I’ve just found out according to Shine UK, that apparently stockings and wearing them, went out in the 1980′s. Obviously these trends vary worldwide, but it I’m told that the last time wearing ‘pantyhose’ was fashionable was when Meg Ryan was in her heyday and we all wanted to dress like Princess Di. Luckily I don’t give a damn about being in fashion then isn’t it?!
It seems that at present, everyone is all a twitter about how Princess Katherine has ‘brought back’ the wearing of stockings with her sheer clad pins, but I have to wonder… did they ever really disappear? Perhaps it is simply the circles I move in, but I can’t say I was really aware of a significant absence. It may also be to do with where you live, but in Melbourne, wearing hose of some description ( be they pantyhose or my personal preference- stockings) is really a matter of necessity for climate.
Some years ago, when I moved to Sydney, I was horrified by the lack of properly attired office workers out there. I’d see girls enmasse on their lunch breaks in sharply tailored black suits, faux pearls and knees that looked like tangerines. I’d no sooner have gone bare legged than have gone bra-less, and couldn’t figure out why they did. So I started to ask around.
The general consensus was two things; firstly it was too hot and humid in Sydney to wear them (although not too hot apparently for black suits), and that the girls who did wear them, was a matter of company policy to present a more polished image. These numbers were few and far between. Mind you, that was almost ten years ago and every time I’m there now I’m still shocked at how many office girls forgot the other half of their skirts!
Reading this latest article in Shine UK, the overwhelming sentiment seems to be that people saw wearing stockings / pantihose as “uncomfortable”, “painful”, and oppressive. To quote the article-
“First Lady Michelle Obama, though known on occasion to sport the legwear, is not a fan. “I stopped wearing pantyhose a long time ago, because it was painful and they’d always rip,”"
And I have to wonder, what are these medieval torture devices these ladies seem to have experienced? I must say I’m not a fan of pantihose myself, although I do find that compression hose certainly have their uses. But still, in all my experience the biggest complaint I have about them is that they just aren’t sexy. But painful? What are you wearing? And how can this possibly be worse than the paralysing stilettos we still continue to wear nylons or no nylons?
Forgetting the matter of what is ‘proper’ when dressing, it seems to me a total no-brainer that you would choose to wear stockings rather than to go barelegged for the most part. The girls I know who do go barelegged, are always the ones forking out for spray on tans, ending up with streaked legs the moment it rains. These same girls are the ones seen standing by the side of the road shivering in their ‘state of undress’ at 3am.
For me, wearing stockings not only makes sense when it comes to regulating body temperature and colour, but they are just so much more chic. Shiny or matt, there is the way they feel as they hug your legs. (Maybe because I buy the kinds without the inbuilt spikes Michelle Obama seems to have experienced.) Wearing a dress without stockings makes me feel naked.. and not in a good way.
So I’d like to know your thoughts and experiences. Have you experienced these “killer” pantyhose that so many seem adverse too? Have you always worn them or never? Do you only save stockings for special occasions or do you make every day on occasion?
In the UK, tights, hold-ups or stockings are the norm (except perhaps with casual dresses on very hot days). Indeed if anything, the more comfort-conscious (rather than fashion/style orientated) wear thick woolly opaque ones!
I think Kate’s just a Brit girl wearing hosiery like we all do here!
There are some odd differences in fashion from country to country though: in the UK for example a VPL is a massive no-no so girls often either wear biiiig pants or strings – when I went to the USA, such items were for old ladies (big pants) or risque ladies (strings). How odd!
PS. Shine …how can I put this… isn’t at the forefront of the UK fashion press. I’m reading it as a Brit and saying ‘whaaaat?’ – it all seems rather frumpy.
My favourite thing about the colder weather is stockings! I don’t find them uncomfortable or painful to wear, so I guess I’m luckily managing to find the spike-free ones, too. I have to say, I don’t wear them in the warmer weather, though. Neither do I resort to the spray-tan, despite the suggestion of a colleague at a previous workplace. My pale legs don’t tan and that’s fine with me!
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My stocking drawer is full to overflowing with various nude pantihose, black opaques, and patterned/textured tights in every colour and pattern under the sun. I would never go barelegged in Melbourne winter either – far too cold – and besides, I think pantihose and tights make the look more polished. And I don’t find them uncomfortable unless I’ve bought them too small, which I rarely do nowadays.
