skirtcafe.org

I wear heavy crew socks with short hoes and a maxi skirt or two, that keeps me comfortable with a little cool air coming up under the skirts once and a while.

kingfish wrote:Although I can't (yet) attest to their durability...yet! https://sheerlygenius.com/ is doing something about it. Hopefully, I'll have an idea when my purchase from them through their indiegogo funding campaign comes through.

I have a pair of those coming as well.

$99 for a pair of sheer pantyhose??? That's almost as insane as I am. Nope, I'll be content blowing $4-$5 a pair that may only last 6 months, but that's still at least 5 years before I've spent as much on cheap, disposable hosiery as a single pair of this stuff.

Well, I did spend $360 on a kilt about 18 years ago.

But I still have it and wear it at least once or twice a month.

I sure does seem like the Sheerley Genius tights/ hose are a bit expensive at $99.00 USD!.

I suppose, like anything, time will tell...

Let us know what they are like when you get them..

Usually opaque or semi-opaque tights for me.

Currently, though, I have a wound pump connected to my upper right thigh, and that pretty much rules out any sort of tights. As a result, I've been messing around with thigh-high socks and stockings.

Well I have a hundred dollar or so a month pantyhose 'problem' so the Sheery Genius may end up saving me money. The only time my legs are bare is when I am shaving them!

Ralph wrote:$99 for a pair of sheer pantyhose??? That's almost as insane as I am. Nope, I'll be content blowing $4-$5 a pair that may only last 6 months, but that's still at least 5 years before I've spent as much on cheap, disposable hosiery as a single pair of this stuff.

Two points.

1. The sheerly genius tights may be of high quality, unlike your US$5 ones.
2. On a price per wear against similar quality tights, they might work out well.

My median price for hosiery is about £12 (US$16). I like the feel of quality legwear. I’ll get about 5-8 wears per pair.

I prefer shorter skirts (a few cm above the knee, or a few more cm). In summer, I wear sandals with bare legs. Warmer days in spring and fall, I favor penny loafers with no-show socks, leaving the legs bare still. That's not going to work in New England (US) in the winter. Recently I have seen a few knee-length socks in men's departments. I tried a few pairs, and found them very comfortable, and warm enough for wear on warmer winter days. However, being that I found them in men's departments, the range of colors didn't go much beyond black or navy. I've since looked a little further, and found some brighter colors marketed as unisex for outdoor-sport wear; recently I bought a pair in medium blue in the ladies' department. Someone has to explain to me how socks can have gender. I can't even tell the left sock from the right.
Anyway, I'm satisfied with these for now. I don't want to be bothered to shave my legs, as I think would be necessary with tights unless they were quite opaque. As others have noted, no one expects men to shave their legs to wear shorts.
I really need to make some longer, heavier skirts, though, or be resigned to wearing trousers for some months on end here.

KenCT wrote:I prefer shorter skirts (a few cm above the knee, or a few more cm). In summer, I wear sandals with bare legs. Warmer days in spring and fall, I favor penny loafers with no-show socks, leaving the legs bare still. That's not going to work in New England (US) in the winter. Recently I have seen a few knee-length socks in men's departments. I tried a few pairs, and found them very comfortable, and warm enough for wear on warmer winter days. However, being that I found them in men's departments, the range of colors didn't go much beyond black or navy. I've since looked a little further, and found some brighter colors marketed as unisex for outdoor-sport wear; recently I bought a pair in medium blue in the ladies' department. Someone has to explain to me how socks can have gender. I can't even tell the left sock from the right.
Anyway, I'm satisfied with these for now. I don't want to be bothered to shave my legs, as I think would be necessary with tights unless they were quite opaque. As others have noted, no one expects men to shave their legs to wear shorts.
I really need to make some longer, heavier skirts, though, or be resigned to wearing trousers for some months on end here.

Re: Colors other than Black or Navy - try athletic sox over the calf think soccer La Crosse field hockey others ?
Visit a sporting goods store even Wal*Mart or Target should have them - online with Amazon.
You will find colors solid striped banded and a large variety.
Search the web for local stores in your area that might have these.
Some of these sox may not have an adequate elastic band at the top of the sox - remedy for this use a garter like elastic (flashes) worn with kilt sox.

Re: the sox sizing is just like the mysterious women's sizing of shoes - More in likely you are going to need a women's size in the 10-12*** range
which equates to men's 9-11 - women's 6-9 ain't gonna cut it.
*** 10-12 is usually the max commercial sizing for women's sox
If your men's size shoe is 11 or better always go for the largest women's size which may not be always be in stock.
Look around on the bottom shelf or if on hanger/clips to back of the rack.
Store may have it but it is not common so it might not be out in front.
If you can find help at all ask where the larger sizes are.
If you buy in quantity over eBay should get a good break and the same sizing rule applies get the largest.
Check online with Amazon Wal*Mart Target.
Oh and another thing about that gender thing - women's sox tend to be on the petite side even in larger sizes -
they will fit in the heel to toe bracket but strangle the tootsies across the width and ankle and up the calf.

