Sunday 25 November 2012

Just arrived: Levante Class Tights and Silky Thermal Fleece Tights

Thighs the Limit is an online hosiery retailer. They also have shop in the beautiful Shropshire town of Shrewsbury.

They have kindly sent me two samples to test and review for Hosiery For Men readers:

Levante 12 Denier Class Sheer Tights




Silky 140 Denier Thermal Fleece Tights

Friday 16 November 2012

Just arrived: Aries 60 denier men's tights and 140 denier support tights

The Czech hosiery manufacturer Aries have sent me several samples to test and review. These are:

The Micro Goldwear 60 denier men's tights.



The Avicenum 140 support tights


Reviews will be published soon.

Wednesday 14 November 2012

Activskin® men's tights now available at UK Tights

UK Tights have announced that they will now be stocking a range of men's tights from Activskin®. This is great news for men in the UK who purchase tights for themselves.

So far they have the following styles in stock:

Activskin Microfibre Sheer To Waist With Fly Full Support Tights



Activskin Thermofabric Opaque Full Support With Fly Tights



Activskin Thermofabric Opaque Full Support With Fly Footless Tights



UK Tights deserve credit for maintaining a focus on their male customers.

By the way, you can still read Part 1 and Part 2 of the Hosiery For Men feature on Activskin®.

Sunday 11 November 2012

Reviewed: Gipsy 100 Denier Opaque Tights

TheTightSpot.com sent me a pair of Gipsy 100 Denier Luxury Opaque Tights to review. With the cold weather in the UK, I took the opportunity to wear these straight away.



TheTightSpot.com is a UK-based hosiery retailer and aim to provide a good service to men buying tights for themselves.

You can read the Hosiery For Men feature and interview with TheTightSpot.



While writing this review I checked the website for the Gipsy brand. They state that:

'We have been selling hosiery for three generations and the GIPSY brand is now over 30 years old. We bring the latest Italian and International fashions to customers who are looking for style, quality and value and pride ourselves on serving you efficiently and promptly.'




Material and features

The Gipsy 100 Denier Opaque Tights are packaged in a simple card enclosure. You can feel the fabric and see the colour directly.

It was a positive to see the words 'MADE IN ITALY' on the packaging - that is nearly always an indicator of quality.



TheTightSpot.com describe these tights as 'one of our top choices for warm soft tights.' The fabric does indeed feel very soft, and seems quite robust also.

The tights are made from 91% Nylon and 9% Elastane. They have a mainly matt appearance with just a slight shine when caught in the light.

The legs are straight and look quite long when the tights are removed from the packaging. They are sheer to waist apart from a reinforcement band at the top of the thigh, which is actually more or less invisible when worn.

There is a 3cm wide waistband and a gusset. The centre seam in the brief is a conventional one, but is well-made and robust.

Fit and sizing

The Gipsy 100 Denier Opaque Tights are available in four sizes: Small, Medium, Large and Extra Large.

I tested a pair in Extra Large.


The fit was excellent. The tights had a really impressive amount of stretch and length in the leg was particularly good. I didn't need to over-stretch the tights which also meant that the opacity was even throughout.

The brief also had plenty of room and stretched comfortably over my waist.

These tights also cling really well and seem to mould themselves to your figure. I found they stayed in place well without much pulling up needed through the day.

The Gipsy 100 Denier Opaque Tights are wonderfully warm and cosy. I found them extremely comfortable and loved how warm they kept me when walking outside.

Colour range

The Gipsy 100 Denier Opaque Tights are available in a wide range of shades. The Gipsy website indicates that in the Large size the following colours are available



I tested a pair in Midnight, a shade of dark blue.

At TheTightSpot.com, the Extra Large sizes are available in Black, Midnight and Purple.

Price and availability

The Gipsy 100 Denier Opaque Tights are available at TheTightSpot.com for £6.60.

TheTightSpot.com are offering Hosiery For Men readers a special discount of 10% off all hosiery. Use the voucher code H4MEN.

Conclusion
I was really quite impressed with Gipsy 100 Denier Opaque Tights. In terms of cost they occupy a mid-price position, similar to the Charnos 60 Denier Opaque Tights.

The fit was excellent and I liked the consistent opaque coverage. Worn under trousers they are very warm and comfortable, and would be a good choice for cold days.

At a price of just £6.60 they are great value.

Monday 5 November 2012

The Bootights® Story

What are Bootights®? The Bootights® story as told by creator Shelby Mason.

Following the recent Hosiery For Men feature on Bootights®, here is a short film with further background information on this innovative product.

Bootights® can purchased from www.bootights.co.uk.



Just arrived: Calvin Klein Microfiber Rib Opaque Tights

I have just received these Calvin Klein Ultra Fit Full Coverage Rib Tights which I bought from SockShop.

I think Rib tights are a smart alternative to standard black opaque tights, and they also look good under trousers in place of socks.


You can still read my review of the Activskin® A857 Thermofabric™ Ribbed Light Support Tights for men.

I will publish a review of the Calvin Klein tights soon.

