Real women wear hosiery

I can hardly blame Mini when – in freezing temperatures – she refuses, point blank, to wear tights.  ‘My tummy feels sweaty’ she explains.  ‘My legs itch,’ the whine continues  ‘and sometimes I can’t even breathe’ she dramatizes.  All I can do is nod.  Because I feel exactly the same in anything longer than ankle socks.

hosiery in days gone by

purchase of levitra

Of course, there are occasions when only stockings/ nylons/ tights/ pantyhose (whatever you call them) will do.  An interview, evening dress, wedding of any description or, quite simply, a too-cold-for-bare-legs-but-have-to-wear-dress scenario.  I usually ladder the first pair, wear the 2^nd and keep the 3^rd in my handbag, on close standby.  Then, immediately I’m home, I gallop upstairs and pull them off.  Phew.  And only then do my legs feel free again.

real women wearing nylons

Bearing all this in mind, I took a trip to John Lewis today.  I have two such tights-wearing occasions this month.  My always-glam Blonde had casually thrown into conversation that my dress for 5^th June would look great with ‘those tights that give great leg definition’.  My jaw dropped. Just how far has nylon technology developed while I have been hiding from the packs of pairs, those dangly, brown nylon legs?

the Wolford and John Lewis tights

The hosiery department, on the ground floor of the Oxford Street branch, was deserted.  I searched for some advice and finally found a sales assistant with all the leg-covering knowledge I needed.  Curiously, she recommended two versions of a very similar product.  One was Wolford Satin Touch 20 (£19) and the other was John Lewis’ Bodyshaper (£4.50).  Both offered a strong gusset, but the Wolford version went as far to promise a flat stomach, beautifully shaped bottom and thighs all with an elegant sheen.  WOW!  Seriously? I’d pay more – much more – for all that.  The marketing blurb for John Lewis’ sleek bodyshaper was low key: natural shine and bodyshaping, it muttered.

Well, I promptly bought both for my tights-test.  Which do you think will look/feel/wear best? I promise to feed back but, for now, I’m off to try and find a stocking app – surely the nylon-lycra industry has thought of that!?