Since I was wearing new tights yesterday, I thought I should give them a review. A lot of people love We Love Colors & rightly so. The company focuses on one thing & does it well -- it sells tights in literally a rainbow of colors. If you want to match a specific color, that's where you go, & if you just want to spice up your wardrobe, there's no easier place to shop. Goths, take note: We Love Colors sells black or white stripey tights with pretty much any contrast color. You can also get stripey knee-highs in the same huge variety of colors. Shopping with them is easy & usually quite fast.
So far, so good. Where it all breaks down is size. Which, to be fair, isn't a problem exclusive to We Love Colors. Many hosiery manufacturers / brands have limited size ranges, which can be a problem for those of us in the petite or plus size ends of the spectrum (even worse for me, who straddles both!). As noted previously in this blog, I've found my Holy Grail of Black Tights in the Calvin Klein size B/C which is stretchy enough to not sag at the ankles but generous enough to not pinch or roll at the waist. I had hoped We Love Colors might deliver the goods when it came to stripey tights, but alas, no such luck...
I bought three pairs of plus-size stripeys & have worn two, on very different occasions. And they're ok, but not great. (Fwiw, I have plenty of experience with the "one size" variety. They are a bitch to get around my waist, & they start to roll down throughout the day.) The design of the plus-size tights is a bit odd -- the tights have two seams up the back (you really have to wear them with these seams in the back; uncomfortable the other way round). It's as if a large gusset was added to expand the rear instead of making the panty of the tights larger. Feels funny, not horrible, but noticeable. The tights do sag a little bit at the ankles on me too. The sag is, I'm sure, because of the fiber content as much as due to the overall length. If someday I can find a cotton/spandex blend stripey tight, I will gladly pay extra for it!
Other than the stripeys, We Love Colors has colored tights in a 1/2 or 1/2/3 & plus-size ranges. It's just the stripes & patterns that are one-size or plus-size only. Bummer, because I want to wear funky tights too! A few high-end brands like my beloved Calvin offer textured tights in more subtle sizes (I have CK black ribbed & lace tights), but patterns with color are hard to find.
A lot of goths adore Sock Dreams, but I didn't have luck with the stripey plus-size knee-high sock/tights I ordered a couple years ago. Of course, their stock changes frequently & they have many more styles I could try...
Do you like to wear patterned or stripey tights? Do you have favourite brands & stores? Tell me all about it!
I once found petite plus size tights. They were heaven. If I'd have known they were are hard to find as unicorns, I would have bought out the stock of them.
ReplyDeleteI'm still searching for a source of (very inexpensive) tights that are long enough for me (5'6" with long legs) and yet not bag on the knees and ankles. Oh, and big enough for my waist, as I am basically shaped like an apple on a stick. I have pretty much given up and gone to stripey thigh highs, which solves the problem except for the cold upper thighs. I got a very good pair at, oddly, Target in the Halloween section. I never expected quality stockings in the Halloween stuff!
ReplyDeleteI love stripes and dots and patterns in tights. (shocking pink with black dots!!!) One of my favorite pairs is black with a red dragon on them, that came from Leg Avenue years ago. Nice and heavy, still in great shape. But their other tights sucked- one size fits some and the one size wasn't the same in every pair!
I know how you feel, I hate tights because they always fall down but sometimes the designs aren't available in my prefered stockings. *facepalm* sizing will never be right.
ReplyDeletecutienik - If you only could go back in time!
ReplyDeletedark-phoenix54 - Hmm, maybe I should give thigh-highs more of a shot. At least for weekends (not for work, since that could be too revealing w/a shorter skirt ;-).
Julietslace - Too bad tights don't come in more sizes. "One size" fits some.