Here in Canada, pantyhose and stockings aren’t common at all, but tights in the winter can be seen all over. (It’s currently mid-summer here) I am one of the few who choose to wear stockings/pantyhose/etc all year round, but I think half of that comes from the styles I choose! In the summer it is much too hot for full blown pantyhose, so I’ll stick to a thigh high light weight stocking. It looks nice, keeps everything polished, and doesn’t get too hot or too tight at the waist as pantyhose is prone to do. Besides, when you have amazing seamed stockings how can you not wear them year round?
Cheers!
~Paige
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Here in Finland I gues office workers usually wear tights or stockings, but as of this or last summer for example, there has been rather über hot weather in Finland, so I myself have found impossible to wear either ones. I mean, personally my skin is rather sensitive, and I get easily rash (for example if my legs sweat and I’m wearing tight pants or tights or anything skintight.. And the rash drives me nuts. But it’s just me, ofcourse all people do not get rashes.
I like to wear stockings however, but it’s not very often one can, summers have been way too hot for last two years and winters are like, -20-30 Celsius. So I guess there are 3 to 4 months I can wear stockings. But well, in winter not many wear skirts so I guess it does’nt matter
And by the way, I have not yert found tights that would’nt be too tight or too loose on waist, and not being too long or short at the same time
Oh and some tights feel horribly “dry” or harsh on the skin, especially in winter.
I wore fishnets and wear heavy tights to fight the Melbourne cold too, but could never be bothered with thin sheer stockings that accumulated runs so easily. I never wore sheer nylons except for a formal dance once in my teens (a friend’s mum provided us all with them??).
I dressed a teen model in them for a shoot (trying to give the poor thing any warmth possible that chilly day). She loved them but they limit the use of open toed shoes, can make walking rather slippery and are simply a bother (being a synthetic fiber) when dancing or in any kind of heat.
Keep them in the climate controlled offices I say..
I would never ever go out with bare legs, unless it’s summertime and I’m wearing nice summery shoes with a nice summery dress. If I was wearing a business suit in summer however, I would never go bare legged!
I think a nice outfit (like a business suit) looks less polished if legs are bare. Call me old fashioned (I’m 37!) but I cringe when I see bare legs with business attire. IMHO it looks tacky. For me personally, I have discoloured patches on my knees so pantyhose is a must. But even if I had the most perfect legs ever, I would still always wear pantyhose. In winter I wear all manner of tights. The pantyhose I wear with business attire is always nude, never light or white (major cringe!)
I don’t get the ‘painful’ thing. What on earth makes pantyhose painful???
Who are these people who don’t wear tights? I had to stop wearing them a few weeks ago because it got too humid and it’s like half my wardrobe is missing. Even when I go on hols, half my packing is tights. You can go from quirky and cute to sexy in the same lbd but you need a change of hosiery!
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I have experienced ‘killer’ pantyhose. They dig in horribly at my waist all day, so I don’t wear them too often. Admittedly if I wore them more often I might spend more time trying to find a pair that didn’t dig in.
My new winter solution if I want to wear a skirt is footless tights and boots. Much warmer than pantyhose anyway.
I’m a big hosiery fan, with my three dressing table drawers full of the silky wonders, and I agree that they seem to be in decline in modern usage. As you point out, it’s quite odd to consider pantyhose painful and then trip around in four inch stilettos….I suspect it’s part of the great Decline of Glamour. Or laziness. A great pity.
Ladies who dislike pantyhose should try stockings and suspenders: more comfortable (assuming the garter belt is the right size), healthier and infinitely more glamourous and attractive. Also, I’ve heard that they’re quite popular amongst the menfolk too. Bonus!
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I wear them everyday! ALL my friends either hate them or have never wore them before and I really have no idea why. I usually only wear dresses and if Im not wearing pantyhose I feel naked too!
I too am Canadian and where I live, no-one would ever wear a skirt to work without pantyhose or stockings (I am 25, so it’s not just an older person thing here), that would be totally inappropriate. It’s also very cold here for most of the year (Oct – end of April), so I can’t imagine not wearing them, they really do help keep the legs warm.
