Wednesday 30 November 2016

Couture Ultimates tights now available at Stockings HQ

Hosiery retailer Stockings HQ is now selling the full range of the revolutionary new Couture Ultimates seamless and ladder-proof opaque tights.




As we have already reported, the Couture Ultimates tights have a unique and genuinely ground-breaking ladder-proof and seamless construction. While traditional hosiery is knitted in tubes made of horizontal rows, the Couture Ultimates are made with vertical lines in one piece with no body seam.

This makes them 100% ladder proof (not just ladder resistant) with leg shaping and light control.





The whole Couture Ultimates range is available at Stockings HQ with a 15% discount.

You can still read our feature on Couture Ultimates and interview with Allan Falconer, the director of Legwear International, the brand behind Couture Ultimates.

Tuesday 29 November 2016

News from Activskin

Activskin, the US-based men's legwear retailer, has just relaunched their website with a fresh look and design.

Check it out here.





The website now has great images of men styling pantyhose and tights from the range in stock at Activskin.

Activskin are now offering patterned tights for men from the Italian brand Emilio Cavallini.



Video review of Couture Ultimates Seamless and Ladder Proof Victoria Tights

Men's legwear blogger Andreas, who writes the Legwear Fashion for Men blog, has uploaded a new video review.



You can read our interview with Andreas and view his previous Legwear Fashion Video reviews here.

Andrea now reviews the new Couture Ultimates Victoria Tights.





You can read our review of this Couture Ultimates style here. You can purchase these tights at UK Tights.

Sunday 27 November 2016

Heist launches inclusive, body-positive campaign

The innovative hosiery brand Heist, the makers of 'intelligent tights', have launched a remarkable new campaign to promote Heist tights.



Heist worked with brand engagement agency RAPP to create a bodywear campaign that does not feature any bodies.



Heist co-founder, Edzard Van Der Wyck, comments:

“Heist thinks very differently about how it designs tights. And RAPP's campaign thinks as differently about how to sell them."


RAPP executive creative director, Ben Golik, says of the campaign: 

"Using prickly pineapples to show mood and beautifully veined melons to suggest age, Heist can talk about form and complexity, without being myopically focused on appearance. We've abandoned the tired clichés of a tiresome category. This campaign is positive, provocative and above all, inclusive."

What is notable about this campaign is that is perhaps one of the first to take a gender inclusive approach to marketing tights. This perhaps also reflects that 10% of Heist's customers identify as male.



This is a great step forward for how tights are marketed to men. There is, in this campaign, no need to have the tights worn and modelled by men. The campaign itself embraces inclusivity on every level.

As Heist state:

WE DON'T MAKE TIGHTS FOR PERFECT BODIES. WE MAKE PERFECT TIGHTS FOR EVERY BODY.


Heist make clear, on a recent Instagram post, that men, along with anyone who likes to wear tights, will be welcomed

"We want to reach out and celebrate everyone who enjoys wearing tights. Men. Women. Non-binary. Whatever. You’re all important to us and, at Heist, we are inspired by each and every one of you. We’d like to get to know you. We’d like to proudly share some of your pictures in tights and even your stories. We don’t care about gender or how you identify. We care about you. We care about making tights that work for you. That keep you comfortable. That fit you perfectly. Share your pictures with #WhateverYou and watch this space. We’ll be posting the best ones soon."



Hosiery For Men congratulates Heist and RAPP on this fantastic campaign.

Show your support by using the #WhateverYou hashtag on Twitter and Instagram.

Even better, visit the Heist website and check out their wonderful tights, which are available in all sizes.

You can read our recent post on the launch of the Heist THE EIGHTY opaque tights. We have received samples of these and will publish a review shortly.

Reviewed: warmlegs 300 denier fleece-lined thermal tights

Hosiery retailer Love Your Legs sent us a pair of the warmlegs 300 denier fleece-lined thermal tights to trial and review.



Love Your Legs recommended these tights for men as part of our recent series on Fight the freeze: recommend winter and thermal tights for men.

They said:

"These are full coverage, fleece lined tights. They are thick, soft and warm. They are a best seller and men will love them!."



Packaging

The packaging for these tights is very simple. The tights are folded and held in position by a card clasp.



Material and features


The warmlegs 300 denier fleece-lined thermal tights feel thick and very soft when you remove them from the packaging.

They are made from 95% Polyester and 5% Elastane.

