No, I’m not talking about a daily workout involving excruciating exercises, expensive skin treatments and lavish moisturisers. I’m talking tights, hosiery, hose… whatever you like to call it!
Love it or hate it, thanks to Kate and Pippa hosiery is now a hot topic in fashion. Both girls are known for their love of sheer tights, which has led to debates across the world – some people are totally against hosiery, believing it’s old fashioned and ages the wearer, while others (me included!) love it and are pleased the Middleton sisters have brought them back into the forefront of fashion!
Images: Kate during her tour of Canada, where she regularly wore tights under her dresses.
The brand of tights Kate wears:
It’s well documented that Kate wears John Lewis ‘Barely There ‘non-slip tights (we’ve seen the gell cushion on a picture of Kate’s feet and they look identical to the John Lewis tights – click here to see the image for yourself) which cost £5 a pair (not cheap for tights, but certainly won’t break the bank either.)
I purchased a pair of these a few weeks ago for a special occasion and they’re so thin that they snagged the first time I pulled them on. Luckily for me, they were still wearable for that one day. If I choose to get them again, I will buy them one size up (I think I must have been in denial about how short/fat I am!) and be much more careful.
The tone of the tights, coupled with my nude shoes and pencil dress, made me felt every inch the princess! Especially because I have long, dark curly hair. I totally channelled my inner Kate! If you want to buy these, be REALLY careful putting them on and don’t be afraid to get a size up! Click here to view these tights in more detail.
Debenhams launch their own range:
As you’ll notice in most newspapers today, Debenhams have also jumped on the tights bandwagon. However, the have noticed a gap in the market: Take John Lewis’ Barely There tights as an example, they only come in three colours (nude, tan and nearly black) so they won’t suit all skin tones. None of the colours are designed to work specifically with olive, Indian, mixed race or black skin. Because of this, Debenhams have now released their own range of leg-wear in an array of colours, including, olive, bronze, coffee, beige and honey. The tights have a barely there look and are designed to be invisible when worn, no matter what colour your skin is. They retail at £3.50 per pair. Click here to see some of them on Debenhams.com.
Image: Ladies wearing Debenhams’ tights natural to their skin tone.
This is great news for Kate fans who wanted to try the John Lewis hosiery but do not have a light skin tone like Kate.
I love tights (seriously, I don’t wear a dress without them) so I’m probably going to give these new ones a try at some point in the future – let me know if you get some first!
Has Kate convinced you to turn to hosiery? Have you tried the John Lewis tights too? Let us know in the comments!
I would TOTALLY buy some of the John Lewis hose, but international shipping is £15!! That’s more money than the 2 pairs I wanted to buy! Sigh.
Oh no! You should wait until there’s a ‘kate’ item you really want to buy in JL & then you’d be paying shipping anyway!??
coincidentally, wolford is featuring a section based on kate’s style … get the look of the duchess of cambridge.
wearing stocking wouldn’t be my everyday preference but i’ve worked at places that require them and they’re really not all that bad. i do prefer more opaque tights, though.
Love it!
I was totally inspired to start wearing hose after years of thinking it’s for old people with ugly legs or little girls in ballet. I love the non-slip aspect of the JLs, but I’m a Wolford girl all the way. They’re pricey, but I get the irregular ones at the outlet, and so far, I haven’t exactly figured out what makes them irregular. I don’t think they’re frumpy at all… the lady at the Wolford store said they’re “make up for your legs!”
I’ve heard a lot of people recommend Wolford!
When I was younger I would have welcomed the no-hose lifestyle. However, as one ages and the legs are no longer picture perfect, a pair of sheer hose covers a multitude of flaws. Can’t say that I’ve ever enjoyed wearing hose but love that my legs look better in them. One can always tell when someoone is wearing hose because their legs almost always look better.
So true!!! I am naturally very pale and a little overweight. I love a slight tanned tight (so I don’t have to actually maintain a tan) and also I think they help to pull in all my bulgy bits haha
Carly I agree with you. I love slightly tanned hose as well. I always go for DIM nylons, made in France. Here in Canada, they are slightly pricey ($8-10), but always make your legs look more attractive, and set off a great pair of shoes. I wear DIM’s “Gazelle” tone.
Love!!!
Wolford is WAY overpriced and no better quality than any other brand. I love Pretty Polly “Bare” tights, the 8 denier style in “Nude”. When I wear them I get many compliments, even from my daughter who thinks tights are awful. They only cost £2.75, but I can’t find them in the US so I order them 10 at a time from the UK and pay absurd shipping, but WORTH EVERY DOLLAR (or pound). I am 5’1″ and not as thin as I used to be, but the size SM/SP is a great fit. Doesn’t bag at the knee or bind at the waist. You girls in the UK are lucky to have many great choices, the tights here are not nice at all. Also you have Kate Middelton and we have Kim Kartrashian.