Hosiery Care

Over the last several weeks I've gotten a number of comments regarding frustration at holes or rips in hosiery, or suggestions on how one can prevent and/or repair damages to hosiery. It got me thinking that it might be worth it to dedicate a post to this subject.

While I'm not necessarily an expert, I wear hosiery most of the time and most often make it through the day damage-free. There are a few things that I do (or at least keep in mind) in regards to hosiery that have helped me avoid damage. Some I've read about online and other things I've just figured out over time (I guess there's a lesson learned in every torn pair of stockings). So I'm going to share what I know.

Assuming you don't walk into things a lot, there are five times in the course of wearing hosiery where you're most likely to cause (or avoid) damage: buying, putting on, taking off, washing, or storing. I think by taking these one by one we can come up with some helpful tips to avoid damage.

Buying

Of course you can't cause damage when you're buying hosiery, but there are a couple of things you can keep in mind that might prevent you from lamenting another lost pair of hosiery, far too soon in its lifetime.

Fabric Content

I often include the fabric content when highlighting hosiery. I think this can be helpful in determining fit, but it can also be helpful in determining susceptibility to damage. Of the hosiery I damage, a high percentage were 100% nylon. That's because nylon, itself, has no give. Only when it's blended with lycra (or elastane or spandex) does it have the stretch we're familiar with. So if a pair of tights is completely nylon, you can very easily damage it by tugging too hard when putting it on or stretching it too much while wearing. If you find yourself the type or person who goes through stockings too quickly, you might want to seek out ones with a higher elastane or spandex count.

Denier

The denier count refers to the relative sheerness of the fabric. The general cutoff between sheer and opaque is 40, although 20-40 can be referred to as "semi sheer". If you think about the durability of an opaque pair of winter tights, versus the sheer pantyhose, its easy to see that a lower denier count means a more delicate pair of tights. If you want to buy something sheer but are concerned about causing damage, try to stick close to a 20 denier count.

Brand Names

This doesn't mean buy the most expensive pair (although Wolford and Falke do hold up very well). For close to the price of a drugstore pair, you can get very decent quality. A couple of the brands I swear by are Jonathan Aston, Aristoc, Charnos, Levante, and Pamela Mann. All of these brands offer a variety of affordable choices that far surpasses their price tag.

Putting On

Here is where a lot of the damage occurs. Even if it doesn't surface until later, it's very easy to cause a little hole or a snag that becomes a big problem before you know it.

Hosiery Gloves

Having a pair of gloves lying around for the specific task of putting on hosiery can seem silly. But it can also prevent a slightly chipped fingernail or a tiny bit of dry skin from catching the hose and snagging it. The gloves can cover up these potential landmines and allow you to smoothly and easily bring the hosiery up your legs without catching on anything. In lieu of gloves, it's a good idea to at least moisturize your hands and feet to keep dry skin from catching anything. Also check finger and toe nails for slightly jagged edges. But really, just get the gloves. They don't have to be anything fancy. These here for $3.95 work just fine.

Put Hosiery on Evenly

This is pretty simple. Bunch the hose up all the way to the toe, slide your toe in and then gradually pull the bunched hose up your leg...gently letting go along the way. In the case of tights, I usually go up to my knee with one leg and then start the other leg up to the knee, then to around mid-thigh and so forth. If the foot has a toe seem, line it up along the tips of your toes, this prevents the hose from twisting as you pull them up, causing unneeded stretching and stress.

Take Your Time

Another big cause in my ever damaging hosiery is rushing to put them on. If you're anything like me, you're probably running late, most of the time, when getting dressed. But don't rush. The extra two minutes it takes you to put them on with care won't affect your day. Rushing and damaging them will affect your wallet. If you pull them up like pants, there's a good chance you'll cause damage. If you unravel them slowly up your legs, stopping and adjusting if you feel them pull awkwardly, you might prevent causing a hole.

Taking Off

In general, just do the reverse of putting them on. Start at the waist (or top of the stocking) and slowly roll or gently tug them down. Don't pull from the toe. When you're done taking them off, the bottom of the leg (if not the whole leg) should be inside out. Keep used hosiery separate from all other clothes. I keep them in a drawstring bag that a clothing store once put my purchase in. Other clothes have buttons, zippers, and clasps that can catch on and dig into hosiery.

Washing

Rule number 1 is: hand wash. Rule number 2 is: hand wash. Rule number 3? You guessed it. Hand wash. Yeah I know your washing machine has a "hand wash" option. So does mine. I mean wash them in a sink with your hands. You can use Woolite, but I'd suggest a wash specific to hosiery like this. A $10 investment will save you many pairs of more than $10 tights. A cap-full of Hosiery Mate will get two pairs of tights or stockings clean in 15 seconds. 15 seconds? We all got 15 seconds. When you're done, gently squeeze them. Do not wring them...just gently squeeze. If you can lay them flat somewhere to dry. Otherwise drape them over a towel on a chair.

Storing

Keep hosiery separate from everything else. Again, a drawstring bag might be the way to go. Hosiery wont damage other hosiery but, again, other clothes will. Don't store them in a panty or sock drawer that you're going to rifle through one morning while half asleep. Like any other delicate object, they need to be kept aside and treated with care. You don't know when you might cause a small hole that will turn into a big problem.

I realize this post has gotten a little long, so I'm going to save hosiery repair for another day. Just know that you can only stop holes or runs from growing larger or longer. Once it's there there's no going back. You're better off trying to prevent it.

