Saturday 31 October 2015

Spotlight on Foot Fetish Socks

Foot Fetish Socks is a business specialising in handmade socks and other hosiery.





We recently spoke to Samantha Perry of Foot Fetish Socks and are really pleased to publish our interview.


Can you tell Hosiery For Men readers about Foot Fetish Socks How did the business start and how has it developed?

Charmaine, the creator of Foot Fetish Socks has always loved knitting. When she came across a Victorian sock knitting machine she set herself the challenge of teaching herself the skill, combining her love for steam punk fashion she started making stockings. She was successful and decided to make a business out of her hobby.



The business began on Etsy in 2011, since then the business has grown and is currently nearing the 900th online sale. In March Sam joined the business and began to work on social media to gain more interest in areas other than Etsy.

Since then we have been approached by several other organisations, and we have sealed a deal with a gift shop in the Lake District and are now negotiating another deal with an online store. We hope to continue to grow and make the business, both of our full time jobs.

Why did you choose the name Foot Fetish Socks? Why the word ‘fetish’?

When anyone says fetish, automatically people think of a form of sexual desire, but it also means an excessive and irrational devotion or commitment to a particular thing….just like Charmaine’s love of socks!

It also sounds fun, different and she likes alliteration.

We recently added a tag line #notaskinkyasyouthink to our brand, for a bit of fun and to acknowledge that we know it’s not a conventional name.

What are the main types of socks and hosiery that you make and sell?
Thigh highs and stockings are our best sellers; there is not a wide range of traditionally handmade items like ours.

We also sell leg warmers, knee high socks, bed socks and ordinary socks.

We make socks in all types of yarns including, angora, alpaca, mohair and silk blends, cotton and cashmere.

We have many custom requests, we are able to for fill almost all of the request’s we receive. We will send photos and chat about custom orders to ensure the customer is happy before we send them out. We have custom made anything from angora socks for a mountaineer in the alps to split toe tabi socks to extra, extra long stockings.









Do you welcome male customers? What kind of service will they receive?
Male customers receive the same service as female customers, we pride ourselves with a high standard of customer service and we like to keep both new and old customers happy. We have many repeat customers, we are very confident that you won’t be able to stop at one pair.

Are there any styles that you particularly recommend for men? Are there any styles that have been particularly popular?
One of our favourite male customers regularly buys super long thigh highs. Leg warmers are also popular with men.



For men with larger thighs we recommend the Victorian stockings held up with some of our garter clips.

The leg warmers are great too because they can be practical and look beautiful from ankle length to as far up as you want to go!




For your “vanilla” pair of socks, we would recommend 100% wool, cashmere or alpaca.



There is always quite a lot of media interest in the subject of tights for men. What are your thoughts about the greater visibility of men buying and wearing tights?
If it’s cool for girls, it’s cool for guys! Who wore stockings first anyway?

Are you planning to make and sell tights in the future?
Making tights on a knitting machine is a very long and time consuming process, they would also be a very expensive pair of tights, at the moment it is not viable for us to make them whilst we both still work full time.

What are your plans for the future at Foot Fetish Socks?
At the moment we are concentration on gaining opportunities to sell in more gift shops and more online shops. We are also expanding our range. We have began to make and sell garter clips. This has kicked off well and is gaining a lot of interest.

We sell to a wide range of countries already, including here in the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia and France.

We want to be the go to brand for good old fashioned quality handmade foot and legwear worldwide.

Thanks Samantha, it's been great talking to you. I hope Hosiery For Men readers will check out Foot Fetish Socks and also connect with you on Twitter.

Stay tuned for a forthcoming review of some amazing handmade socks that Foot Fetish Socks sent us.

Thursday 29 October 2015

Reviewed: Giulia Sensi 70 Denier Low Waist Sheer Tights

The Irish hosiery retailer DressMyLegs kindly sent Hosiery For Men a pair of the Giulia Sensi 70 Denier Low Waist Sheer Tights to review.