I doubt I’ve worn pantyhose more than 3 times in my life. I’m on the East Coast of the US and only old ladies wear them here. I do wear tights in the winter out of necessity, however. I find pantyhose to be itchy and they dig in at my waist and bother me all day long. Because I sit at a desk all day at work, I can wear very high heels and not be bothered, but bending at the waist in pantyhose is killer! I have tried thigh-high stockings a few times and found them to be just as bothersome.
I am a stocking fan- they just make skirts and dresses fall so nicely. Also, bare legs are SUCH a no-no for work! (There’s a reason it’s company policy people!)
I’m here via KMD, and as you can gather from the name, I hail from the UK. I completely agree with Perdita’s first sentence, that is how it is: bare legs are the exception. I know that recruiters and temp agencies advise candidates never to go barelegged; it would be seen as totally unprofessional.
I did once get very strange looks in Brisbane when I wore black opaques with knee-length shorts for a “winter” day (Brisbane’s winter is merely nominal), but I suspect that was more the fashion police than tights per se. I have no defence to offer either: I was young, it was the early 90s, I had a perm, for goodness’ sake!
I would like to add into the mix that for a… voluptuous woman, shall we say, tights are a godsend, _especially_ on hot sticky days! I’d rather wear a very thin dress and tights (aka pantyhose, not talking about support/compression ones) than shred my inner thighs. By the same token, stockings are not as good for me: if I can get ones that fit well, they are still below the critical area.
I say get tights that fit (no digging in at the waist, no granny wrinkles at the ankle) and you barely know they’re there! And pay no attention whatsoever to Shine, or indeed the Daily Fail as quoted in Shine.
R.xx
I just recently took a part time job and was shocked to find that stockings were not required and you could wear sleeveless tops and open toe sandals !!! I wore seamed stockings and had all of management come for a peek. I was told that in the east coast locations stockings were required at all time but since we’re west coast it’s more relaxed. I have to say the Vegas heat and stocking don’t mix well but still it does look more polished in a work environment to wear them.
I love wearing all the “legwear” that is out there. But I have to admit, that wearing stockings or a pantyhose in summer is very much declining here in Germany. Perhaps it’s that skirts just made a comeback in recent years and the newcomers aren’t used to all the options and standards that come with it. I mean there are so many advantages of thin stockings in a hot climate (they reduce chafing, sticking and blisters to zero).
i saw that same blurb here in USA and my mom and i collectively marveled….we have always worn hose or tights for dressing up or professional attire! at the moment, it’s 95F here and storming, so the thought is not as appealing. but casual sundresses and sandals are not work-wear. i have never thought pantyhose were uncomfortable, but know full figured gals who find them a bit confining. i love them in the cooler months, b/c w/stockings i still get a bit of wind up my dress on bare skin! eek.
in any case, whether they were “out” or not, i will be most happy to have them “in” if it means more women will finish their look with a pair!!!
Here in the US I hardly ever see anyone wearing pantyhose. Tights are also pretty rare. Personally, I love tights but I don’t care for pantyhose. I’d rather have colorful tights or nothing at all. I do love trouser and knee socks tho.
I’m sure offices still require pantyhose in some places, but I don’t know how much. Most women just wear pants.
Are we including tights here? Because I wear tights pretty much every day and so do my friends. Perhaps it’s a UK thing. I can’t say I wear stockings and suspenders often because it’s a hassle (and my skirts are too short sometimes)
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I may be wrong here, but aren’t pantyhose and tights the same thing? Term “tights” is jsut maybe more often used in UK and “pantyhose” somewhere else : D
In the US, “pantyhose” refers to the thin, usually nude-colored stockings. “Tights” are thick and opaque and come in many colors.
Wearing nylons/pantihose is very out of fashion in Boston. Infact people would probably laugh if I were to wear them. I certainly find them painful. They squish my tummy and bits.(I have also read how they are one of the leading causes for a certain womanly problem) They scrape on my feet and I always end up with painful blisters. I have tried dozens of brands and never found a pair that wasn’t painful. I wear tights in the winter but only for warmth. I find them terribly uncomfortable. I know someone who does wear them daily and people refer to how weird she is daily. It just isn’t something that is done anymore in this part of the states at all. Even in corporate settings where I used to work. Tights are another story though.
