Monday 25 November 2013

Reviewed: Glamory Support 40 tights for men

The German brand Glamory has provided us with samples of the whole range of their new collection of men's tights.

You can still read our Part 1 and Part 2 of the Hosiery For Men feature on Glamory and interview with Manuela Sommer.



Leading UK-based hosiery retailer Stockings HQ are now stocking the whole of the Glamory range of tights for men. For UK-based readers of Hosiery For Men, this may be the easiest way of purchasing them.

The Glamory men's tights are also available from Pantyhose HQ, the international sister site to Stockings HQ. If you're outside the European Union you can benefit from low tax-free export prices.



Our first review of the new Glamory range focuses on the Glamory Support 40 tights for men.



Materials and features

The Glamory Support 40 tights for men are described by Stockings HQ as:

"Top quality semi-opaque tights with gentle support to fit the male physique.

"It is now accepted that men wear tights, and for many reasons - sporting activities, to keep warm in the cold, to keep cool in hot weather, as a fashion statement, to ease leg health complaints, or simply to experience the feel of wearing them. The Glamory 50424 Support 40 tights for men can give comfortable wear with the perfect fit for all these requirements, and are specially designed for the male physique."


The Glamory Support 40 tights for men come in good quality packaging. The tights are folded around a card rectangle that provides instructions on how to put on tights (if needed). This is enclosed in a light card folded over the tights, and then housed in a clear plastic envelope.

These are light support tights made in Germany from 80% Polyamide and 20% Elastane. The tights are semi-sheer, fully boarded and have a front gusset to provide comfortable support for the male anatomy.

Toes are reinforced and seams are flat throughout. The waistband is 5cm wide.

The brief/panty is reinforced and made from a slightly denser fabric, although the demarcation with the legs is not very pronounced.

In appearance the tights are mainly matt, but with a slight sheen.





Fit and sizing
The Glamory Support 40 tights for men are available in five sizes from Stockings HQ: L, XL, XXL, XXXL and XXXXL. The M size may also be available directly from Glamory or other retailers.

I tested the XL size.





The XL size provided a very good fit for me indeed. Compression is moderate, and the tights were fairly straightforward to put on, unlike most medical grade support tights.

Once in place, it feels like the tights are hugging the legs. The high (20%) Elastane content provides a really close, snug fit and you can feel a pleasant compression effect.

Construction and engineering is definitely of the highest standard. These tights are definitely designed for men and that is evident in the excellent length in the leg, and the deep and comfortable brief.

The male front gusset is also very well designed, and to me one of the best features. It provides excellent support and is exceptionally comfortable.

Colour range
The Glamory Support 40 tights for men are available in two shades: Black (Schwarz) and Beige (Teint)

I tested a pair in the Beige shade.

Currently only the Black shade is available at Stockings HQ. Beige is available if ordered directly from Glamory.

Price and availabilityThe Glamory Support 40 tights for men are priced at £13.50 at Stockings HQ.

At Pantyhose HQ they are available for $18.48, with free postage to the USA on orders over $10.

If these tights are ordered directly from Glamory, a double pack with two pairs is available at €27.90.

Conclusion
Glamory should be congratulated for making a really well-designed pair of men's support tights. They have clearly been crafted to a careful specification to ensure that they provide the best fit and comfort for men.

The plus points for me were: the leg length, the excellent designed brief and the male gusset.

These tights definitely provide good leg support and keep the muscles energised.

If you work on your feet, or are sitting down, all day I would certainly give these a try. They prove that men's tights, when well-made, can be exceptionally comfortable and practical.

Sunday 24 November 2013

Glamory men's tights now available at Stockings HQ

Leading hosiery retailer Stockings HQ are now stocking a range of tights for men.



We recently reported on the new collection of men's tights developed by the German brand Glamory. You can still read our Part 1 and Part 2 of the Hosiery For Men feature on Glamory and interview with Manuela Sommer.



The range of Glamory tights for men now in stock at Stockings HQ is:

The Classic 20 tights for men.



The Support 40 tights for men.



The Support 70 tights for men.



The Microman 100 tights for men.



All of these styles are available in five sizes (L, XL, XXL, XXXL, XXXXL), so even the tallest and largest guys will be catered for.

Glamory have provided Hosiery For Men with samples of the whole range of their men's tights. Our first review will appear shortly. Stay tuned!


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Great offer on Falke opaque styles at Luxury Legs

Our friends at Luxury Legs have a great offer on a wide range of Falke opaque styles.



If you spend over £50, you can receive a 20% discount when you enter the offer code FALKE20 at checkout.

The offer includes many of our favourite Falke styles, including:

The Falke Pure Matt 50 Denier Tights



The Falke Pure Matt 100 Denier Tights



The Falke Cotton Touch Tights.



