Pantyhose and tights

Discussion of fashion elements and looks that are traditionally considered somewhat "femme" but are presented in a masculine context. This is NOT about transvestism or crossdressing.
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Caultron
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Re: Pantyhose and tights

Post by Caultron »

Darryl wrote:...Anyway, I've worn several skirts out and about during the late Spring, Summer and having seen ladies wearing skirts to work...knee-length ones at that...I said why not?

So I've been wearing to and from work, though not at work yet...
Where do you change?

What do you do?
Courage, conviction, nerve, verve, dash, panache, guts, nuts, balls, gall, élan, stones, whatever. Get some and get skirted.

caultron
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Re: Pantyhose and tights

Post by Departed Member »

Since the cold has set in here in Scotland the past few days, I decided to purchase some tights to wear with my skirts and kilts. I have leggings, but I tend to get too hot in leggings due to their thickness, so I thought I'd try tights to see if they were a little cooler, and so far I've discovered that they are. I've been trying out different materials and deniers, and thus far I have discovered that aside from cotton, the most comfortable tights I've found have been from Primark, the 120 Denier Velvet Touch tights. They are extremely smooth and soft, and are very opaque, at least in the legs. I'm so tall and the largest size they carry for women is an XL, so when I stretch them all the way up, the opacity gets a little thinner around the knees. But my skirts don't usually go above my knees so, it's not a problem. I bought a pair in Navy yesterday, wore them out today with my Hashers Hunting kilt from Sportkilt, and found them to be quite comfortable, if at least a little odd feeling just because I'm not used to wearing tights. Another important feature too is that they are so smooth that I don't need a slip/liner under my kilt/skirt; the kilt/skirt material doesn't catch on the tights material in these Velvet touch ones, unlike the cotton tights and leggings I have. I prefer cotton, but they are just a wee bit too warm for me most of the time, especially the crotch area, and the skirt material catches too easily.

So, if you want some nice but cheap in price tights and are in the UK with a Primark nearby, go with the 120 Denier Velvet Touch tights. Only 3 GBP per pair.
STEVIE
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Re: Pantyhose and tights

Post by STEVIE »

My personal preference is Marks and Spencer 30 or 40 denier opaques. There's some blurb about temperature control on the packaging which, strangely enough, seems to work. They're currently £8.00 for a three pair pack and really seem to last for ages, great value. As for the tan variety, 30 denier, Golden Lady semi opaques work for me as long as shaving is up to date. They're best in the warmer weather but a bit more expensive at £3.50 per pair from Asda.
I've once bought a 2 pair pack of 100 denier tights from John Lewis at £10.00, complete waste. They were badly sized and not any good value at all.
Most importantly find what works for you and stay with it. Aint broke, don't fix, applies here.
Steve.
Ralph
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Re: Pantyhose and tights

Post by Ralph »

Can any of you tights aficionados point me to a source (preferably in the US, but I guess if they take paypal it doesn't really matter) of really heavy cable knit aka sweater tights, in beefy guy sizes? I would dearly love the thick knitted wool between boots and feet when I go out in the snow, but the only ones I have been able to find run too short, too narrow at the waist, or (usually) both.

Something like this:
Image
Except, of course, with feet and big enough for a gorilla like me.

By "beefy" I mean roughly 44 inches around the waist, 40 inches from waist to toe, and 23 inches around the widest part of my thighs.
Ralph!
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r.m.anderson
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Re: Pantyhose and tights

Post by r.m.anderson »

A start is with Ebay - SEARCH - "CABLE KNIT TIGHTS"

These are pretty much all designed and sized for the fair lassies - with the norm being 'One Size Fits All'.
With your substantial requirements the task is not going to be easy to find ready made to wear.
You may have to settle for something custom made or perhaps adapt the brief body portion to a set of
leggings length to make something work. Auction prices are not bad but I suspect the quality to be questionable !