Opaque coverage is full and dense as you would expect at 300 denier.

The outside of the tights is very smooth. The inside is lined with a warming fleece plush.

Seams are flat throughout.

The waistband is 3cm wide.

In the Large/Extra Large size that I tired, there is a 7cm wide comfort panel on both sides (front and back) of the brief/panty.





Fit and sizing


The warmlegs 300 denier fleece-lined thermal tights are available in three sizes:

  • Small/Medium
  • Medium/Large 
  • Large/Extra Large 


I tested a pair in the Large/Extra Large size.

As can be seen in the sizing information, the Large/Extra Large extends to 5'10" - that is my height. The fit was good but the tights were almost fully stretched (although not over-stretched). I think an XXL size extending to 6'0" would be have been slightly more comfortable.

The tights themselves feel wonderful when on - really warm and snug. It feels like your legs are completely insulated and warmed.

The interior fleece is very soft and that provides a great wearing experience.

The exterior is smooth and this makes them glide well under trousers.

The brief is quite deep and fits comfortably above the waist.

Colour range

The warmlegs 300 denier fleece-lined thermal tights are available in five colours: 

  • Black 
  • Plum
  • Navy
  • Grey
  • Brown
I trialled a pair in the Brown shade.

Price and availability

The warmlegs 300 denier fleece-lined thermal tights are priced £4.95.

Conclusion

The warmlegs 300 denier fleece-lined thermal tights are very good tights for cold weather. The price is very good for the level of quality.

They provide great insulation and the wearing experience is very pleasant indeed.

My only quibble is that the Large/Extra Large is a little on the small side. As suggested above an XXL size with more leg length would be a welcome additional sizing option.

Check out the rest of the warmlegs range - there are fleece lined leggings, knee highs and more.

Saturday 26 November 2016

Black Friday offers at DressMyLegs

DressMyLegs are offering an fantastic 20% of all orders over €20.

The offer lasts until Monday 28 November.




We particularly recommend the Cecilia de Rafael Ave 70 Denier Matte Opaque Tights.

Our review is here.

Just arrived: THE EIGHTY opaque tights by Heist

Last week we brought you the news that Heist has now launched THE EIGHTY: 80 denier opaque tights.



We have just received samples of these - thank you Heist!

A pair of THE EIGHTY tights in the L size in both the LOW WAIST and HIGH WAIST versions.







We are really looking forward to trialling THE EIGHTY and will publish a review soon.

Unexpected Customers

"Unexpected Customers"

This was an article written and published by Christine Nicholson, the founder of online hosiery retailer Divine Legs.





In the article Christine reflects on the journey in to men and tights community she has been on since launching Divine Legs: learning that many men buy and wear tights for all kinds of reasons.

We are posting, with Christine's permission, the full article as it will interest Hosiery For Men readers and deserves a wide readership.

You can read our feature on Divine Legs and interview with Christine.

You can also read our review of the ITEM m6 Beauty Tights, one of the styles of tights stocked at Divine Legs


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Unexpected Customers

I thought I knew a fair bit about tights but starting Divine Legs has taken me on an interesting journey into the needs and lifestyles of a surprising variety of people through social media.

One of the most surprising things is the number of men with an interest in hosiery. And I don't mean as a fetish. As soon as I set up my twitter account, one of my first followers was a man who had only recently started on his own hosiery discovery journey. After the first contact, many more followed. It was simply amazing at the number of men who have asked about the Divine Legs hosiery collection.

This got me thinking about how the needs of men who are looking for tights for themselves could be better served.

#Brosinhose


So taking the advice of a well regarded blogger in this field (#hosieryformen - thank you!), I paid attention. First of all not all men who wear tights are wearing in them in a feminine context. Which makes sense as not a lot of women I know wear trousers in a male context!

It's Not Just Men in Skirts

My journey evolved into a whirl-wind tour of society's attitude towards men wearing female focused clothing. There was stunning amount of negativity around "cross dressing". Perhaps I am naive but I hadn't thought of clothing as gender exclusive. For a start I was bought up in Scotland, the land of men-in-skirts! Kanye West, Marc Jacobs and David Beckham have all given skirts a go. So why should wearing tights be any different?

So taking the advice of a well regarded blogger in this field (#hosieryformen - thank you!), I paid attention. First of all not all men who wear tights are wearing in them in a feminine context. Which makes sense as not a lot of women I know wear trousers in a male context! 

