Friday 27 December 2019

Reviewed: Pretty Polly Eco-Wear Biodegradable 70 Denier Tights

Pretty Polly recently sent us several items from their new Eco-Wear range of tights, leggings and underwear.



For more background on the range, read our interview with Pretty Polly Product Manager Caroline Wright.

Our first review from the Eco-Wear range was focused on the Pretty Polly Eco-Wear Biodegradable Seamfree Shorts.

We now turn our attention to the Pretty Polly Eco-Wear Biodegradable 70 Denier Tights.



Packaging

Pretty Polly have created a new design for the Eco-Wear range that uses recyclable and biodegradable packaging. There is no plastic used at all, and the look and feel of the packaging has an appropriate recycled look and feel.

The tights come in a simple card clasp designed for retail display.







Material and features


This is what Pretty Polly say about this Eco-Wear product:

"Pretty Polly introduces Eco-Wear, a sustainable range of hosiery, seamfree underwear and leggings made from the first biodegradable polyamide in the world. The yarn is also recyclable. Garments made with this innovative technology will decompose in approximately 3-5 years when properly disposed of in landfill, reducing their environmental impact."

"The new yarn has a beautiful softness and handle which gives the underwear a sense of luxury with balance and comfort combined. The garments are all individually designed for optimum comfort and fit, made to work with the body rather than against it, reinventing the way we think about underwear and movement."




The Pretty Polly Eco-Wear Biodegradable 70 Denier Tights are made in Italy from a yarn made from 94% Polyamide and 6% Elastane.

Note that the Polyamide in the yarn is biodegradable, but the not the Elastane. Pretty Polly say they are currently working on that.

One off the key features of the Eco-Wear range is how they have been designed to have a soft handle. You notice that immediately: they are incredibly soft and smooth to touch, but also noticeably stretchy.

At 70 denier, the opaque coverage is almost total. Appearance is mainly matte, with a hint of shine.

These tights are sheer to waist, with no demarcation between the leg and the brief.

Seams are flat throughout. 


The brief, which has a cotton gusset, has a depth of 25cm from the top of the waistband to the crotch.



The waistband is 3cm wide, and on the inside there is a Pretty Polly Eco-Wear tag. That is an extra touch of quality.



Toes are rounded and with reinforcement.



Sizing, fit and wearing experience


The Pretty Polly Eco-Wear Biodegradable 70 Denier Tights are are available in three sizes: SM, ML and XL.



We trialled them in an XL size.

Pretty Polly have got the sizing and sizing information just right. The XL were a perfect fit for my 5'10" height.

The tights have plenty of stretch, and once eased into place don't need re-stretching or adjusting.They stay in place well.

I found they had plenty of room in the leg and thigh, so that the yarn moulded naturally even in areas where it might become more stretched, such as the knee.

The brief stretched comfortably above the waist and hips, and was very comfortable indeed.

Overall the wearing experience was excellent. At 70 Denier these aren't thick, heavy tights. They provide just the right amount of insulation on cool days. They also feel great when worn. They are so soft and smooth that you will find your hands caressing and admiring how they feel!



Colour range


The Pretty Polly Eco-Wear Biodegradable 70 Denier Tights are available Black only.



The tights shown on the left in this image are the Eco-Wear 70 Denier Tights. The tights on the right are the 40 Denier Eco-Wear Tights, which we will review next.



Price and availability


The Pretty Polly Eco-Wear Biodegradable 70 Denier Tights are priced at £10.00.

You can purchase them directly from the Pretty Polly website.

Both styles of Eco-Wear tights are also now available at retailer Tights Tights Tights.



Conclusion

This Eco-Wear range really delivers on quality and comfort. Pretty Polly have put a lot into this collection and deserve praise not just for the products, but also for a genuine move towards making hosiery products more sustainable and environmentally-friendly.

We are well into the season for black opaque tights now, and the Pretty Polly Eco-Wear Biodegradable 70 Denier Tights are as good an opaque you can get for the price.

For just £10.00 they really are a good purchase. If you hurry, you can also get 25% off everything at Pretty Polly in their Christmas sale. But be quick as this is only available until 28 December (use code "XMAS25").

Stay tuned for our review of the Pretty Polly Eco-Wear Biodegradable 40 Denier Tights.

Monday 23 December 2019

Happy holidays to all Hosiery For Men readers

Thanks to all the readers of Hosiery For Men for reading the blog over another year.



Hope you have enjoyed reading the news, reviews, features and other content that has been published.

There is more to come in 2010.

I hope that if you are expecting some tights and leggings as presents, that you you are happy with whatever you receive.

If anyone would like to send me a Heist gift certificate I would be very happy indeed!



Just use Hosiery For Men (recipient's name) and hosiery4men@gmail.com (recipient's email). Everything you need is here: https://www.heist-studios.com/giftcertificates.php

Hosiery Denier Guide: What Do Different Denier Tights Look Like?