In the mean time look up this colorful Ebay item:

Cable Knit Cotton Sweater Tights Seamless Skinny Stretch Leggings Pants Women ! (221374303306)
Member id alltopbargains | Feedback Score Of 138459 | 98.9%
Color: RED
3d 20h left
Tuesday, 02:25PM
$9.89
Buy It Now
Free shipping
Item Condition:
Brand New, Original Package, Sealed Box.
Brand New.
Description:
Seamless Capri Leggings Womens Stretch Sexy Skinny Long Hot Tights.
Size: One Size Fits Most (S M L XL)
Length not stretched: 28"
Length Stretched: 47"
Waist not stretched 20"
Waist stretched: 40"
Made out of 92% nylon 8% spandex.
Hand wash cold.
Do not bleach.
Hang dry.
Condition: Brand new with tag.
Soft comfortable and skin-friendly fabric.
Features:
* Cable knit fleece lined footless leggings * Size: one size fits most XS S M L (sizze 0 - 12) * Waist 25 - 38 inches
* Fits: 90 - 175 lbs, 5' - 6' tall
* Ankle length
* Super warm and stretchy
* Fabric: 92% polyester 8% spandex
* Hand wash and hang dry
* Listing is for 1 pc
Package Contents / Accessories Included:
1 New Ladies Leggings Hot Tights
"YES SKIRTING MATTERS"!
"Kilt-On" -or- as the case may be "Skirt-On" !
WHY ?
Isn't wearing a kilt enough?
Well a skirt will do in a pinch!
Make mine short and don't you dare think of pinching there !
Darryl
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Re: Pantyhose and tights

Post by Darryl »

Caultron wrote:
Darryl wrote:...Anyway, I've worn several skirts out and about during the late Spring, Summer and having seen ladies wearing skirts to work...knee-length ones at that...I said why not?

So I've been wearing to and from work, though not at work yet...
Where do you change?

What do you do?
Change in the office, pull trousers back on, then off in the car. Usually a couple hours after everyone else has left.

System Administrator some places, IT Business Analyst others and Programmer (mostly a little C# and too much VBA).
skirted_in_SF
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Re: Pantyhose and tights

Post by skirted_in_SF »

Ralph,
If you're willing to go a slightly different direction, American Apparel has 90% cotton thigh highs in a rib knit. Nine colors to choose from and $18 a pair. I have a pair I bought a couple of years ago (though I've only worn them a few time). The work well for me, but I'm much smaller than you. They are made in the US.
Stuart Gallion
No reason to hide my full name 8)
Back in my skirts in San Francisco
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Caultron
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Re: Pantyhose and tights

Post by Caultron »

Darryl wrote:...System Administrator some places, IT Business Analyst others and Programmer (mostly a little C# and too much VBA).
You're the best judge of your own situation, obviously, but you may have more freedom than you think. People expect geeky IT types to be a little bit weird anyway. It's much easier to get away with things like earrings and blue jeans, for example.
Courage, conviction, nerve, verve, dash, panache, guts, nuts, balls, gall, élan, stones, whatever. Get some and get skirted.

caultron
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Kilted_John
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Re: Pantyhose and tights

Post by Kilted_John »

Ralph wrote:Can any of you tights aficionados point me to a source (preferably in the US, but I guess if they take paypal it doesn't really matter) of really heavy cable knit aka sweater tights, in beefy guy sizes? I would dearly love the thick knitted wool between boots and feet when I go out in the snow, but the only ones I have been able to find run too short, too narrow at the waist, or (usually) both.

Something like this:
<snip>
Except, of course, with feet and big enough for a gorilla like me.

By "beefy" I mean roughly 44 inches around the waist, 40 inches from waist to toe, and 23 inches around the widest part of my thighs.
Try Sock Dreams... They're in Portland, Oregon. They should have something like that.

http://www.sockdreams.com

-J
Skirted since 2/2002, kilted 8/2002-8/2011, and dressed since 9/2013...
flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/245gt-turbo
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crfriend
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Re: Pantyhose and tights

Post by crfriend »

Kilted_John wrote:Try Sock Dreams... They're in Portland, Oregon. They should have something like that.

http://www.sockdreams.com
John has spoken highly of them in the past, and I'll add my voice to that as well. I ordered a few things from them last Saturday and found the package in my mailbox on Monday afternoon. I was shocked. The quality seems good, too, but it's a bit early to tell and some of the things I got are "fragile" by nature.