By stockings do you mean ones that only go to your thigh?
I wear tights or stockings mostly in winter… I usually prefer to wear thigh highs with a garter belt… I can’t wear stayups, because for the right size, they are too tight, and tend to roll down :/ I don’t see a lot of people in Brisbane wearing pantyhose -probably because it is usually so hot, but I never feel out of place by wearing them.
Also- wearing sheer stockings makes your legs look awesome in photos, and there are so many styles and textures now, it is fun to change them up with your outfit. My Mum has a Great Aunty- and she has NEVER seen her legs- she always wears stockings no matter what the weather.
I love my vintage and fishnet stockings and suspenders but dare I say it, I love having bare legs more! And no fake tan for me! If people are commenting on the state of my natural legs then so be it, I myself am not one to be so petty.
In Auckland (where I grew up) as in Melbourne, stockings, leggings and tights are a must in Winter, here in Sydney the humidity can be quite uncomfortable when wearing synthetics, so I much rather do without.
As usual you’ve hit the nail on the head for me! I don’t do pantihose, but I always wear stockings and suspenders (or the lace-topped stayups when I’m feeling “casual”) I went out one night wearing vintage hawaiian with no stockings and felt naked all night!!! It was very weird sensation!
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Now, I may have only been born in the late 80′s but when living in New Zealand I wore black pantyhose with my school uniform to keep warm and because they didn’t fall down like socks did.
As I got older and more fashion conscious I started wearing nude stockings and even in Townsville where I now live I will still wear my 7 denier stockings. I was never aware of them being out of fashion but maybe (thankfully) Australia never had that trend.
Seamed nylons only for me thanks
Okay so the very strict adherence to seams only came into place this winter, but wearing some form of hose over winter seems like a no-brainer. How else can you stay in dresses & skirts during winter without freezing your toosh off?
I don’t understand how they can be uncomfortable? I am more conscious of my movements though because I don’t want a tear in my nylons – but that can only be a good thing. And it’s instant tan without the smell haha!
That said, I don’t really wear stockings in summer in the heat as it’s just a bit much on some days here in Melbourne. I dont really care for tanning either so my legs can stay white. Haha
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Ugh. I hate, hate, hate pantihose. I can tolerate stockings, but only to finish off a vintage outfit (and I have one nice, silky vintage pair that I most prefer to wear). I do wear opaque tights all winter, and for spring and autumn also (since I work in an air conditioned office). Summer is bare, untanned legs, thanks.
Opaque tights are comfortable. Sheers are not. They don’t move with the rest of your leg the way opaques do, and they’re ITCHY. and they dig in, and you get all weird and sweaty. And I hate the feel of wearing shoes with nothing but sheers between the shoe and you. Gross. Most importantly, they’re itchy. Yes. Every brand I’ve tried.
I think a lack of tights has become so the norm, even with businesswear, at least in some States, that you might as well criticise women for not finishing their work attire with a hat and gloves.
Yes, I was just amazed to read that many people consider bare legs at work to be inappropriate! I live in California, and fashionable women wear: (1) pants; (2) tights; or (3) nothing on their legs. Nylon pantyhose are reserved for the MOST conservative of occasions, and absolutely NEVER required. I’m a lawyer and I’ve appeared in (gasp) court in a suit with no hose! I do wear them sometimes, especially when it’s cooler, but then I’m more likely to go with tights.
Of course, what is “appropriate” is locally defined and determined. But I had no idea hose were still considered the appropriate choice in so many locales! Here, the hat and gloves analogy is spot-on. It just isn’t done much anymore.
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Honestly I’ve never had any issue with tights/pantyhose, other than the fact that they are not sexy! I live in Queensland and never wear them in summer (mind you, I don’t have an office job or any reason of propriety to wear them!) but do wear them the most of winter. Also, spray tanning is really gross…not just because it looks like one painted their legs with chicken stock, but because of the mess it makes on towels and sheets.