Luxury Legs also tell me that Falke will shortly be discontinuing the superb Falke Seidenglatt 70 denier opaque tights. However, stock levels remain good and Luxury Legs can still order them. My advice is to get hold of these while you can. The slight sheen on these tights makes them ideal for wear under trousers in colder weather.


To support Hosiery For Men please click on any of the advertisements displayed and check out the products on offer. Every click helps this blog to keep going.

Monday 18 November 2013

HEATTECH footless tights/long johns for men from UNIQLO

I visited one of the UNIQLO stores today in central London and saw their impressive range of HEATTECH men's tights/long johns.





According to UNIQLO, the HEATTEACH tights are:

"Made from a specially designed material from Toray industries, our HEATTECH range captures heat from your body and insulates it to keep you warm. Perfect for layering."


These are a definite improvement on traditional long johns with a key feature being a tighter fit for a more comfortable wear under jeans or trousers.


The use of microfibre fabric and spandex also provides stretch and a more comfortable feel.

There are two main styles of HEATTEACH tights/long johns:

HEATTECH Long Johns and HEATTECH WAFFLE Long Johns



The HEATTECH tights are available in four sizes: S, M, L and XL.

I hope I can review these tights at some point for Hosiery For Men readers.




To support Hosiery For Men please click on any of the advertisements displayed and check out the products on offer. Every click helps this blog to keep going.

Just arrived: Activskin A579 Light Support Sheer Men's Pantyhose (Tights) and A540 Light Support Sheer Crotchless Men's Pantyhose




Activskin have just sent us samples of two new products that they have just launched:

The A579 Microfabric Light Support Sheer Pantyhose with Panel and the A540 Microfabric Light Support Sheer Crotchless Pantyhose.

Both of these styles will be reviewed shortly.






To support Hosiery For Men please click on any of the advertisements displayed and check out the products on offer. Every click helps this blog to keep going.

Saturday 16 November 2013

The Oroblu Different collection

The Different collection is new from Italian hosiery manufacturers Oroblu.

Stockings HQ recently us a sent a pair of the Oroblu Different 80 Opaque Tights to trial and review for Hosiery For Men readers.

This image provides more information on the whole of the Oroblu Different collection.



You can also watch a review of the collection (In Italian) below.




To support Hosiery For Men please click on any of the advertisements displayed and check out the products on offer. Every click helps this blog to keep going. 

Friday 15 November 2013

Just arrived: Oroblu Different 80 Opaque Tights

Our friends at Stockings HQ have sent us a pair of the Oroblu Different 80 Opaque Tights to trial and review.



The Different collection is new from Oroblu. We are really looking forward to trying these, especially after being so impressed with the Oroblu Chantal 120 Denier Opaque Tights.




Hosiery For Men is sustained by hosiery retailers and manufacturers who generously provide us with samples for review. Readers can also support this blog by clicking on any of the advertisements displayed and checking out the products on offer. Each time you do this you are making a valuable contribution, and help ensure that Hosiery For Men continues. Thanks for your continued support.

Legslavish approves of the Nylonica Linea Lusso Silk 70 Opaque Tights

We recently reviewed the Nylonica Linea Lusso Silk 70 opaque microfibre tights and deservedly awarded them a recommendation.

The Italian-made Nylonica range is available exclusively from Stockings HQ and Pantyhose HQ.





Tights reviewers Legslavish recently featured the Nylonica Linea Lusso Silk 70 opaque microfibre tights and you can watch their assessment and verdict below.





Hosiery For Men is sustained by hosiery retailers and manufacturers who generously provide us with samples for us to review. Readers can also support this blog by clicking on any of the advertisements displayed and checking out the products on offer. Each time you do this you are making a valuable contribution, and help ensure that Hosiery For Men continues. Thanks for your continued support.

Tuesday 12 November 2013

Reviewed: Silky Medium Support Tights

Legwear International recently sent me large selection of samples to trial and review for Hosiery For Men readers.

We have already published reviews of:

Couture Future 10 Denier Tights

Cindy 30 Denier Semi-Sheer Tights

Silky Dance Shimmer Full Foot Tights

We also published a feature on Legwear International and an interview with Kirsten Taylor, their Product Development and Marketing Manager.



We now focus on the Silky Medium Support Tights.



Materials and features
The Silky Medium Support Tights are quite simply packaged. The tights are folded around a card rectangle, which is then enclosed in a clear plastic sleeve. Everything is then housed in a card box that provides sizing and other information.

Legwear International describe these tights as follows:

"On your feet all day? These support tights are ideal for you. They can help you avoid everything from back pain to swollen ankles and reduce the risk of varicose veins whilst leaving the leg looking smooth, sassy and shapely." 


The Silky Medium Support Tights are 20 denier with graduated compression.

The fabric is 80% Polyamide and 20% Elastane. The fabric is extremely smooth to the touch.