This is the first time we have trialled any tights from Giulia, who manufacture hosiery in Ukraine. You can find out more about them on their website.





Material and features
The Giulia Sensi 70 Denier Low Waist Sheer Tights are packaged simply and effectively. The tights are folded around a card rectangle, covered in a cellophane envelope and then housed in the outer packaging.





The Giulia Sensi 70 Denier Low Waist Sheer Tights are an interesting product: they are sheer tights but in a relatively high 70 denier.

The yarn is 80% Polyamide, 17% Elastane and 3% Cotton.

The fabric feels extremely soft and silky, with a noticeable sheen. The fabric seems to be very durable.

They are sheer to waist with flat seams. There is a cotton gusset. The heels are anatomically shaped and toes reinforced.

An impressive feature is the waistband - this is just over 7cm wide and provides excellent, comfortable grip.

These tights are a low waist style.





Fit and sizing
The Giulia Sensi 70 Denier Low Waist Sheer Tights are available in three sizes:

  • 2S
  • 3M
  • 4L
I tested a pair in the 4L size.



Fit was good and the 4L size provided enough length in the leg. The fabric, with such as high Elastane content, moulds to the leg exceptionally well and also provides some light compression.

The overall wearing experience was good in terms of the feel and comfort on the skin.

The tights look semi-opaque when worn. Coverage is quite dense but leg hair can still be seen.

As mentioned above the Sensi 70 style is low waist. In my case the tights stretched just onto the waist but not much higher.

Colour range
The Giulia Sensi 70 Denier Low Waist Sheer Tights are available in two colours: Nero (Black) and Daino (Medium Tan)

I tested a pair in the Daino shade.

Price and availability
The Giulia Sensi 70 Denier Low Waist Sheer Tights are priced at €6.95 at Dress My Legs.

Conclusion

For the price, the Sensi 70 tights are great quality. The yarn is really nice and comfortable on the skin, and they tights provide a great feel when worn.

I really like the idea of sheer/semi-sheer tights with a higher denier. That provides a robust product for men who like sheer tights but want a more robust and hard-wearing product.

What didn't work for me was the low waist, which was just a bit too low to provide the fit and comfort I need. If the Sensi 70 tights were available in the conventional high waist version they would definitely be a style I would consider wearing.

New tights brand Heist launched

Tights Reimagined. That is the concept of Heist of a new hosiery brand that launched recently in London.



The tights developed by Heist were created after an extensive consultation exercise with the aim to develop a perfect and luxurious pair of black tights.





Heist tights have several key features:

  • Completely seamless
  • Made with an exceptional Italian double covered yarn with 5x the spirals of regular tights (5000+)
  • A waistband made separately and then hand-sewn onto each pair of tights
  • A choice of two waistband heights  - low and high
  • Toe seams that tuck three millimetres under the toes to give a streamlined silhouette for the entire foot.


Heist tights are available in two versions.

The Sheer - the Thirty with a low (£19.00) or high waistband (£21.00).



The Opaque - the Fifty with a low (£20.00) or high waistband (£22.00).




The tights can be purchased online from Heist. Shipping is free throughout the EU.

You can follow Heist at Twitter and Instagram.

Tuesday 6 October 2015

Exclusive Luxury Legs 10% Discount Code for Hosiery For men readers

One of our favourite hosiery retailers, Luxury Legs, have created an exclusive 10% off everything offer for Hosiery For Men readers.



This is valid until the end of October 2015 and can be used on any items, part from those already discounted in the sale section.

Just enter the code HFM10 when you checkout.

This is a great opportunity to stock up on tights from top brands, such as Wolford, Falke, Gerbe, Oroblu and Fogal.

Not sure what to buy?

For men (and our many female readers also, of course) here our some recommendations.


All of the suggestions have been reviewed at Hosiery For Men, and are all available in Extra Large sizes. If Extra Large sizes are not in stock Luxury Legs can order these quickly.

Wolford Velvet De Luxe 50 Tights - one of the Wolford's best sellers and a staple for autumn and winter.


