from further running. This might not completely save them forever, but you will at least get a few more good wears out of them.
This will jazz up the plain sweater dress and you can sport your tights without making a definite fashion no-no.