The X-Large size that I tested has a rear comfort panel.



The tights are not sheer to waist but have a reinforced brief that is much denser than the leg. Legs are straight and almost semi-sheer in appearance, and have a slight sheen.

Toes are reinforced. The waistband is almost 3cm wide. Seams are conventional.



Fit and sizing

The Silky Medium Support Tights are available in three sizes: Medium, Large and X-Large.

I tested the X-Large size.



These tights are really easy to put on and get into position. The leg have impressive length and the 20% Elastane in the fabric provides both a lot of stretch as well as a close snug fit.

Although the sizing information indicates a maximum height of 5'10", I feel that this style would stretch further.

The brief is more than deep enough, with the waistband stretching comfortably over the waist and hips.

Colour range

The Silky Medium Support Tights are available in three shades: Diamond, Nude and Sherry.

I tested a pair in the Sherry shade.

Price and availability

The Silky Medium Support Tights are priced at a very reasonable £3.79 (in sizes Medium and Large), and just £4.69 (in the X-Large size).

Conclusion
When assessing these tights, we felt it was important not to be too influenced by the price. Readers of this blog will know that we usually go by the mantra of 'you get what you pay for'. However the Silky Medium Support Tights are really a bargain at the price and the quality is excellent.

The X-Large size is extremely generous and provides an excellent fit. The sheen provides a very good glide under trousers.

I was amazed how comfortable these tights were. While not medical grade support tights, they definitely do provide a good level of leg support. I found that my legs were less tired and stayed energised after a day's wear. I trialled them for more than a day and found that they definitely made a difference.

They really are a bargain at the price, and that is why a Hosiery For Men recommendation is made with confidence. 

Vintage men's tights adverts: Falke


Tights have been made for men for a longer period that many people might realise. They certainly predate all the recent discussion about 'mantyhose'.

Here is an advert for men's tights by Falke in 1970.

Falke don't currently make tights specifically for men, but as readers of Hosiery For Men will be aware many of their styles for women are totally suitable for men.




Hosiery For Men is sustained by hosiery retailers and manufacturers who generously provide us with samples for review. Readers can also support this blog by clicking on any of the advertisements displayed and checking out the products on offer. Each time you do this you are making a valuable contribution and help to ensure that Hosiery For Men continues. Thanks for your continued support.

Sunday 10 November 2013

Vintage men's tights adverts: Esda

Here is another image in our occasional series of men's tights adverts from what looks like a golden age of men's hosiery in 1970s Germany.

This image is from East Germany's largest hosiery manufacturer Esda.




Hosiery For Men is sustained by hosiery retailers and manufacturers who generously provide us with samples for review. Readers can also support this blog by clicking on any of the advertisements displayed and checking out the products on offer. Each time you do this you are making a valuable contribution and help to ensure that Hosiery For Men continues. Thanks for your continued support.

Behind the scenes at leading hosiery brand Pretty Polly

The brand incubator Pretty Green recently published a fascinating piece on Courtaulds, the only hosiery company in the UK that still manages their whole manufacturing process from knitting to packaging in one site and on British soil.



Around 900 pairs of tights are produced every week from the Courtaulds factory based in Belper, Derbyshire, for the well-known brands, Pretty Polly, Aristoc and House of Holland.



The feature provides an overview of the whole manufacturing process from the yarn to packing of the finished products.

The whole process to produce a pair of tights from start to finish takes approximately 4-5 weeks with about four hours of manufacturing going into each individual pair of tights





You can read the full article here:

Hosiery For Men is sustained by hosiery retailers and manufacturers who generously provide us with samples for review. Readers can also support this blog by clicking on any of the advertisements displayed and checking out the products on offer. Each time you do this you are making a valuable contribution and help to ensure that Hosiery For Men continues. Thanks for your continued support.

Monday 4 November 2013

Reviewed: Maximus 70 Denier Men's Footless Tights

UK Tights are one of the leading online hosiery retailers in the UK. They have always catered for men buying tights for themselves and also have a men's tights section of their website.



You can still read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of our feature on UK Tights and our interview with managing director, Dawn Barber.

UK Tights have developed their own Maximus brand of men's tights. These tights have been developed exclusively for UK Tights and are made to their specifications by an Italian hosiery manufacturer.



We have previously reviewed the Maximus 100 Denier Opaque Men's Tights.

We now focus on the Maximus 70 Denier Men's Footless Tights.



Materials and features

The Maximus 70 Denier Men's Footless Tights are described as:

"The perfect combination of thermal coverage and mobility. Maximus' Footless Tights are designed for men who lead an active lifestyle and need something to perform perfectly without having to think about it. Footless tights are the answer to that problem. The removal of the foot makes for more maneuverability and feels like you're wearing nothing, but the thickness of the garment and it's insulation effect stays just as powerful. Maximus designs just for men, for outdoor pursuits, for every day wear, for anything you need. Their designs have to do what they're made to do perfectly and this new product does just that."