Wolford Cotton Velvet Tights - pure luxury against the skin, taking cotton tights to another level.



Wolford Satin 50 Opaque Tights - the perfect opaques for wearing under trousers. Try them and you will love the smooth, silky comfort.



Falke Pure Matt 100 Denier Tights - Totally opaque and totally matt opaques. Perfect with shorts on even the coldest days.




Falke Cotton Touch Tights - a great alternative to the Wolford Cotton Velvet Tights. But why not buy a pair of each?



Falke Warm Deluxe 80 Thermal Tights - There are tights that claim to be 'thermal' and there are the Falke Warm Deluxe 80 Tights. These tights are made with an innovative plush fabric lining which creates an air cushion which conserves heat.



Don't miss our recently-published feature on Luxury Legs.

Saturday 3 October 2015

Spotlight on Luxury Legs

Luxury Legs have created a unique profile in the hosiery retailing scene in the UK. With their focus on premium brands, quality and first class customer service, they have developed a stand-out profile.

Luxury Legs have also been great supporters of the Hosiery For Men blog. We were really pleased to be able to interview the co-founder of Luxury Legs Stephen Sheldon recently.



Can you provide Hosiery For Men readers with some background to Luxury Legs? When did the business start and how has it developed?
Luxury Legs started trading in June 2013 and was founded by Madelaine and Stephen Sheldon, who combined have over 50 years experience in the industry. Their previous business was operating the Wolford Partner Boutique in London’s South Molton Street plus the wbw1.com website, selling Wolford products.

It was therefore a natural progression to open a multi brand ecommerce site specialising in the world’s leading premium brands of hosiery.

In a crowded online hosiery retailing market what is unique about Luxury Legs?
Specialising in only premium quality brands is our USP. We also love natural fibres.

Do you have many male customers at Luxury Legs? Are they buying for their partners or themselves?
We have loads of very loyal male customers, probably around 40%. Many buy for their partners but also lots for themselves.

Are there any particular items that you have in stock that you feel you can recommend for men this autumn and winter?
Ooh that’s a difficult one! We have so many fantastic new products.

What I do particularly like are the Wolford Velvet Sensation Tights (arriving soon). Wolford produced them first as leggings and they are a best seller. These tights/leggings have micro fleece on the inside so are very soft and warm.



The other product which has started to sell really well is the Falke ‘Seasons’ Cotton and Cashmere Tights. The quality and feel is amazing and at £22.00 they are a great price!




The Gerbe Futura 40 Denier Tights are also a good choice. It has a really deep flat waistband and is very generously sized. It also has a light graduated support so is perfect for those who are on their feet all-day. It is an undiscovered gem except for those in the know!



What kind of service will male customers receive at Luxury Legs? Do you welcome enquiries and requests for advice? 

We are more than happy to give advice. All customers male and female receive great service. We have just produced our second brochure too and are happy to send that to anyone as well.

There is always quite a lot of media interest in the subject of tights for men. What are your thoughts about the greater visibility of men buying and wearing tights?
The more exposure the better! I am often asked about how many men we sell to and when I explain that men actually like to wear tights, some people are actually shocked. I think recent press articles will help remove this stigma.

To men thinking about trying tights, what would you say are the main benefits of wearing them?

Warmth, comfort and the ability to enjoy and share in the experience that quality hosiery brings.

What are your plans for the future at Luxury Legs? Have you considered stocking a range of men’s tights, or curating a selection of tights that are recommended for men?
At present we have no plans to stock the men’s ranges. We have sampled quite a few products but feel the quality doesn’t quite match up to some of the wonderful labels we sell. We have recently introduced MaxMara and other new collections are arriving all the time. We love the winter!

Thanks for speaking to Hosiery For Men Stephen. We hope readers of the blog will takes a look at what is available at Luxury Legs and also that they will make contact if there is anything they need to know more about.


We wish all the colleagues at Luxury Legs a successful autumn and winter season.