I personally love the black sheer type of pantyhose because I think it makes legs look very sexy. They are not my first preference, my first preference being seamed stay ups, but these generally do not stay up without a proper garter-belt and I can’t afford one of the What Katie Did Next garter belts on my budget, sadly. So I generally do have to rely on pantyhose due to lack of finances to buy a garter belt that will actually keep my stay ups, up.
I really don’t understand why pantyhose is being spoken of as some sort of torture device…I think the only reason it could possibly found uncomfortable is if one buys the wrong size, in which case it probably would become itchy and painful. I mean sure, it is as unsexy and a mood killer as much (if not more) than granny panties, but it is so worth wearing to stay warm and not have to adjust stay ups constantly.
News to me!
I really do hate pantyhose, personally – they never seem to stay up on me! Obviously I’m doing something wrong ;] (or just buying the wrong brand – I know I’m not buying the wrong size). I do love wearing stockings, though. Since buying decent suspenders that actually hold my stockings up (as opposed to falling down with them ;]), it’s actually kind of enjoyable. I especially love the feel of fully-fashioned nylons. Though, there ARE some days I don’t want to bother with it and I’ll wear trousers instead.
To my eye, some of my dresses and shoes just don’t suit bare legs (except for in hot weather where I fully embrace bare legs) but that’s just how I like to wear them! I guess it’s all down to personal choice, though I feel cold just looking at someone with bare legs in winter! (Perhaps they don’t feel the cold as much? Just can’t find pantyhose/tights/stockings to suit their comfort or tastes? Who knows).
-Andi x
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This has been an amazing read. It’s great to hear from so many people of the world talk about the simple stockings\pantyhose.
I love the world of fashion- I admire it’s glory & trends but to me trends do not determine if you are fashionable or not. Individuality does. Your own style is your fashion!
I live in melbourne where we have at least 10 seasons in one day. As a girl who only wears skirts or dresses (I have not worn pants in 2-3 years) it is impossible to go bare in winter. Stockings is what I look forward to when you say winter. Stockings can finish a piece or give it more colour. Even in springs when it’s still chilly, stockings give you that extra skin. Stockings comes in more shapes/colours/styles while tights are not made in much.
Regardless I never knew that stockings etc are out of fashion. I wear them everyday in winter- does that make me very Un-fashionable?
I have been wearing stockings and suspenders since the age of 15 and I don’t ever see that changing. Personally I feel better when I wear them and wish more ladies would embrace them
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I couldn’t agree more that a suit without hosiery is just plain WRONG! I’m all for bare legs with skirts and open toe shoes but if you are all polished in a suit then you need something on your legs – well in my humble opinion you do.
And come winter in particular there are such fantastic options. I have gorgeous crocheted maroon tights, seamed fishnets, textured stockings, lace stockings etc, etc. My drawer is overflowing and there is no room for socks which have been relegated to the odds and ends bottom drawer.
But my biggest pet peeve is that people can’t pronounce hosiery! We aren’t wearing hoses on our legs people! And end rant now.
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The pantyhose went out the window with shows like Sex and the City promoting skimpy clad women wearing 4 inch glittering stilettos in the dead of winter. Though I liked that show I was furious to see this preposterous trend set in.
I personally enjoy wearing colourful tights and wear sheer pantyhose on formal occasions only. They do sometimes itch or begin to slide down but I wouldn’t compare them to medieval torture devices. I found that nylon tights itch more so I replaced them with microfiber tights as for the sliding and the worm effect, there are numerous companies that produce tights with a soft and wider belt that doesn’t dig in the waist line so much and stays put.
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As someone who has worn stockings (and/or pantihose) for msot of my working life I can relate to the “killer stockings” problem.
As a flight attendant stockings are one of the few grooming regulations that remain from the 1940′s and 1950′s era of uniforms. Nothing is more unsuited to our job description than encasing your legs in hot, sticky and annoying nylon- not to mention that they melt to the legs and cause terrible injuries during a plane accident, as attested by several ex-cabin crew who survived them.
