On Saturday I had the privilege of spending some time with Celebrity Stylist Gok Wan on his Australian Westfield Tour. Here to launch the new Westfield body shape calculator, and encourage women to explore their personalities through style; Gok took a moment out to chat with me about some of my pressing style questions.

My obvious love of lingerie comes through in this interview, and I was particularly interested to chat with Gok about that topic as he has his own line of shape wear that does larger sizes beautifully. Check it out at Simply Gok Wan.

There were a few other things we chatted about off camera, like our favourite vintage reproduction labels, (he loves Diva and Vivien of Holloway) and even what pomade he uses in his hair, (I recommended Atomic Life). There was so much we could have stayed and talked about, but it was a refreshing moment to chat to a fashion industry insider who is just as passionate as I am about the beauty on the inside being given every opportunity to shine without. Amazing work Gok, keep giving women what we need!

Wow! It seems that after the last post on Pantyhose, I’ve discovered that I am not a freak after all… the rest of you have just been hiding from the fashion press. Either that or these ‘researchers’ have never asked around outside of their local milkbar.  After the overwhelming response from you all, and I must say a big THANK YOU for all your input, I’ve learnt so much more about the wearing of hoisiery around the world. I can say it is clear that the trend for gossamer leg wear is certainly dependant on your city of origin and your penchant for vintage. But it also became obvious that there is a serious lack of education and information out there about those funny things we put on our legs. So here it is -

Candice DeVille’s Guide to Hosiery.

The what’s what and how to find the right ones for you.

With all the different names out there for thing you put on your legs, it’s a common mistake to think that all these terms are interchangeable. In fact, they all represent something different. The only all encompassing term is ‘Hosiery’; which includes stockings, pantyhose, tights and yes, even socks. So let’s take a look at what’s what in a nutshell then we can get down to the nitty gritty of each style.

Pantyhose –

Pantyhose did not exist before 1959, when they were invented by Glen Mills. They were designed to combined both ‘panties’ (underpants) and ‘stockings’.  But just because they were invented, didn’t mean everyone was quick on the uptake. It wasn’t until the mid 1960′s that seamless pantyhose came around. Complete with ‘control tops’ or the heavier, stretch panty section, that they eliminated the need for girdles making them very popular with the younger market. Coinciding with the rise in popularity of the mini-skirt, Pantyhose took over as the hosiery of choice for most women until this day.

Made of a combination of nylon and spandex; referring to Pantyhose as “nylons” is a misnomer, the term being reserved for stockings that are made only of woven nylon.  The spandex in Pantyhose is what gives them their incredible stretch, allowing them to form fit to the leg and stop the bagging that so often occurs with fully fashioned nylons.

To give you a simple and clear definition of the difference between pantyhose and tights; pantyhose mostly have a denier up to 15, whilst tights have a higher denier.  To discover the technicalities of what “Denier” is, have a look at this definition. ( You may not care, in which case just read the number on the pack) But basically, it is the thickness of each thread used. And just as a matter of interest, the average human hair is 50 denier weight!

But you’ve asked, “why do my pantyhose fall down or sag at my ankles?”, “Why do they cut in at the waist?” And the answer to this is all in the sizing.  After reading so many of the responses to my investigation, I’ve discovered that available qualities and sizes of pantyhose differ between countries. Some of you even told me that until recently in the UK, Pantyhose only came in a One Size Fits All! So fret no more, here is how you get the right fit for your pantyhose.

Every pack of pantyhose should have a size guide on the reverse. They look something like this.

Depending on the brand and the country of origin, sizing could be letters, numbers or even names. Just like fashion labels, sizing has no real consistency, so you should ALWAYS check yourself against the information provided.

Basically, sizing goes by weight and height. You need to read the charts the same way you do with map references. Finding your correct weight and height, then finding the point where those rows intersect and what size that indicates.  Being a ‘tall’ in one brand, doesn’t necessarily mean you are considered a tall person.  For me, I wear ‘talls’ in most brands, but I am only 5 foot 4 inches in height. So don’t guess – measure.

