 The story goes that Marian Manola, singer, actress, and star of Broadway's Castles in the Air, wore gray silk tights as a provocative part of her art. Tights back then set tongues wagging. They had a sensual cling at a time when women wore thick dresses that plunged to the ground and sashayed around there so that no one much knew what shoes looked like either. Tights on a stage actress allowed men to see the curves of her hips from her hips to her toes.