Tights

[wintermute]

Thanks for the info, guys! If anyone has anything further to add, please do!:)

[crfriend]

I've been wearing tights for several years, predating my skirt-wearing in fact. Before taking up skirts, I found that tights offerred an extra layer of warmth with virtually no bulk. This was a win in a place where it gets a wee bit cold for socks and undershorts but not quite cold enough to go for long underwear. I also found that they make my legs look better, which was a win once I started wearing skirts.

Summertime here is usually too hot for any sort of legwear unless one goes from an air-conditioned house to an air-conditioned car to an air-conditioned office and back again. For me, only the office is air-conditioned, two rooms in the house (the computer room/living room pair and the bedroom), and there's a 45 minute drive in the afternoon sun through an asphalt desert in an un-air-conditioned car (The temperatures through the "mall area" I traverse can be 10 to 15 degrees (F) higher than the areas outside there). Legwear in those conditions is certainly contraindicated.

Mens' tights versus womens' tights? I've only worn the womens' ones; I find that "Just my size" 3X microfiber fit very well and are extremely comfortable. They're the only off-the-shelf ones I've found that can accommodate my height.

Once in a while I'll wear pantyhose, but only usually with my dressier skirts that look trashy with bare legs. I'm a bit of a klutz, and pantyhose are too easily snagged and laddered for someone of my agility. They do look good, though, and I get nice commments from the ladies when attired that way.

[Kilted_John]

Carl,

Since you're usually wearing longer skirts, you could always wear knee-high stockings... Might be easier to deal with than PH. With regular wear, I usually get about 4-6 months out of a pair of sheer knee-highs, before they start to show signs of wear.... Usually use the ones made for and sold by Nordstrom. They tend to hold up a lot better than the Hanes and L'eggs brands of knee-highs. They aren't as cheap as the other brands, but, are usually sold for $9.00 per package (two to three pairs per package).

-J

[knickerless]

Surely what we in the UK call Tights are what the Americans call Panty Hose or am I missing something?

[Bravehearts.us]

Surely what we in the UK call Tights are what the Americans call Panty Hose or am I missing something?

We have pantyhose and tights in the US. They are labeled that way in the packaging. Pantyhose are also called nylons. Tights are usually thicker and you don’t see them in the stores until the Fall/Winter garments are put out. Nylons or pantyhose are on the shelves all year long. I’m not sure what category Opaques fall into.
Lar

[binx]

Aren't all tights opaque? All I've tried appear to be. Pantyhose seem to be meant to be sheer, so as to be more comfortable/cooler. They are not the same in sizing either.

binx

[Since1982]

Opaque is a solid color that you can barely see through, whereas pantyhose are usually easier to see legs through. Tights are something that keep your legs very warm even tho they are light material. On my upcoming on the 10th July trip to Las Vegas I plan to take tights along, in the daytime its 100 degrees Farenheit and at night drops to the mid 60's + my legs are no work of beauty anymore and tights cover lots of lumps.

[crfriend]

Since you're usually wearing longer skirts, you could always wear knee-high stockings...

That's a thought. However, I've always thought seeing the upper bound of a pair of knee-highs beneath a skirt to be a bit naff (thigh-highs or stockings w/suspenders is something else OK, I have a dirty mind.) I'll pay more attention to how my various skirts "work" to see if I'd risk making that exposure. Thanks for the idea!

[Kilted_John]

Carl,

I suspect that with your calf-length and longer skirts, you won't see the band. And, actually, as long as you stay away from black knee-highs, the band isn't that noticeable. I sometimes wear white ones and it can be quite hard to tell that I'm wearing sheer knee-highs, unlike the pix I posted a few months back. The legs don't look segmented. Instead, it just looks like I have off-white knee-highs on.

-J

[Gregg1100]

Hello All,
Has anyone tried SILKIES tights. All kinds of colour tones, sizes. A good few are figure shaping, with a gusset so no panty line. I will dig out the link properly, but almost sure it is http://www.silkies.co.uk---try also http://www.silkies .com.
A bit dear, but nigh on bomb proof. Hope this helps.
Regards,
Greg

[abburke]

Yes I have tried the Silkies brand here in the US. To be honest I tried their hose years ago and found them to be very comfortable and long lasting. I tried them again this past year and the quality did not seem to be there anymore. They were no different than anything you could buy in the store. I am thinking about trying the WOMAN hosiery line to see what they are like. Anyone tried them yet? They are supposed to be made for men.

Aaron

[wintermute]

Thanks for the continued postings, guys! The Silkies link was interesting. Yes abburke, I too am still curious to try the WoMAN range....& the Comfilon too. I'm really just after a solid black opaque effect to go with my black kilt & boots for the autumn / winter months....May even consider some male dance tights.......They would be pretty dense colourwise & fairly indestructable too!:) If anyone ot there has come across any *really* decent heavy opaque tights (even cotton / woolen etc), manufacturers names & feedback would be interesting to hear about (though so far, with the info you guys have already posted, I think we may have hit all the bases!!):)

[Departed Member]

If anyone ot there has come across any *really* decent heavy opaque tights (even cotton / woolen etc), manufacturers names & feedback would be interesting to hear about (though so far, with the info you guys have already posted, I think we may have hit all the bases!!):)

Have you tried the "Bodysensor" range (3% lycra) from (of all places!) Marks & Spencer? I was recommended these by my physio (of all people!), after a bad leg muscle 'pull'. They last for ages, and are OK for up to 6 foot-ers. The 60d are usually on sale all year, the 70d Autumn & Winter.

[wintermute]

Thanks for that, Merlin! I have to head into London today - I may just skirt (!) by M&S on my rounds (kilted, of course!):)

[Stevie D]

Aren't all tights opaque? All I've tried appear to be. Pantyhose seem to be meant to be sheer, so as to be more comfortable/cooler. They are not the same in sizing either.

binx

In the UK, we tend not to use the word 'pantyhose'. For us, the word 'tights' refers to the legwear garment that has two legs (with feet) joined at the top to a panty-type thing that continues up to your waist. They can be any colour or weight, sheer or opaque, and they are still called 'tights'.