Hosiery Denier Guide: What Do Different Denier Tights Look Like?

This is one of the most informative and coolest blog posts we have read this year.

The question was answered earlier this month by Estelle Puleston in her Esty Lingerie blog.



Estelle looks at what is meant by "denier' and then goes on to show what different hosiery deniers actually look like.

"Denier in and of itself is not actually a measure of how sheer/opaque the hosiery is. It indicates how much the yarn it’s knitted from weighs. The name comes from a medieval French coin called a denier, which weighed the same as a 9,000m strand of silk, hence a single silk strand = 1 denier. The coin also weighed roughly the same as a modern gram, which is what we now use to work out denier instead. So, if 9,000m of a yarn weighs 10 grams, then any tights or stockings knitted from it will be 10 denier."


The visual guide to what different deniers actually look like is particularly useful, with examples provided for 12 examples of plain black hosiery at different deniers from 5 to 140 denier.

Here is the Esty Lingerie Hosiery Denier Comparison Chart.



Estelle also provides information on each style of tights worn in the chart.

We were pleased to see the Falke Warm Deluxe 80 Tights getting a mention. Described as "fabulously warm" by Estelle, we also love them. You can read our review here and purchase them from Luxury Legs.



If you need any further information or have any questions, you can post in the comments on this Esty Lingerie blog post.


It would be great to hear from Hosiery For Men readers about their favourite tights for any of the 12 examples of deniers provided by Esty Lingerie.

Saturday 21 December 2019

Reviewed: Platino 80 Denier Total Confort Tights

The Spanish hosiery brand Platino recently sent us some tights to review.



We have already reviewed the Platino 180 Denier Térmico (Thermal) Tights, a great product that we recommend.

We now focus on the Platino 80 Denier Total Confort Tights.



The Total Confort 80 Tights are part of the Platino Total Confort range. Earlier this year we reviewed the Platino 40 Denier Total Confort Tights.

Packaging

Packaging is simple. The tights are folded around a white card rectangle, then enclosed in a cellophane bag. Everything is then housed in a card envelope.







Materials and features


These tights are part of Platino's Total Confort range. The range includes: 


  • 20 Denier Knee Highs 
  • 50 Denier Knee Highs 
  • 10 Denier Tights 
  • 15 Denier Tights 
  • 20 Denier Tights 
  • 40 Denier Tights 
  • 80 Denier Tights 
The key concept in the Platino Total Confort range is the design of the waistband. This has been made to provide a high level of comfort without digging in, being too tight or leaving any pressure marks.

The waistband on Total Confort Tights is adjustable, and can be positioned either on your hips or higher up around the waist. Therefore you have high and low waist versions in one garment.

Here's a summary of the key features: 

  • Made in Spain 
  • 94% Polyamide and 6% Elastane 
  • Soft and silky feel, with satin appearance 
  • Boarded with a shaped leg, heel and foot 
  • Sheer to waist 
  • Conventional seams 
  • Gusset 
  • Wide comfort 7cm-wide waistband 
  • Deep brief, measuring 30cm from top of waistband to gusset 
  • No toe reinforcement




Sizing, fit and wearing experience

The Platino 80 Denier Total Confort Tights are available in four sizes: 

M-II
G-III
SM-VI
S-IV

I wore the S-IV size.



Taking the tights from the packaging, I was impressed with the appearance of a long leg length. They felt gorgeously smooth and soft to the touch.

The knit is close and dense, giving almost total opaque coverage.

The tights have a noticeable sheen, and a slight shine when caught in the light.



Fit on the leg was pretty much perfect. However for my 5'10" height they were almost at full stretch. I wouldn't recommend these if you are much taller.

Glide under trousers was excellent.

The brief/panty was reasonably comfortable, although I would have preferred it to have a bit more stretch and elasticity. The waistband came above the waist and hips, but when wearing for a period slipped down below the navel.

However overall, I found the Total Confort 80s on the small side, even though I wore the largest size available. Although they look really quite large, for me they lacked enough stretch to fully accommodate my height. They feel great on the skin, but over a day of wearing I found I was pulling up the leg and readjusting the waistband.

Colour range


The Platino 80 Denier Total Confort Tights are available in two colours: Negro (Black) and Cafe (Coffee).

I wore them in the Black shade.





Price and availability


The Platino 80 Denier Total Confort Tights retail in Spain for around €15.00.

If you are not based in Spain, you should be able to find them via eBay and Amazon.

Conclusion

The Platino 80 Denier Total Confort Tights are good quality 80 denier opaques. I did like the fabric and the smooth, comfortable feel on the skin. They are great to wear under trousers as the glide is exceptional. They also look good.

However, as detailed above, I didn't feel these were really my size. If you have thin legs and a slender build the S-IV size could work well. For me, there needed to be more stretch and elasticity for a really comfortable fit.