Keep in mind that the sizing in pantyhose hasn’t really kept up with fashion, so someone who may be a tall or x-tall could still easily be an Australian sized 8-10. (Us 4-6) Confused yet?  What this means is that there is a whole new market for ‘plus-sized’ pantyhose, which most of the well known brands are now catering for.

In Australia, brands that carry plus sized  and maternity pantyhose include Ambra, Kolotex and Platinum amongst others. In fact, the big department stores now have entire sections devoted to plus sized pantyhose.  If you’re searching online though, the trick is all about having the right keywords in your searches.  Depending on your size there are three main terms used; Plus Sized, Queen Sized and Oversized.

It is clear to me by the sheer volume and range of pantyhose available on Australia shelves, that they certainly haven’t gone out of style here. In fact, the rise of stockings on our shelves tends to indicate that our interest is both growing and divergent.

History lessons aside, Pantyhose have never had the glamour or the sex appeal of a simple pair of stockings, so stay tuned next week for Part Two of this educational exploration, when we tackle ‘Stockings’.

*Depending on how conservative your work place is, this post may be considered NSFW*

Having a really good secret is a sure fire way to put a smile on your face. And you know what they say about people who are always smiling don’t you.. So what’s my secret? My super swanky, super sexy suspenders.

When I first started wearing vintage, I was far too young to even consider this sort of thing, and no one I knew wore stockings. The day came that I was to graduate from those nasty ribbed navy school tights and I didn’t know what my options were. I drew up my courage and made my first foray into a lingerie shop, cheeks blushing and full of teenage bravado. I remember the sales assistant giving my this black lacy ensemble of bra, garter belt and teeny tiny knickers, while I smiled in what I thought was a very mature fashion and proceeded to the changing room. After about a good ten minutes she came back to enquire on my progress, with me fobbing her off with an “oh I wear these all the time” as the garter strap flicked up and hit me in my breathless face for the fifth time. I thought there was some big secret I hadn’t been let in on about how to wear these contraptions, and it was all so illicit that no one could tell me as I didn’t dare ask. But it wasn’t what I thought.

Now, with the benefit of years and hindsight, I realize that the myths surrounding garter belts come from two places. Our grandmothers who hated them and the advertising agencies and movie moguls who’ve conned us into their fantasies. I can only speak for myself, but my ‘suspending’ experiences have been far from torturous…. except for this one.

Lesson 1.
There are suspender belts for life and suspender belts for posing in only. Do not confuse the two.

The very first time I wore my ‘fancy’ new suspender belt from the mall, I experienced a number of unwanted sensations. That strung Christmas ham feeling as the thin, cheap lace of the waist band cut me two. That scratchy sensation from rough, badly trimmed edges; and worst of all, that horrible feeling when you feel a ‘snap’ and notice your stockings are now pooled around your ankles in a very unglamorous fashion.

Luckily, my love of vintage pushed me in the right direction. But rather than getting studious and doing my research, I took my young self out to the local op shop where I discovered my very first 1960’s girdle and suspenders. It wasn’t pretty, but I didn’t really care; after all this was a ‘scientific’ experiment! Here is what I learnt.

A girdle under a pencil skirt is better than any ‘suck you in’ bikini brief on the market.
A girdle (when the correct size) feels like a hug, all day long.
Those industrial strength metal suspender clips are the ONLY way to wear stockings!

Of course, filling my wardrobe with these beige, rubberized numbers was a very unattractive option; so over the years I searched high and low to find pretty vintage pieces with the same functionality.