So what do women do - they buy the men's size -
If women's sox fit make sure you are in the women's department not the girls otherwise you will definitely not have sox that fit !
Sometimes on the back label of the package will be a sizing chart somewhat like pantyhose/tights to help guide you !
Another thing be prepared to pay a few coins more for the women's larger sizing - why because they can charge more !

I try to get by with wearing nothing on my legs if I can get away with it. Of course if it's downright cold I'll have to wear some thigh high socks, leggings, or something to that effect.

Trouble is, when wearing leg coverings, the skirts tend to get clingy. I know the dryer sheet tricks, and other methods to reduce static cling, but nothing compares to a skirt on a bare leg.

In reply to r.m.anderson, hello and thanks for your suggestions. Sounds like you have quite some experience finding socks of knee-length and more. Understandable in Minnesota! I did my graduate work at U of M, then worked for Honeywell for seven years; lived near Lake Nokomis, our three children were born there, lots of fond memories. Connecticut is about as snowy, but not as cold, so we outdo Minnesota in slush
i'll check out our local sporting-goods stores; hadn't thought of all the sports that require longer socks. Also, I still thought of athletic socks as only coming in white - shows my age, I guess...

For kilts I use ribbed tights in winter or leggings. Black stretch jeans with kilts works for a more alternative look.

Summer is hot and humid here so leggings are not an option. So I go with long briefs and cotton socks with doc Martins.

Finding leggings that are masculine is hard. But they exist. Cotton are good. Knit are good. Nothing shiny.

Ray wrote:

Ralph wrote:$99 for a pair of sheer pantyhose??? That's almost as insane as I am. Nope, I'll be content blowing $4-$5 a pair that may only last 6 months, but that's still at least 5 years before I've spent as much on cheap, disposable hosiery as a single pair of this stuff.

Two points.

1. The sheerly genius tights may be of high quality, unlike your US$5 ones.
2. On a price per wear against similar quality tights, they might work out well.

My median price for hosiery is about £12 (US$16). I like the feel of quality legwear. I’ll get about 5-8 wears per pair.

I've just received my pair of black, Sheerly Genius tights/pantyhose and am wearing them now with my pale blue, plaid/tweed skirt and black, block heeled shoes.
See my Pics and Looks thread for pics of the skirt and shoes.

The Sheerly Genius tights/pantyhose are really comfortable and well made. The waistband is very wide so it doesn't roll down and doesn't pinch at the waist. The toe area is reinforced (thicker knit). The tights look a little shiny and in terms of denier, I would guess they're between 20 and 30. If a line appears in the knit whilst putting them on, if I rub that area then it just massages right back out again. Impressive! As for the durability, obviously it too early to say but I see nothing as yet that might raise any concerns over the company's claims in that area.

Throughly recommended.

Edit- Evening of the same day
Caught the back of my calf on a screw head as I was sitting. I heard the familiar noise caused by catching my hose. I looked down expecting a hole or run as one might usually find in standard types of hose. I could only see a few darker lines where the threads in the knit were pulled out of shape. I rubbed/massaged the area and the lines disappeared right away. No signs of any damage. Impressive!

BTW I have no connection to the company.

Jim wrote:I found this in my mom's autobiography in the section of fashion from the early 1930s:

Mom wrote: That first nylon was like iron. It wouldn't run, it wouldn't snag. It lasted so long that the color faded out. We actually bought dye for nylons to put some color back in. Too soon, the manufacturers discovered they weren't making much money that way, so they made them much more fragile.

Has anyone made such sturdy nylon hose recently?

There are definitely some harder wearing hose out there, I am just starting to lose some of my favorite brand thigh highs, from Sarah Borghi, I've been wearing them for 3 years! I've just looked again and finally found that Nordstroms carries them. https://shop.nordstrom.com/s/sarah-borg ... color=nero Yikes! $40 Canadian! I got mine at Winners, same as TJMax I think, and they were about $8 a pair. Now have to decide if I want to risk that much money and see if these are as good. One thing I really liked, they stay up really well, and are comfortable, even the ones which I bought a bit small, which is rare for me, as the point I pull them up to is about 33" inseam and 23" circumference at that point, plus my big feet. I have them in black, grey, and a lovely dark brown chocolate color. Really nice smooth finish with a bit of a sheen in some lighting conditions.
I've also heard good things about Transparenze, Oroblu, and of course Wolfords, if you have expensive tastes.

To go back to my earlier comments in this thread (in 2012!) about changing in the locker room at work when I commute in snow pants for extreme conditions. It's a non event, as I just pull the skirt on over the top before removing the pants, so as far as anyone knows, they're just tights.