They stock a bewildering array of options.
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
Darryl
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Re: Pantyhose and tights

Post by Darryl »

Caultron wrote:
Darryl wrote:...System Administrator some places, IT Business Analyst others and Programmer (mostly a little C# and too much VBA).
You're the best judge of your own situation, obviously, but you may have more freedom than you think. People expect geeky IT types to be a little bit weird anyway. It's much easier to get away with things like earrings and blue jeans, for example.
Could be in one or two shops. The most recent shop is a large religion-based healthcare organization. I read their dress code and perked up when they simply listed trousers, shorts, skirts, dresses and so on (no denim) with no mention of gender. Then I found a possible kicker: that clothing is expected to be within cultural norms. So...since I just started, we'll see how things go for a bit.

While out and about today:
Went out and about today light brown with black collar trim sleeveless wind-breaker over a red long-sleeved polo shirt and a knee-length black vertically-pleated...or at least 'ruffled' skirt with suntan medium support hose, white socks and black Brooks walking shoes. Walked around the mall a couple of times, went in a couple stores and looked at some blazers, videos and so on, bought a few things, no issues. Didn't notice any stares, double-takes or anything.

Stopped at Goodwill to see what they had in skirts and such, a few items but not the right size. Looked around and was following two ladies doing the same and was right up close and squeezing past them in tight quarters as we looked at different things. Found an interesting 210-pound Bowflex. But anyway, we were in sight of each other, up close for a good 20-25 minutes, then as I squeezed past to leave the white-haired older lady turned and said "What's that you're wearing? A skirt?" I said "Sure, its quite comfortable." She replied "Well, why not? Women wear pants." We smiled and went our separate ways.
Ralph
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Re: Pantyhose and tights

Post by Ralph »

r.m.anderson wrote:A start is with Ebay - SEARCH - "CABLE KNIT TIGHTS"
Yeah... ebay and amazon are my primary go-to places for any type of clothing purchases, and I have about 800 searches carefully crafted in ebay to maximize hits on stuff I want while eliminating obviously unsuitable items.

The specific example you cited is exactly what I try to avoid:
Size: One Size Fits Most (S M L XL)
* Cable knit fleece lined footless leggings * Size: one size fits most XS S M L (sizze 0 - 12) * Waist 25 - 38 inches
Footless -- useless for keeping my feet warm. "one size" translates to "if everybody in the world was Twiggy". "Waist 25-38"... Yeah, ain't gonna happen. Even if my diet succeeds beyond my wildest dreams I'll be 5'10", 170lbs, 38" waist.

If the desired item exists on ebay, I can and will find it... but as you discovered yourself, nonstandard choices are just about nonexistent.

I'll definitely check out Sock Dreams. And during my last search for large tights I did indeed discover over-the-knee socks from American Apparel. Tried a pair, and they're dandy... they leave a gap between knee and waist, but at least they keep the extremities warmer. Thanks for both suggestions!
Ralph!
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r.m.anderson
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Re: Pantyhose and tights

Post by r.m.anderson »

When using Ebay and finding something close to your requirements - see "Sellers other items" - - -
Looking for similar items and further refine that to "Completed Listings" * find this about 2/3s down
the left side of the auction page.
Sometimes it is possible that the Seller just simply doesn't relist or offer an UNSOLD item again - yet a PM to the
seller may offer possibilities of a relist - private sale/listing - or an inventory check for items to be listed
later at a price the both of you can agree on. Another thing if you are really really enchanted with something
that you want - let the seller know that if an auction falls through you are ready to take the buyers place.

Never give up easily ! Check back again in a few weeks for new auctions. Also check whatever Search engines
you have access to on the internet for possible leads not in Ebay auction.
"YES SKIRTING MATTERS"!
"Kilt-On" -or- as the case may be "Skirt-On" !
WHY ?
Isn't wearing a kilt enough?
Well a skirt will do in a pinch!
Make mine short and don't you dare think of pinching there !
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