It's Not Just Men in Skirts


My journey evolved into a whirl-wind tour of society's attitude towards men wearing female focused clothing. There was stunning amount of negativity around "cross dressing". Perhaps I am naive but I hadn't thought of clothing as gender exclusive. For a start I was bought up in Scotland, the land of men-in-skirts! Kanye West, Marc Jacobs and David Beckham have all given skirts a go. So why should wearing tights be any different?

Common sense says asking the right questions would be the best way to find out what men want, and the answers are surprisingly simple:

  • Tight that fit and are comfortable
  • Tights that last more than just first contact with any solid surface - yet don't look like something your granny would wear
  • Tights that feel luxurious and make your legs look amazing
  • A simple quality and discreet service that gets the most comfortable tights delivered QUICKLY
So far so good as none of this was rocket science - in fact to my mind it is simply essential good customer service. And really no different to what women want in a hosiery retailer.

What was really intriguing was the unexpected access to really interesting people with amazing stories that just cried out to be told. Every journey is different, with some common themes and it would be great to regularly feature these stories on my blog. Please send yours in, I'd love to hear from you - anonymity assured if thats what you need. Today I just want to share a part of my own journey into the men-in-tights community.

So far I have "met":

  • a happily married secret cross-dresser,
  • an openly transvestite married man, and
  • a couple of guys who, whilst openly dressing-up on the weekend, have working lives in traditional gender based dress (i.e. they wear a suit and tie to work);
  • Plus a whole group of men who wear hosiery in a non-feminine context with their male-focused clothes; 
  • And many more.
It's a great community and a lot of amazing stories

I am still getting used to the language of men-in-tights so bear with me as a learn. Looking forward, let's get these extraordinary stories out there so that a more positive image of cross dressing can be revealed and to encourage those thinking of taking this step can be more confident that "being yourself" should be celebrated.

To take the lead from one of my twitter followers, #brosinhose is about to have its moment - and long may that moment last!

At Divine Legs we love hearing from you - and any suggestions you have which will improve the service we offer is gratefully received. Whilst we can't always respond to every idea, we do read every email with interest and try to give a personal response to everyone.


Source

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You can check the collection of tights at Divine Legs here.

You can also connect with Divine Legs at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Divine Legs website also has more contact options including a live chat facility.

Friday 25 November 2016

Just arrived: ITEM m6 men's fine ribbed socks

UK Tights now have a range of hosiery from the German ITEM m6 brand in stock.



You can read our recent blogpost on this.

UK Tights have kindly send us a pair of the ITEM m6 men's fine ribbed socks to trial and review.

Black Friday offers at UK Tights

Our recommended hosiery retailer UK Tights has a great Black Friday offer this year. There is 15% off everything with the code: BLACK.





But hurry - this is for today only and ends at midnight today GMT.

Black Friday offers at Luxury Legs

Luxury Legs, one of our recommended hosiery retailers, has some great Black Friday offers.



There is 10% of Wolford, ITEM m6, and Fogal when you spend £50. Use CODE10.

Wednesday 23 November 2016

ITEM m6 hosiery now available at UK Tights

UK Tights, one of our recommended retailers, is stocking a range of hosiery from the German ITEM m6 brand.







The range includes:

ITEM m6 men's fine ribbed socks



ITEM m6 men's pique striped socks




ITEM m6 chess tights




ITEM m6 invisible tights




ITEM m6 beauty tights

New Heist 'THE EIGHTY' opaque tights now available!

Tights Reimagined. That is the concept behind Heist, a hosiery brand that was launched last year.



Heist started with a mission – to create the perfect pair of tights.

You can read our review of the Heist THE FIFTY opaque tights that we published in may this year.

Heist has now launched THE EIGHTY: 80 denier opaque tights.





THE EIGHTY feature the same unique Heist seamless design (with no gusset). They are available in four sizes: S, M, L and XL.



We are really pleased to see that THE EIGHTY are available in an XL size. Indeed it appears that an XL size is now available across the whole of the Heist range. Good news for taller guys as these will fit up to 6'4" according to the sizing information.

The only colour available currently is JET BLACK.

As with THE FIFTY tights, there is a choice of a LOW waistband (priced at £22) and a HIGH waistband (priced at £24).



Shipping is free worldwide.

We are really looking forward to trialling THE EIGHTY and hope to publish a review soon.