Sunday 4 November 2012

Spotlight on Bootights®


At Hosiery For Men I like to make readers aware of new trends in hosiery that would be of interest to men. Well, to women also, as many readers of this blog are women.

I recently became aware of an innovative new product, Bootights®. Quite simply, Bootights® are tights with a sock attached.



After a successful launch in the USA, with a huge amount of publicity, Bootights® are now available in the UK.

It was a pleasure to be able to interview Joanne Darbost of Coco Bliss Ltd, the online retailer of Bootights® in the UK at www.bootights.co.uk.

Can you tell Hosiery For Men readers a bit about Bootights®? What are they and what is unique about them? 

Bootights® are the first tights that have been designed specifically for boots - the quality tights have a premium performance sock integrated into the design. The sock portion helps to stop toes slipping, eliminate cold feet and blisters and provide warmth, comfort and durability to the tights.



As the sock portion is made of moisture wicking yarns, the feet can breathe as they are kept dry and odour-free. The cushiony sock is sculpted to fit and has arch support.



Since being introduced in the UK and Europe has there been a high level of interest in Bootights®? In the USA they have been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show and have enjoyed a great deal of media coverage. 

Yes we are now in the preliminary stages of launching Bootights® in the UK and in addition to being available through our own site www.bootights.co.uk, Bootights® are now sold through two of the leading UK online hosiery retailers. We have also just dispatched a first order to a new stockist in Paris. We have had media coverage in The Lady, ‘All In London’, The Sock Shop and Daily Mail Online and have been featured in the leading Trade publication Lingerie Buyer.

Oprah thought Bootights® were “revolutionary, like the Spanx movement” and named them one of her ‘must have’ fashion items. It is now our role to introduce Bootights® into the UK, so that consumers are aware such a unique concept and design in hosiery is now available.




Most men who wear tights do so under trousers, and might also wear a sock over the tights so that the tights are less visible. Do you feel that the unique features of Bootights® may offer any advantages to men wearing tights this way?
Whilst Bootights® offer a selection of fashion styles called Metro Chic, there are two ranges of plain styles which would appeal to men: the Core range which are semi-opaque and available in jet black, chocolate brown and heather grey with a calf-height sock, and an ankle-height sock version in the black only. For added luxury and comfort, there is the Luxe opaque range offering a choice of either jet black or charcoal grey.


The performance sock with its contoured comfort, cushioning and moisture-wicking properties would hold definite appeal for male consumers, as the tights themselves offer the warmth required but with the added and unique benefit of integrated socks for the feet. If the wearer worked outdoors or played sport, the sock would provide excellent comfort, warmth and durability in work-boots or under sports clothing such as skiwear.

The fine quality of the tights ensures maximum comfort and provides a smooth look under trousers, with their non-binding waistband and flat seams.



Semi-Opaque Ankle

Can you say something about the sizing options available for Bootights®?  

Bootights® are available in 4 size options A,B,C and D - up to heights of 6', weight 13½ stone and size 9 shoe (approx).

Have you had any enquiries from male customers about Bootights®? 

Although we are new to the market, interestingly yes we have, even in these early days and I personally received an email today from a guy who had read this week’s Lingerie Buyer feature, loved the concept and who then purchased the Core semi-opaque option for himself this afternoon!

There has been a huge amount of media coverage of 'mantyhose' (tights for men) in recent months. What are your thoughts about the greater visibility nowadays of men buying and wearing tights?

Why not? It makes perfect sense that men would want to be comfortable and warm in winter months as much as women and the more that men are seen to purchase for their own use, the more companies will design options particularly suitable for guys.

What particular styles of Bootights® are selling well? 

The Core range of plain colour semi-opaques are always popular, but now that Winter is upon us and we are coming up to Christmas there is increased interest in the Metro Chic fashion styles, not just for daily wear to the office, but also for parties (including calliope argyle, fishnet and burgundy-seamed options) and as the perfect and original ‘stocking present’. The beautifully soft Luxe opaques also become increasingly popular at this time.


Luxe Opaque Jet Black



Metro Chic Flannel Pinstripe

What kind of service will male customers receive at the UK Bootights® store? Do you welcome enquiries and requests for advice?  

Absolutely. At this time the full range is stocked online at www.bootights.co.uk so we would be delighted to receive further enquiries from male customers and if they would like to email us either on info@bootights.co.uk or to our main company info@coco-bliss.com, we would be delighted to help. 

I would also like to offer Hosiery For Men readers a 10% discount when purchasing through www.bootights.co.uk. The code 'gift' needs to be entered at checkout.

What can we expect in the future at Bootights®? Is the range or styles going to expand? Are there any plans to develop or market the product to men also? 

New styles will be available next year, with planned developments for specific styles geared towards the sports/leisure sector such as base-wear for hiking/ under skiwear etc. We are obviously monitoring interest from men both here and in the US, so hopefully men will let us know of their interest in Bootights®.

Thanks Joanne for speaking to Hosiery For Men. 
Bootights® are really an exciting concept and I hope that readers of this blog visit www.bootights.co.uk and take a closer look at the products. Do keep us informed of further developments and new styles as they appear.