A friend here in Melbourne with a well known Vintage emporium, heard me rummaging about in the pile of lingerie in her shop one day, bemoaning the lack of available and well fitting vintage styled lingerie. And it was that day she introduced me to Kiss Me Deadly. To make this long story short, once I had my hands on some Kiss Me Deadly suspender sets, I’ve never looked back.  These take me from my everyday, to my dance floor attire, to my super fancy occasions.  I’ve never lost a stocking, had seam creep or had any unfortunate dance floor incidents.  In fact the only dance floor incident I can relate, is being stopped by a group of ladies as I finished a particularly acrobatic number and being asked all about where I bought my fabulous underwear!

Of all the Kiss Me Deadly pieces, the Vargas dress and strapless Vargas dress get the most day to day wear in my ensembles. They are just so darned comfortable and secure, and I know that should I end up in an ambulance with very handsome paramedics, I won’t have a single worry about the state of my underwear.

As you may know, I’ve been honoured to have Kiss Me Deadly as a lovely sponsor of this blog for a while now and I shot this set of images for them last year.  But of course, never resting on their laurels they are always out to improve and create new pieces of fabulous frippery… which I had the pleasure of shooting just the other week!

And here they are, shot by pinup photographer extrordinare Helen McLean- the marvellous, pretty and practical pieces from Kiss Me Deadly!

(If you’re wondering why these are so strongly watermarked it is because these pics tend to get pinched and spread around all over the place without credits. So if you do want to use them, please just email for permission first.)

Because I’m so passionate about what goes on under your clothes to make them look even better on the outside, I’m always on the look out for the best and brightest in the underwear department. Not everything that is marketed as fabulous is really all it’s cracked up to be, and quite often it is the smaller, boutique players that really come up with the goods.  So I’m literally ‘putting my butt’ on the line in the aid of research at the moment, and have written a whole series of posts about ‘unmentionables’ for you. The good, the bad, the pinchy, the perfect. So if you have any particular questions, problems or are just curious as to what all the fuss is about; please do leave me a comment and I’ll do my very best to help you solve your dilemma.

For the last few months, things have been a tad quite here on these pages.  And that isn’t just because I’ve been travelling or gadding about, (which I have, but then this was on top of all that); it is because I’ve been working on a super secret new venture.  There is a bit of a backstory to this too.

You all know I love my vintage, I adore the fashion, the architecture, the designs and the music of times gone by.  My influences are many and varied, and I’m not a vintage purist by any means.  I like to take different inspirations quite often and mix them up to create my own brand of fun. But when it comes to pinup art and advertising, I always tend to prefer the truly classic, the romantic and the thoroughly glamorous.  It is the emotion is evokes. The tease, the tantalisation, the cheeky looks and the playfulness of it. So much modern vintage inspired pinup is stunningly beautiful, edgy and wonderful, but there are few that capture the spirit of what authentic vintage pinup art is all about. And that is where this idea was born.

Combining the talents our four very vintage and very talented ladies to create a timeless, high end, classic vintage pinup experience and share it with the world! Together with renowned pinup photographer Helen McLean, August 2011 Penthouse pinup and vintage boutique owner Bonnie Rose and Australia’s tassel twirling burlesque darling, Foxtrot India; we’ve put our money where our mouth is and bring to you the very best in classic vintage pinup art – Some Fancy Ladies™

To launch this auspicious event, Some Fancy Ladies ™ have just opened their website and are giving you the very first chance to pre-order your very fancy wall candy – the Sugar ‘n Spice & all things Nice 2012 Calendar! ( Yes, that means Your’s Truly is a fully fledged Calendar Girl!)

Come on over and visit the Some Fancy Ladies™website where you’ll see a sneak peek of my January image!

We are currently making these places a little bit fancier and you can follow us for all sorts of exciting updates.

I can hardly contain my excitement that we are finally able to reveal this project, and the 2012 calendar is just the tip of the iceberg! Make sure to get your pre-Christmas orders in now for delivery in late October, and yes we do ship internationally too. This is one for the boys, the girls, the girlfriends and yes, even the grandfather’s. Look out world; you’re about to get a whole lot fancier!

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?