Classic hosiery is always a pleasure to wear, but you can’t beat fresh and fashionable designs. Simpler sheer tights are a great and versatile item of leg wear, ideal for the office, perfect for parties and beautifully elegant for evening wear. But when the warm weather finally arrives, it’s the perfect time for you to make a statement and make yourself look fabulous in summer tights – you certainly deserve it!
Pamela Mann is a brand of hosiery that is world renowned for its fantastic designs and it’s one of UK Tights’ best selling brands. Summer is well upon us, so tights might not be the first thing on your mind when choosing your outfit. But don’t worry, Pamela Mann’s sheerest item is 10 denier, perfect for giving you a look that’s summer-friendly.
I’ve always though that Pamela Mann’s best designs are their summer ones. The summer fashion season has always been Pamela Mann’s time to shine, and there’s always a design in their collection that you’ll love, whatever your tastes.
My personal favourite, Pink Swirl Butterfly, is an all-time winner, and I can’t imagine a better Summer tights design. With Pamela Mann’s logo being a butterfly, you’re never surprised to see them release a great butterfly print.
Then again, Funky Diva, the design that’s selling like hotcakes, is one of the most creative prints I’ve seen in a summer collection, and I adore it. Bright colouring is the centre of Summer tigthts designs this year, so these are a fantastic addition to your summer wardrobe. You don’t want to miss these.
Something that’s become really popular in the past few months is floral. It’s always been a summer favourite, but it seems its overtaken plain dresses and looks like it’s the pattern of the season. Pamela Mann Wild Rose is the perfect way to bring floral into any outfit, and they look great outdoors, so you’ll be up-to-date and fabulous wherever you are.
So, go ahead, treat yourself. Do it now, because that sunshine won’t last forever!
Fashion magazines, after you get past all the adverts, give the best advice on style, trends, popular designs and what to wear this season. Elle, Vogue and the like always have every kind of clothing in their pages, so when I come across a piece on the best hosiery for summer, its always the first part I read.
If you’re looking for what’s best for the catwalk, magazines are by far the best, but not too many magazines can recommend which hosiery is best for you!
Here’s a few hints and tips to go by when buying hosiery, so that you will always find the perfect pair for you:
- Colour: Colour can be tricky to get right, and it depends on what you’re buying them for. If you are looking to match with a dress or outfit, find the same shade, or completely contrast. Contrasting is getting to be very popular and mixing bubblegum pink with lime green is very fashionable. If you’d like more information of how to use colours, I’d recommend my post on coloured tights.
- Patterns: Pairing colours is a tough job, but pairing patterns is even tougher. If you have a plain dress, go for either plain or pattern tights, either is fine. The only thing to avoid is two different patterns! Unless you can find exactly the same design, I would avoid doing this, otherwise people might think Picasso took up dress making.
- Sizing: On each of our product pages you’ll find a sizing guide below the sizing option. Sizing guides are made by the companies that produce the hosiery, so they are almost always accurate. If you fit into a certain size on the guide, that’s the one the hosiery, and you, will always look best in. Each brand uses a different guide, so its important to take a quick look at the chart if you’re trying a brand for the first time.
- Tights, Stockings or Hold Ups: Picking between tights, hold ups and stockings is a personal thing, this is one I can’t advise you on. Just pick the one that feel best for you. Try a few different brands for each type until you feel most comfortable. If you still can’t decide, try suspender tights, like the Trasparenze Cortina. This is a great way to find a happy medium. They are less constrainting aroung the brief, but don’t have any of those fiddly clips you find on stockings. Crotchless tights might also be advisable if you are looking for something a little lighter for summer.
- Make it Your Own: I love to know what’s in fashion. I think its one of the best ways to express yourself and a fantastic way to give yourself a treat, but I always make it my own. If I don’t feel that these shoes are me, I don’t buy them, I love to be myself. If you find a pair of tights you like, go for it! Even if their not the “in-colour” this season, don’t worry, as long as feel good in them, you’ll look good in them!