The tights are packaged in a silver card sleeve. Inside the tights are wrapped around a card rectangle and housed into a clear plastic bag.

The packaging doesn't provide any further information, apart from limited sizing information on the reverse.



These tights are made from 90% Nylon and 10% Elastane.

The fabric feels soft and warm. The weave is much less dense and heavy than the Maximus 100 opaque (footed) tights.

Opacity isn't total. Where the material is more stretched, as in the thigh area, it looks more like a 40 or 50 denier tight.

The tights are sheer to waist apart from a 4cm-5cm reinforcement band at the top of the thigh where is joins the brief area.

The brief is deep enough (just), and less generous than the Maximus 100 tights. There is no gusset, despite the information on the UK tights website. The waistband is also narrower at just 2cm. Seams are conventional.





Fit and sizing
The Maximus70 Denier Men's Footless Tights are available in one size only: Medium/Large.
There is currently no sizing chart available on the UK Tights website or the packaging.

This Maximus style fitted me well. The fabric clings well with no wrinkling or bunching.

Length was good for my 5'10" height but I am not sure that they would suit a much taller person.

I also found that the brief while comfortable, could have been more generous. It stretched less above the waist than the Maximus 100 opaques, and was veering slightly towards a low rise style.

Wear was very comfortable. The Maximus footless tights provide less warmth than the 100 denier footed style and are therefore more comfortable under trousers on cool, as opposed to very cold, days.

Colour range
The Maximus 70 Denier Men's Footless Tights are available in Black only.

Price and availability

The Maximus 70 Denier Men's Footless Tights are priced £8.95.

Conclusion

The Maximus 70 Denier Men's Footless Tights are perfectly decent, basic men's opaque tights. If you want to go for a footless style this winter these will serve you well and I am sure they would be quite hard wearing.

However, they don't have any of the usual features that one expects in tights made for men. For example there is no front pouch or panel for the male anatomy. As explained above, I also felt that the brief could have been slightly more generous.

If I was going to get some really top quality footless opaques this season I would probably go for the Falke Cotton Touch Footless Tights, available for £19.99 from UK Tights.

UK Tights also sell the Activskin Thermofabric Opaque Full Support Men's Tights With Fly. These are priced at £34.99 and come in Medium, Large and X Large sizes.

For those with a more limited budget the Kunert Warm Up Opaque Footless Tights at £9.99 look like a good buy. I haven't tried these but the reviews on the UK Tights website are all positive with a five star rating for almost all reviewers. One male reviewer commented: 'Top quality tights I'm a 6'2 man not a lightweight at 16 stone, size 5 fitted perfectly - I'm sure they would fit someone even larger with ease! Well recommended I'm ordering more very soon.'

Hosiery For Men is sustained by hosiery retailers and manufacturers who generously provide us with samples for review. Readers can also support this blog by clicking on any of the advertisements displayed and checking out the products on offer. Each time you do this you are making a valuable contribution and help to ensure that Hosiery For Men continues. Thanks for your continued support.

New from Activskin: A579 Microfabric Light Support Sheer Pantyhose with Panel

Activskin have just launched a new product - the A579 Microfabric Light Support Sheer Pantyhose with Panel.



These are described as:

"...a Hi-Glide™ mantyhose with a fabric that is identical to A679 but is unlike any of our other styles. Instead of a fly panel and the extra cost associated with it, it has a simple sheer male-comfort panel without a fly or gusset. The fabric glides exceptionally well, not only under trousers but also against itself. The brief provides light support, too, making it perfect for guys who want to be cool and comfortable and just a little bit of control at the abdomen. This style features a reinforced toe for added strength and durability. The M and L sizes have a panel that tapers to a point a few inches below the front waistband, and goes back under the crotch, providing all-nylon fabric that stretches to support your "male equipment," and it ends at the tailbone. The XL size has a panel that continues up all the way to the front of the waistband to provide for extra stretch for bigger guys, and the XXL size has that, plus the panel extends up the back to the back of the waistband, providing even more stretch.

"Sizes: M, L, XL, and XXL. If you are tall and thin, order large. If you are tall and big, order XL. The fabric that doesn't stretch out stretches up. Available in beige. black, and tan. This legwear comes fully boarded, which means it is steam treated to maintain the shape of the leg and gives it a high quality feel right from the package, an excellent presentation for an excellent first impression!

"Contains 84% nylon and 16% spandex."









Hosiery For Men is sustained by hosiery retailers and manufacturers who generously provide us with samples for review. Readers can also support this blog by clicking on any of the advertisements displayed and checking out the products on offer. Each time you do this you are making a valuable contribution and help to ensure that Hosiery For Men continues. Thanks for your continued support.