However, I do agree that they add to an overall polished look. I don’t know of any airline that allowed the crew to wear no ‘legwear’ at all. Every company I’ve worked for, the minimum has been ‘knee hi’s’ with trousers. I sometimes wore hold ups/stay ups in summer purely because I’d also be wearing a wool uniform and it helped to keep me cool. However, some incidents of “windy tarmac” decided me to stick to more modest pantihose in the even I had another “marilyn moment” :p
Having the right size and fit certainly makes a difference- I can recall buying pantihose in a rush when I ran out- and suffering for hours as the toes pulled on my feet and crunched them in the ends of my work shoes for 12 hours. Ouch!!!
I like the effect they give with my uniform but they are really not that comfortable or safe for my job.
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I wear stockings whenever I can
They’ve never been out of fashion as far as I can tell. Nylons are lovely but for everyday wear I choose something that has lycra in – not because I think they look better, you understand, but because I’m a devil for snagging them and nylons are not cheap! And I much prefer seams over no seams.
Like another poster on here, I don’t wear trousers at all, and haven’t done for a good while (not since a skinny jeans experiment – disaster!) so I have boxes, bags and drawers dedicated to stockings, tights and interesting socks
I think the problem is that people don’t buy theright size or the right quality. I love a good pair of bamboo hose. The trick is to buy the tall version. I find with my long torso that the crotch of them droops and it becomes uncomfortable to wear. But if you ge the tall version, go up higher and stay higher and more comfortable. Always buy the bigger, longer size. They’re going to fit you anyway, but you’ll definitely be more comfy!
I have to say as podiatrist I’m sad to see most women these days don’t wear stockings or hold ups- they’ll pay for it later!
Wearing court shoes without stockings leaves you more susceptible to toe deformities: corns etc forming on your toes from rubbing up against the hard leather. Same with wearing hard leather or plastic ballet flats without stockings- if your going to wear shoes without stockings make sure they a nice soft inside layer (like most Kumphs/ziera I saw SKM wearing).
I already have young women coming to see me cause of these problems. I’m very glad stockings are ‘coming back’, they have many benefits.
I’m also a UK lady and I HATE tights. I find they dig in terribly at my waist. I wear thick opaque tights in winter, but not in Summer!
I do find wearing a girdle or belt and stockings comfortable though, and whether I wear them day to day depends on what I’m wearing and what shoes I’m wearing. Lots of shoes are very uncomfortable without stockings.
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Hmm i didn’t get the impression they ever went out of style in europe. Buildings are generally less airconditioned though, so people generally don’t wear them when it gets warm unless it’s a work requirement.
I personally wear cotton pantyhose with a skirt in winter, and sometimes the thinner kind, but i am yet to find a brand that actually fits me. Which means i resort to the “superman” aka knickers on top. I try to avoid them when i can. They just never stay where they’re supposed to be. Girdles always show through, and stayups give my legs muffin top, so that’s not an option either. Not to mention that i’d rather go barefoot than wearing open toe shoes with visible socks/stockings, no matter how fashionable it is at the moment.
My gyn once told me that nylon tights shouldn’t be worn at all because they can trigger all sorts of nasty stuff like fungi?? Anyone have experience with that??
I live in the US, and in addition to nylons not being viewed as “sexy” as others have mentioned above, there is what Clinton Kelly of ‘What Not to Wear’ calls “The Pajamafication of America.” People (of both genders) are so unwilling to dress neatly because it’s not as comfortable as a t-shirt and sweatpants.
Thank you for saying something about this! I have been wondering if I was the only female in the world that still felt this way about stockings. If I do not have appropriate leg wear for my dresses at the office, I simply refuse to wear a dress. Everyone else thinks I am a nut for feeling this way. But I think its perfectly rational.
~Ashley K
haha I live in San Francisco California, and anyone who is not familiar-let me tell you that it is NOT Los Angeles! It is chilly,foggy, windy and damp-in summertime. Winter it is soaked. We have maybe 50 “hot” days here, and virtually no humidity. Also, it could be 58 deg (Farenheit) at 10am, 68 at 3pm and 54 at 6. And 20 degs hotter 15 miles away. So yeah, nylons, tights, pantyhose are a must in my book. Who likes goosepimply legs?? And frankly, I just love them. They make a whole outfit look more pulled together. Who doesn’t love printed hose with a t-strap heel? Gorgeous. My favorite time of year is Autumn, when all the decorative hosiery comes out!