- And for Everything Else: If you are still unsure about what to buy, or which design is the best one for you, you can always phone UK Tights customer services. A customer services adviser is the perfect way to find exactly what you are looking for if you can’t find it on our website. Our lines are open from 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday, and the number is 01625 460 180. UK Tights staff value the customer above everything else, so if you need anything, we’ll be here to help.
So as we’re at the start of the summer season, pick up a few fashion magazines and see what’s in style, but don’t forget, you always have to find the style that’s right for you.
Dance tights: If you dance yourself, you’ll know just how annoying it is to find a pair of tights that do their job on the dance floor. You’ve probably gone through pair after pair, but don’t seem to be able to find the ones you can actually dance in. I always think how it’s a real shame that good brands put so much effort into designing the perfect pair of dancer’s tights, and they just end up will the same old story. They bunch around the leg joints, the colour fades through wear and tear, and sometimes they just split open.
But not to worry anymore, I’ve found the solution. UK Tights now has a dedicated dancer’s tights section and we’ve filled it with products that actually live up to their claims. In the past, manufacturers have tried to produce tights for the dance studio, but they never give their customers what they need. This time we’ve hand picked the best dancer’s tights available for our new section, and I’ll bet you these tights aren’t going to be disappointing.
Now, I’m no stranger to the dance floor, I’m no professional either, but I know a good pair of dance tights when I see one. One brand in particular that I have mentioned before for their fantastic and specific hosiery designs is Silky, and they have come up with a perfect solution for another annoying problem.
Silky was the first brand to make these new dance tights, and they are definitely the best I’ve ever come across. You can take it from me that these are perfect for the studio. Silky has once again produced an unbelievable product that fixes another hosiery nightmare.
Dancers will know that sheer tights are the kind that tear the most. This is pretty common for dancers, but Silky’s answer is a 10 denier pair that’s super strong. These tights are very resilient, and I’ll give a personal guaranteed they’ll be jsut what you are looking for.
We have added some other items in the Dance Tights section that we think you might like and I’m sure more will be on their way in the near future. Finding the right tights can be a hassle, but good news if you dance, because now you’ve got one less thing to worry about.
Who would be without their Black Tights? I know I wouldn’t! They are always popular, fashionable and elegant – and of course they look great with everything. Black has never gone out of fashion, it won’t anytime soon and with tights being our speciality, I decided to write about everything you need to know about finding the perfect pair of black tights.
I love choice, but there are so many different black tights on the market to choose from that it can become a bit overwhelming. Telling the difference between one pair of sheers and another, or opaques for that matter, isn’t the easiest. My golden rule for finding what you need is always to go by brands.
My favourite brand of the moment is Falke – they offer the perfect mix of quality and choice at the right price. When customers ask “what’s the best quality brand of hosiery you sell?” I always ask “what kind of hosiery do you need?” This is because every brand is specialised, and are great for different things.
Falke is one of the best brands I have encountered - they concentrate entirely on quality, and although they do release some very good designs, they are always aware that you need plain sheer black tights, and you want them feeling and looking fantastic.
Here’s a quick overview of some of our most popular black tights from Falke.
- Falke Seidenglatt 15 is our best seller from this range, and is especially made to give a glossy finish to the leg, perfect for pairing with over the knee skirts. These also come in 70 denier
- Shelina 12 are also a glossy item, but not as glossy as the Seidenglatt, making them perfect for a subtler and more conservative work outfit. These come in a regular 12 denier, very good quality hipster version. A toeless version is also available.
- And finally, Pure Matt 20, a totally non-glossy item that is probably something you have wanted to own for a while, but could never find one that was any good. They also come in a 50 denier version.
Of course, there are lots of other great brands to choose from and I love to give my readers choice and good advice of course!. Max Mara, one of our newer brands, was of great interest to me when it was announced that UK Tights would be selling them online, EXCLUSIVLEY! Max Mara is one of the biggest fashion designers in the world and feature prominently in four fashion weeks.
With their leg wear, Max Mara gives hosiery wearers something that other High Fashion names haven’t, choice. Freno are 50 denier black tights, something that isn’t seen so much from the larger fashion designers, that is exquisite to wear and is very popular right now.