I hope this was helpful. It is, by no means, an exhaustive list. But it's a good place to start. If anyone has any other tips definitely feel free to comment them below!

Shelina 12

On the occasions where I wear Falke tights, I always find myself asking the same question: "Why don't I own more of these?". In my experience, there has been very little to dislike about Falke hosiery. With their outstanding quality, yet slightly lower prices, across the board, just call these "Wolford Lite".

The Shelina 12 is no exception. Without any patterns of textures, these would qualify as basics, as tights go. The only really unique thing about these tights is, despite the fact that they are very sheer, they do give off a bit of a shine. It's nothing over the top, but it is noticeable. If you select the right color, they can give your legs a little added tone to their color, and enough shine to give them a really healthy look.

As such, they are essential to any one's collection. They come in seven different tones, from Poudre (a very very light beige) to black. One should have little trouble matching their skin tone (or adding a bit of tone) for their legs. The ultra sheer 12 denier appearance, will require the closest of examinations for one to even tell you're wearing tights.

With the exception of the waist band, which is about an inch thick, these tights maintain the same sheerness throughout. You want to wear a really short skirt? You want to wear sandals? Neither would be a problem with these. What's more, is that these are among the smoothest and softest tights I have ever worn. They felt amazing as I gently tugged them up my legs this morning. They have felt great on my legs all day long. They are an absolute pleasure to wear. They feel every bit as great as my favorite pair of tights from Wolford.

They are 97% Polyamide and 3% Elastane. They come in sizes small (0) through extra large (V), with 4 other options in the middle. If you're anywhere from 4'9" or 95 lbs to 6'0" or 225 lbs, you should have no problem finding a size that will fit you comfortably. For $17 (a rather low price for Falke tights) these are a good pair to check out if you've never worn Falke before.

Chances are, you'll be coming back...

More From My Recent Stockingirl Purchase

I absoluetly loved the look of these pinstripe pantyhose when I saw them on the website. I thought it was a pretty unique look and they were certainly eye-catching on the model. Indeed the website touts them as the "of utmost elegance and style".

These black pantyhose have alternating pink and grey pinstripes down the legnth of the leg, where they stop only before the reinforced toe. For $19.99, I figured they're worth the try.

Well, they're nice, and I like them, but I would most certianly advise buying at least one size up from where you normally do. For example, I'm typically a medium, but looking at the size chart I thought they seemed to run small, so I went with a large, and even that wasn't enough. The legs simply aren't long enough. They're supposed to fit someone up to 5'9", but they don't really even come close. I'm about that hight, and they've been sitting way too low on my hips, and I've been tugging up on them all day.

ps. I have a pic, but, for some reason, it will not upload. If you follow the link, you can see it though. I'll try to upload it again later.

In the end, $19.99 isn't a ton of money for pantyhose, but you could probably find a better way to spend it than on these. If you'd still like to check them out, they're here.

Well Shoot!

My first trip back to Stockingirl in quite some time has started off as a successful one. Currently, they have a vast assortment of pantyhose and tights in quite a variety of prints. If you like prints, you're sure to find something here that you'll love.

For me, I was immediately struck by the bamboo tights. I guess I just thought they looked amazing on the model. They finally came in the mail, and I couldn't wait to wear them today.

Whatever type of leg wear you're into, you can get it in the bamboo print. Stockingirl has it in opaque tights, leggings, knee socks, sheer pantyhose, fishnet pantyhose, and lace-bottom leggings. Lately, I've been all about the sheer pantyhose, so I went for that style.

They are made from 100% microfiber nylon, according to the website. They feel ultra silky smooth on my legs. I've had to be careful because a couple of times I've just been reaching under my desk to feel this material on my legs. These pantyhose are so comfortable and feel so good on. As far as the pattern goes, I'm a big fan of grey tights, and I thought the pattern looked really cute on these. I like the sheer, even though the model appears to be wearing the opaque. I think the sheer looks great on me, and I like how the pantyhose are completely sheer to the waist.

They come in only two sizes, small/medium and medium/large. The medium large fits more than comfortably on me, so I think these can probably fit a variety of shapes. The pantyhose were the most expensive style at $26.99. For me, they were worth it. I'm even thinking I might want to get a few more. Check them out for yourself.

Watch Me on Cable

I bought these Hue Sheer Cable Control Top pantyhose ages ago, but I finally got around to wearing them today. Hue has always been one of my favorite brands, when it comes to stockings and tights. They have a variety of different styles and they all look and feel great. More importantly, you can't beat the price.

Now that the temperature has been dropping somewhat, I am getting the chance to break the tights back out. Hue offers a line of "Fashion Chic" patterned tights. Who doesn't enjoy the patterned tights as a change of pace from the everyday stuff, that you can often get bored with?

These are black with a cable pattern stitched in. Very cute. They are a blend of 87% nylon and 13% spandex. Unfortunately, this style only comes in control top, but it's pretty comfortable, as control top goes, so I can't complain. As with all of Hue's products, they are very affordable, which is good when you've been spending too much time at the Wolford store. You can find these at a variety of department stores or at the Hue store, if you're lucky enough to have on close by. I have to drive about 20 miles to get to one so I don't visit it very often. Of course, you can always just hit their website. Visiting there myself, I'm noticing that there are some new items on there. Can't wait to give them a try. Don't forget to take advantage of their "3 for $21" promotion which never ends.