I think the women writing ‘Shine’ must have the same hideous memories of tights (pantyhose) as I do, because in the UK up until fairly recently the choice of hosiery was very poor – mainly one-size-fits-all (except, of course, it didn’t), and either bamboo, orange tan or sheer black.
When I was in high school 10-15 years ago (Jesus, that sounds like a long time – feels much more recent, it must be the horror still fresh in my mind) it was de rigeur for girls to wear sheer nude tights with regulation-flouting super short skirts, white ribbed over-knee socks (on top of the tights) which were pushed down to form a tower of precise ridges at the ankle, and boys’ ‘Kickers’ moccasin shoes. Goodness knows how the school figured that it complied with the uniform policy. I of course hated this and was the only girl who wore trousers the whole time, incidentally I now almost never wear them.
I remember those hideous one-size contraptions slicing me in half at the waist, strangling the pubescent podge of my thighs, and falling down at the knees almost constantly. Thankfully, hosiery has become more and more of a fashion statement in the last decade or so and with that change has come much better sizing, quality and choice.
Nowadays my standard legwear is black cotton opaque tights for everyday wear in Winter, retro seamed stockings or nude fishnets with a girdle for the more temperate months, vintage fully fashioned stockings on nights out or special occasions. In Summer though if I’m wearing flat shoes and a casual pencil or circle skirt I do go barelegged, as I’m very fair and susceptible to getting heatstroke at the drop of a hat, plus my tattooed legs and feet look a bit odd in stockings when it’s blazing sunshine.
I think I am the same age as you… I had (pink- they might have looked like boys but they were girls) kickers, FILAS and so forth.
Where were you based? Growing up in London we always seemed to have sized tights and a range of colours, even in the late 80s-early 90s. I guess I took that for granted a bit!
I can speak for the NYC area that *nylon* pantyhose are not worn, and if you do see someone wear them it’s a “no-no.” However, in the winter, you’ll see tons of ladies in stockings except they are more modern, thick, matte ones. What Kate Middleton “brought back” is the older style of nude pantyhose that you can find in your local drugstore (at least here in the US).
I did not prefer wearing pantyhose before this. But after I email you to sought for styling S.O.S which you suggested me to wear floral pantyhose with my tutu skirt, I felt secure.
More over, the weather in Malaysia is humid enough to wear pantyhose.
So I started to love pantyhose when I tried it for my styling. I would wear it when I wear a shorter dress or skirt.
Pantyhose makes me look more chic and without the ‘ugly scene’ of exposing too much when my outfit is short.
Thank you so much for the email.
I live in a city where the temperature can often exceed 40 degrees Celsius so wearing stockings could even be considered a health hazard. While stockings can make legs look nicer, I am glad that most offices don’t mandate them as women should have a choice. I do like them though and wear them when weather permits. I particularly like Cuban heel stockings with a backseam.
I would love to wear stocking/pantyhose/tights or whatever you choose to call them if I could find some that frickin fit!
As a plus sized 175cm gal, it’s very difficult to find ones that don’t cut you in half a the waist or only go up to your knees…. can anyone recommend brands or websites for me?
I know here in the US, I’ve always hated wearing pantyhose/tights. I wore them a lot in middle school (circa 2002 or so) because of my dresscode but by the time I got to high school, I only wore them when it dropped below 0 degrees F, just for an added layer of warmth. I’ve always considered them torturous, especially since I inevitably cause a run in them with my claw-like nails.
Stockings are coming back though, especially here in New England specifically, but in woven patterns and solid colors (brown, magenta, green, you name it). It’s mostly the hipsters’ and American Apparel’s doing but it makes sense to wear them during a Vermont winter.
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I have to wear stockings every day as a requirement with my job. I don’t mind in the slightest not only because I love the look but because it makes wearing my high heels much more comfortable plus it keeps me warm on these cold winter days.
I do pause to wonder how much I’m going to hate it when summer hits here in queensland and we’ll all be sweating out of every pore.
One thing I do detest about stockings is that I’m constantly having the replace them after getting holes and runs in them. They are not a cheap to maintain that’s for sure.
The fully fashioned ones I bought (made on vintage machinery) only come out for photo shoots. After how expensive those babies cost I will cry when they get a ladder.