Sheer tights form the core of Max Mara’s range, they have four different plain, sheer tights designs already available. Each design is specialised for different purposes, such as the Gibus, a super sheer and super strong design. These are one of the most popular sheers we have available today, and even though they are 13 denier, they are highly durable and a pleasure to wear.
And its good news, almost all of the Max Mara hosiery comes in that most popular of colours, so you’ll certainly not be short of black tights from this designer.
Who’d have thought coloured tights would become so fashionable this year? They’re really on trend now and every other request we get is for more and more different colours – it seems they’re an all-year-round sensation!
I have to warn you; coloured hosiery is a difficult thing to pull off, “matching” and “complimenting” are my normal top tips for anything with brighter hues. This is the traditional view of bright and loud clothing, although, in a recent article in Esquire magazine, the word of the season was “clash!” No, not the 70’s punk group – clashing clothing! Apparently, bright pink tights or fluorescent green tights are absolutely fine and can now be worn without fear.
Use coloured tights as a simple way to spice up an outfit and if you decide to go all traffic lights this spring, Pamela Mann is the best brand to take a look at.
Or, if you DO want to go for 70’s Punk chic, Pamela Mann Sculls are for you, florescent tights with little black skull-and-cross-bones all over the legs, rock on!
Pamela Mann Twickers are always a good choice for Rock ‘n’ Roll fashion; the stripes are perfect for reliving those old air-guitar days! Twickers have been popular for some time and the range of both full length and footless coloured tights makes this a versatile option for everything from daily wear, to party accessories.
If you’re just looking for vivid colour however, The Oroblu All Colours are the perfect coloured tights for you. The 20 denier would be my first recommendation for summer, but then again, the average British weather forecast would make the 50 denier more appropriate. Both varieties come in a whole range of colours, so you’ll never be short of choice, they are one of the best brands in production today with lost of five star customer reviews.
Even though we have already said a touch of clashing colour will do fine, there is a limit to how outrageous you can be while still looking good. So to help you out a little, I have included some tips for pulling off such a vivid look.
- One extreme or the Other
Either dazzling or subtle. Bright florescent colours or pastels, powders and pale shades. It’s a bad idea to combine a shocking lime with powder blue, but mix that same green with fuchsia, or purple tights with a candyfloss pink and you’ll be on to a winner.
- Less is More
Don’t introduce too many colours, one for the top, one for the bottoms if you’re not wearing a dress, and one for each accessory like a scarf, headdress, footwear etc. The point is to have contrasting colours, not as many colours as you can get on at once.
- Patterns and Plain
If you’re wearing a patterned dress, the best accompaniment by far is plain hosiery in bright tones. The classic white summer dress has been popular since anyone can remember, but can easily be made that much more vivid with some patterned hosiery. Alternating is advised, and even a plain dress with plain tights looks fantastic, but avoid pattern-on-pattern. This is risky, unless the person who designed the dress also released some tights to go with them; you are going to clash (and not in the good way!).
- Socks and Ankle Wear
Some people are more traditional when it comes to wearing contrasting clothes. If classic style is your choice look at ankle wear. Hudson has released a very popular purple Ankle Cuff this spring, but if you are still looking for dazzling shades, the Trasparenze Anachis would suit you better. These items are perfect for adding some flare to an outfit, but don’t come too far up the leg, keeping their distance from your dress and keeping them from conflicting. Something else you can try if you’re not up to wear tights all summer is the Trasparenze Valentina, a fantastic sheer hold that keeps with our theme of colour, but doesn’t go right up to the waist, making it perfect for a bright, fresh and fashion summer alternative to tights.
Well, I hope this has given you some useful information on how to use coloured tights to add some zest to your look this spring, and your legs will be sure to turn heads. Remember, anything that is loud, bright and colourful will do fine, just keep it tasteful, not too garish and you’ll do fine. Now it’s summer a bright shade or two can’t go wrong, and as long as you pair the colours well, you’ll look fantastic.
Bring on the sunshine!
