Friday, May 21, 2010

Let's Talk Tights People: A guest post.

Hi! Daughter #1 here and I've been asked to do a guest post on one of my fashion passions: tights & various hosiery!

First things first, let's get our hosiery nomenclature straight:

Pantyhose: Sheer or semi-opaque, thin, close-fitting hose that cover the waist to the toe.  Leg covering to be worn under a dress or skirt.
Tights: opaque, heavier knit than pantyhose, close-fitting hose that cover the waist to the toe.  Leg covering to be worn under a dress or skirt, usually in cooler seasons & climates.
Leggings: THESE ARE NOT PANTS!  They should must be opaque &amply thick enough not so show every dimple of cellulite one might have.  Leg covering to be worn under a dress or long tunic.  Not to be worn under/with other tight-fitting clothing unless you are wearing your costume from Cirque Du Soleil or are practicing ballet at the studio.

Now that that's out of the way...

I love tights & pantyhose, I 'heart' them.  I always buy a pair when I'm traveling, and have even been given hose from other people's travels.  I also love trying designer hose.  I often never can afford designer clothing, so the hose lets me engage my innerfashionista in an affordable way.
My current designer favs are my Vera Wang nude fishnets:

me last night, putting my netted feet up after work

And my purple Betsy Johnson fishnets.  I wore them to work today. Here's an action shot:



it's hard to tell, but they are just a bit darker than my blouse.


Honourable mention goes to my first pair of fishnets:  DKNY. They were classic black and sadly no longer with us.  But I will tell you dear friends, that designer hose, in my experience, do stand the test of time better than drugstore finds.

As I'm reminiscing about my black fishnets, I am going to take a minute and pay a little tribute to other tights and pantyhose that served me well and then met their (always) untimely end.  I had light purple semi-opaque tights with darker purple tiny bows...I always wore them with a muti-hued purple sweater dress. *sigh*
I had sheer black hose with a seam down the back for my role in our high school musical "Guys & Dolls".  I loved those and kept them when the show was done.  When they ripped I spent a long time summoning all my courage to go to an Adult novelty store to buy another pair.  It was the only place I could source some, apparently some find the seam down the back kinky, I just appreciate all things retro.  Anyway, with head high, shoulders back, and determination I walked through the front door and to the delight of my little Baptist eyes all the hosiery was right inside and I did not have to search. Lastly, I had a pair of crochet knee-highs.  I found them at a vintage shop and could not leave without them.  They were an off-white colour and I don't think I ever wore them anywhere.  My skirts were always above the knee & I do not endorse showing the tops of knee-highs...no matter what they are doing in fashion magazines.


Tights I long for:



Back to the present.  Here is my collection now:


I had to move them out of my sock drawer, they just wouldn't all fit.

Best Bargains:

On my most recent US excursion I found these for $1 each!!


I got these at Anthropologie for $5.  I love polka dots so this find warmed my heart.  They make me look a tad jaundiced though, so I bought a sweaterdress that same mustard yellow colour to wear with, thinking it would make them work...but alas the dress is too short to wear with sheer pantyhose and I accept that fact. So, I am awaiting my yellow opaque tights I just ordered from ebay to layer under the polka dots...to make the dress work.  We shall see.  My husband is doubtful...and is not a supporter of polka dots in the first place.

And now, leggings.  I have mixed feelings about this article of clothing and continue to think of them as part of the hosiery clan.  Please feel free to use the above definitions, I wish more people would.  Leggings have tempted me to start another blog devoted just to candid shots of crimes against fashion.  Would you support me in this by emailing your found evidence? I think we might have to shame people back to decency...but that's a whole other post...
So, leggings.  I have a pair.  They are faux leather.  Go big or go home, right?


I think they are deadset fabulous but feel a little bit of shame in the bottom of my heart for loving them so much. 
They are full length, right to the ankle bone.  I wear them with belted black shirt dresses and simple heels. I even wear them to work at the Chanel counter! Sorry I don't have an action shot...it's after 11pm and I do not feel like modeling, forgive me.

Thank you all for your interest, or at least humouring mine! 'Twas fun and perhaps mum will let me do it again some time.

Much Love,
Daughter #1  
Thank you #1 for that inspiring and informative post.  I'm sure we all learned something today.  I have learned not to acknowledge my daughter's presence if she is wearing above shiny faux leather legging things out in public with me!

8 comments:

Jo Raines said...

Wonderful, informative and entertaining post, Daughter #1! And what a fab collection of pantyhose, tights, leggings, etc. I currently have one pair of pantyhose without runs or tears that I wore to church every Sunday until it finally got warm enough to warrant showing my brilliant white legs underneath my dresses and skirts. I hate them! But if I were young and pretty like you and your sister, I would collect them too! I am going to send this post to my 20 year old daughter, Maggie! She will love it.

Oh, and on the Adult store, a little tiny 90 year old woman from our church just died and her directions for her service were for everyone to laugh and have a good time as she was a bit bawdy and always irreverent. One of the ministers told the story of her being taken to the doctor by another lady in our church and then out to eat. Afterward, she told the lady, "I have one more stop. It's Priscilla's." (An adult clothing and 'novelty' shop). Sue asked her why she would want to go there and she said, "Because I don't have a butt and they sell fake butts in there!" And they claim she was buried wearing her fake butt!

Jody

Laura said...

@ Jody: Thanks for the lovely feedback! Love the story of the little lady at your church! Maybe I should be buried in seamed pantyhose, lol. Too funny!

Creamy White said...

Oh Deb, cute tights!!!! I have de poka dot one (like you, I mean your daughter?, got for a bargain!).
We do need some here for sure, specially like right now! We still can't plant anything...
but soon, right?
Enjoy your warm weekend filled with sunshine inside and out!
Li :-)

Taylor said...

LEGGINGS ARE NOT PANTS! ha! funny! :)
-Lumberjack's Wife

Anonymous said...

Love your post and adore your tights. Black, leather leggings, huh? I'd definitely need lipo-suction before I could muster the courage necessary to wear leggings, but I have tree trunks for legs (not a common problem).

You cracked me up with the statement, "to the delight of my little Baptist eyes..."

Oh, boy. I'm still cracking up. Thank you!
-FringeGirl

Anonymous said...

Wow! I sure feel smarter. Thank you for that fashion lesson. I have to say that I am a big fan of dark tights in the winter, under skirts or dresses. That being said, I have lived in FL for 18 years and I do not own a single example of hosiery that is longer than an anklet.

If I had to wear panty hose today I'd have to go to the cvs and buy a pair. You know ... if I couldn't wear pants, specifically jeans or capris, which are my fashion of choice in ALL situations.

But I loved reading your post and enjoyed the pictures very much ... YOU GO GIRL!!

aimee said...

i agree leggins are NOT pants! i am seeing this more and more when im out shopping! who told them they looked good? i think they might need to find real friends.friends dont let friends wear leggings as pants. love the post.
blessings,
aimee

Jacci said...

LOL - okay - I totally skimmed the first part of this post and was very intrigued by your interest in tights, Deb, until I got to the leggings and then all I could do was scroll back up to your profile pic and wonder. Really? Deb seems more traditional than those leggings to me. Really? I was thinking there was a wild little woman behind that demure pic :)

Too funny. Fun post, Daughter #1.

~Jacci