Lifestyle

Women over 70 rock Jill Biden’s risqué tights: ‘I’ve never felt this sexy’

First Leggy: 69-year-old Jill Biden’s bold look inspires other fashionistas. REUTERS

These tights got Jill Biden in a bind.

When the first lady stepped out at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland last week, heads turned and Twitter howled. The getup — a black blazer over a leather-hemmed dress paired with patterned fishnet-style stockings and high-heeled booties — caught both respect and rebuke, with many critics calling the 69-year-old’s outfit too youthful.

“Good Lord, she looks like Madonna’s grandmother,” tweeted a detractor of the alleged fashion faux pas. “At what point do you dress your age. Not becoming, not appropriate and [way too] old for this look,” seethed another Twitter user.

But the patterned tights are still the talk of the town in New York — especially with women of a certain age, who feel empowered in their power hose.

“I’ve never felt sexy like this,” writer Sheryll Bellman, 76, told The Post while trying out a pair of Biden-esque black tights with her black pencil skirt and pearls. “I don’t like to stick out too much, but now I feel great.”

Here, Bellman and other stylish septuagenarian ladies tackle the bold-tights trend, parading around Manhattan in their own interpretations of FLOTUS’s controversial look.

Sheryll Bellman tries funky floral tights for the first time. Brian Zak/NY Post

Sheryll Bellman, 76

The author and former microbiologist has traditionally played it safe with her style. “My look has always been the same — very classic, jeans and a white shirt with a sweater over my neck. I never wear a pattern other than a check and stripe,” said the Upper East Sider, who has secretly yearned to break from her conservative mold. “I always wanted to buy these [stockings] but never did. I don’t know what held me back.”

Taking these hose for a whirl around the city gave her a huge confidence boost — and earned her some compliments. “People were passing by and telling me how gorgeous I looked,” said the widowed grandmother of seven, whose teenage grandson gushed over her outfit, “You look beautiful.”

While it’s a contrast to her regular uniform, Bellman is adapting just fine: “I feel more feminine with this look. I don’t care what anyone says — I look great.”

Bellman is wearing “Dot and Rose” tights, $15 at Calzedonia.com

Alva Chinn styled Calzedonia diamond-motif tights with flats and a sleek pleated skirt in Union Squar. Stephen Yang

Alva Chinn, 72

The legendary model, who made a name for herself on 1970s runways and was a face of Halston, loved the first lady’s leggy look. Her message to Biden? “When you feel good, you look good. And you look good,” Chinn said.

Chinn, now a yoga instructor for seniors as well as writer and actor, calls criticism of women’s looks “bitchy.”

“I don’t understand it — there’s a lot of shame with women aging. And it’s often other women doing the shaming,” said Chinn, who lives in Union Square.

She admits to being guilty of it herself. “Back in the day, I thought there’s no need to see someone’s knees if she’s over 30. I used to say, ‘You look like a hooker on the strada,’ or I thought, ‘Who are you kidding? Miniskirts have nothing to do with you anymore,'” said Chinn, whose views have evolved. “Now I say: ‘Wear anything that makes you feel good.'”  

She loved the subtle appeal of the stockings. “They weren’t pretentiously trying to be sexy,” she said, adding, “I showed mine off. The body is a sensuous thing. And I can’t wear something that doesn’t make my body feel good.”

Chinn is wearing “Diamond” tights, $15 at Calzedonia.com

Stylist and designer Regina Kravitz, puts a bright twist on Jill Biden’s stockings style. Stefano Giovannini

Regina Kravitz, 70

“A 69-year old woman can look sexy and sophisticated,” said Kravitz, adding that any condemnation for the first lady’s youthful look is laughably dated. “Get with the program!”

Kravitz, an Upper East Side-based image consultant and former fashion designer who helped commercialize the first jumpsuit in the ’80s, knows all about how style can empower women. “Feeling sexy is a vital part of life — at any age,” she said, adding, “But having a sense of tastefulness, whether you’re 39, 69 or Jane Fonda, is what you have to strive for.”

The single mother of one donned the tights with leopard-print pumps and a flashy orange moto jacket. “I’ve heard people say that the things I wear are not appropriate,” admitted Kravitz, who couldn’t care less about the criticism. “The whole rulebook is out now.”

Kravitz is wearing “Diamond” tights, $15 at Calzedonia.com