Friday 20 December 2019

Four Reasons Why You Should Try Men's Tights

Check this cool graphic that UK Tights recently shared on their blog, to promote tights for men.





Check out the expanded range of men's tights at UK Tights, including the new additions to the Maximus range.

Just arrived: Platino Cleancut 15 Denier Tights

Thanks to UK Tights, we now have an opportunity to try out these iconic tights from the Spanish hosiery brand Platino.



These are the Platino Cleancut 15 Denier Tights.



Wednesday 18 December 2019

New Aurora Products From Wolford: Aurora 70 Knee-Highs and Aurora 70 Socks

At Hosiery For Men we previously brought you news of Wolford's commitment to tackle pollution and promote sustainability in fashion.



In their Cradle to Cradle® Collection, Wolford are creating biodegradable skin-wear Aurora products that have required extensive research on colorants and textile chemicals, to ensure that they have a safe biological lifecycle.





We have already reviewed the following Aurora garments:

Wolford Aurora Pullover


Wolford Aurora Leggings


New additions to the Aurora range are:

Wolford Aurora 70 Knee-Highs






Wolford Aurora 70 Socks






The Aurora 70 Knee-Highs and Aurora 70 Socks can also be purchased at Luxury Legs, where the whole Wolford Aurora collection is available.

Introducing Executive Legwear

A new online men's legwear store has just opened!

Executive Legwear is a luxury boutique that aims to curate the finest men's legwear, whether it be for work, sport, or leisure.



At 
Executive Legwear you will find sheer, opaque, matt, support and seamless tights for men.

A range of brands are already available, including Comfort4Men, Glamory and I SEE YOUR LEGS.





Saturday 14 December 2019

Reviewed: Pretty Polly Eco-Wear Biodegradable Seamfree Shorts

Pretty Polly sent us several items from their new Eco-Wear range of tights, leggings and underwear.



For more background on the range, read our interview with Pretty Polly Product Manager Caroline Wright.

For our first full review from the Eco-Wear range we will focus on the Pretty Polly Eco-Wear Biodegradable Seamfree Shorts.



Packaging

First of all let's give some credit to Pretty Polly for housing the Eco-Wear range in recyclable and biodegradable packaging. There is no plastic used at all.

The shorts are housed in a 24cm x 16cm thin card box, that also has a eco appearance.





Material and features


This is what Pretty Polly say about this Eco-Wear product:

"Pretty Polly introduces Eco-Wear, a sustainable range of hosiery, seamfree underwear and leggings made from the first biodegradable polyamide in the world. The yarn is also recyclable. Garments made with this innovative technology will decompose in approximately 3-5 years when properly disposed of in landfill, reducing their environmental impact."

"The new yarn has a beautiful softness and handle which gives the underwear a sense of luxury with balance and comfort combined. The garments are all individually designed for optimum comfort and fit, made to work with the body rather than against it, reinventing the way we think about underwear and movement."


"The Seamfree Eco-Wear Shorts provide extreme soft comfort and superior fit."


You can feel the quality of these Pretty Polly Eco-Wear Biodegradable Seamfree Shorts as soon as you take them out of the packaging. They feel very soft and smooth, and are also stretchy.

The design is the classic rectangular women's short. They are made in Italy from 93% Polyamide and 7% Elastane.

The body is completely seamfree (apart from the waist, leg opening and gusset) for maximum comfort.



The shorts have a 3cm wide waistband.



A gusset has also been included in the design.

Each of the leg openings is finished with a soft 2cm wide cuff.



Sizing, fit and wearing experience


The Pretty Polly Eco-Wear Biodegradable Seamfree Shorts are available in three sizes: SM, ML and XL.



I wore them in an XL size.

I haven't reviewed much underwear at Hosiery For Men, except the exceptional range from Chaffree. I did wonder how shorts designed for women might work on a guy, and whether they might have sufficient depth and room.

Well, there were no concerns at all. The XL size was a perfect fit. The waist stretched comfortably above the waist and hips. The material is really stretchy and moulds to whatever shape you are. Pretty Polly say that the shorts are actually designed to "work with the body".

There was no constriction in the male anatomy area.

Overall the wearing experience was very comfortable and these worked very well for me.

Colour range


The Pretty Polly Eco-Wear Biodegradable Seamfree Shorts are available in three colours:

Black

Nude

White

I wore them in the Black colour.



Price and availability


The Pretty Polly Eco-Wear Biodegradable Seamfree Shorts are priced at £10.00.

You can purchase them directly from the Pretty Polly website.

Conclusion

A top quality garment that really delivers in terms of comfort and a great wearing experience. Because they are designed to "work with the body", these are shorts that will work as a unisex product.

I would definitely buy these and recommend them to Hosiery For Men readers, who are confident enough to try something different when choosing underwear.