 Champs Elysees Pure Silk Stockings |
I’ve really got back into silk stockings this year. As you can imagine I’m rather fond of hosiery in general (we’ve had to extend the house to make space for my personal collection!) but hadn’t been wearing silk for a while.Then Cervin brought out their Champs Elysees range and after seeing all the positive comments from our customers I just had to try them out myself. What a revelation – they are just bliss to wear. Historically silk has been a luxury product and while it’s still not everyday wear modern production techniques have made it lot more affordable, as a result the available range is gradually increasing.
Having fallen in love with my silk stockings I couldn’t wait to try out a pair of Gerbe’s silk tights and they have fast become a firm favourite. Nothing breathes like silk so these are cool to wear all day (perfect for long journeys) by some weird magic they are also warm when the weather turns colder. One thing you do need to be careful of with all silk hosiery is to buy the right size – there are some silk mix products in the pipeline which have a bit of stretch – but pure silk is limited in its stretchability.I know how important it is to get the right size and good quality silk hosiery is sold in a wide range of sizes so you can get the perfect fit. |
How to care for your silk stockings: although very strong when dry, it becomes delicate when wet which is why many manufacturer recommend dry cleaning. However, if you are very careful you can hand wash your silk hosiery, here’s a quick guide:-
Treat yourself – or better yet get someone else to treat you – to some silk stockings, you won’t look back. |
 Gerbe Pure Silk Tights |
We found this ’80’s advert for Pretty Polly tights – indulge in the nostalgia!
Exciting news everyone! UK Beachwear, the sister-site of your favourite online hosiery retailer, has launched its new blog!
For some months, the Technical Department has been working on improving the look, feel and overall usability of the UK Tights Blog. Recently, however, we felt that our posts weren’t reaching the full audience of our customers; after all, some of you are avid hosiery lovers, while other customers are dedicated beach-dwellers, and absolutely have to have something sensational to wear while sunbathing.
After a few days of drafting and designing, we have finally launched the new page that is ready to view. Of course, we will include a link to the page for you in this post.
This new blog will, of course, contain a continuous update of new brands, seasonal designs, offers, events and side projects, like our new YouTube channel and perhaps even some video-blogs in the future! Happy viewing and happy shopping!
Dear readers, good news has come our way this week, and what a week it was! Our newest brand, Silky, has been a cracking success and some of our items have sold out already! This is fantastic to hear, but it isn’t, of course, the good news we are talking about. The news is that we shall very soon be taking on two more labels by the Silky manufacturer and we can tell you that we have already seen the designs.
Based on customer opinion, the designs by Vixen and Tattoo will sure to be very popular, and if you liked the leggings that were added last week, you will love the designs that are to arrive very soon.
Normally, we wouldn’t mention a brand before it’s arrived and on the website, but based on the popularity of this manufacturer, we thought it best you know in advance what we have in store for you. Unfortunately, we don’t have any images as yet, so we can’t post any tasters on our blog yet, but we will be sure to make another post announcing their arrival.
Oh and just to calm your worries, when we say “sold out”, we don’t mean they aren’t in production, we only mean that they are currently not in stock, so if you are looking for some Jeggings, Anaconda print leggings or Iguana scales, UK Tights is still number one for your Silky needs!
As you may have found from previous posts on this blog, UK Tights is a very customer orientated company, and taking this into consideration, we don’t just want to provide you with a fantastic range of high quality hosiery. We want to offer you, our faithful readers and patrons, a full media and information experience that will keep you up to date with everything that is happening at your favourite hosiery shop.
Our boffins in the Technical and Marketing Departments are always looking for new ways to inform and entertain our readers, and what better way to spice up readership than giving you viewership. UK Tights will be launching a series of YouTube videos that will keep you updated on our new products, offers, events and anything that you might find useful.
We are currently arranging lighting, sets and some camera equipment, so the finished result should be available to view very soon.
We would love our dedicated blog readers to comment on the first video and I can assure that any requests for specific videos will be passed on to the management.
A link for the UK Tights YouTube channel will, of course, be included, so now you have no excuse not to subscribe! We hope you’ll enjoy watching.
http://www.youtube.com/user/UKTightsMarketing