A Tights Q&A
Here is our complete Tights Q&A! At UK Tights, we love tights above all things, but that’s nothing new, right? Our aim is to share our love for hosiery and to solve any unanswered tights questions you may have. We have put them all together in this tights Q&A for you to read. Take your time, as we intend it to be quite long. Ready?
Q: Why Wear Tights?
A: Why not? Tights may your legs look better: longer, slimmer, with a better tone (if you’re going for tan tights)… Tights protect you from climate changes: if it’s cold out there, a pair of opaque tights can become life-savers; if it’s warm, your legs won’t touch as you walk (bye, bye, leg chafing). Tights are like makeup for your legs!
Wearing tights is a synonym of elegance. Why do you think women in the Royal family always wear hosiery? A little black dress looks more glamorous worn with black sheer tights. Can you imagine a wedding without bridal stockings? Hosiery is part of every important moment in a person’s life. You may have never thought of this, but tights actually let you express the way you are. If you are an elegant person who likes dressing up in smart clothes and taking care of your body and your style, wearing sheer tights can show others how you are. If you are a creative person, you may like wearing funky tights. A pair of coloured tights will add the final touch to your outfit. Wearing a boring outfit? Put on some patterned tights and they’ll drive all the attention to your legs.
Q: What’s The Difference Between Tights And Stockings?
This is an easy one. Tights go all the way from toes to waist, while stockings only go from toe to thighs. While tights usually have an elasticated waistband, stockings are worn with suspenders (eg. a suspender belt, a basque with attached suspender straps, etc). When stockings have an elasticated band, we call them hold ups. You can read more in our guide to hosiery beginners. If you are based in the United States, you may also want to check out this post of ours, as we use different terms here and there.
Q: How Do I Know What Is The Right Size Of Tights For Me?
A: Every person generally knows what dress size or shoe size you are, right? In the case of the tights, it gets a little bit more complicated. We strongly advise you to check the size chart for every product before adding it to the basket. Some brands even have different size charts for different products, although that’s not the usual.
Generally speaking, we can say that brands’ sizing tends to be consistent. Italian hosiery brands tend to manufacture shorter and smaller tights, while German hosiery is usually longer, ideal for the longer leg.
The composition is also relevant, as elastane/spandex/Lycra adapts better to the shapes of your body. If you are going for 100% Nylon tights or silky hosiery, you need to make sure you have the right size for your weight and height or they won’t fit you.
And remember, when you are in between sizes, you should always go for the larger size just to be safe they fit!
Q: What Does Denier Mean In Hosiery?
A: Denier is the weight of the fabric. Usually, the heavier and thicker the material, the higher the denier. We wrote an amazing blog post explaining everything you need you to know about denier you can take a look if you want to know more about this.
The basic info you need to know is this: the higher is the denier, the thicker and stronger your tights would be. This means your tights are less likely to get laddered. On the other hand, low denier tights (up to 30 deniers) always look more elegant. If ruining your sheer tights is something you’re worried about, you can always go for low denier run-resist tights.
TIGHTS Q&A PART 2 | TIPS ABOUT WEARING TIGHTS:
Q: Can I Wear Tights If I’m Pregnant?
Q: Can Men Wear Tights?
A: Yes, of course. Some brands are specially designed for the male body shape, but many men wear regular brands. Our male customers’ favourite brands of hosiery for men are Wolford, Glamory, Falke and Kunert, as their fit is ideal for longer legs and they manufacture larger sizes, too.
Q: Can I Go “Commando” Wearing Tights?
A: Yes, you can wear your tights on their own, without any underwear. Some people prefer this to wear your undies and your tights; some others don’t like it. Just make sure you go for tights with cotton gusset, instead of the nylon ones.
Q: What About The Socks? Can I Wear Socks With Tights?
A: Yes, you can. It’s something many of you tell us you do when it’s worn or when you wear trainers or thick boots. We’d suggest you go for tights reinforced in the toes to prevent any holes.
TIGHTS Q&A PART 3 | HOSIERY CARE:
Q: How Often Do I Have To Wash My Tights?
A: Ideally, you should wash your tights after every wear.
Wearing dirty tights can raise the risk of yeast infections and UTIs, so better safe than sorry! Better keep your pantyhose clean and avoid any discomfort.
Q: How Should I Wash My Tights?
A: Here you have to options: the ideal and the more practical one. Most manufacturers will tell you hand wash your tights with hosiery wash or neutral soap. This is what we recommend, too. Hand-washing your tights prevents them from any pulls, distortions or shrinks.
Now, we know many of you have busy lives, so there’s an alternative to hand washing: putting your dirty tights inside of a hosiery bag and wash them in your washing machine with a cold-water program (better if it’s a short program, too). Machine-washing your tights without a hosiery bag shortens the life of your tights, so don’t do it to your favourite pair of tights!
- Read more: Easy tips for Hosiery Care
Do you have any more questions? Leave them in the comments and we’ll answer them and add them to our Tights Q&A.
53 Comments
Angus McIntyre
Totally love Your site and very “informative” blog …
UK Tights
Thanks, Angus
Anonymous
Totally agree. Why not tights? They are perfect for every occasion.
Ian CD
randall pierce
Tights are the greatest thing to compliment your legs with any outfit regardless of color or style. I wear daily guess am lucky being a str8 male wearer that wears as fashion only. I don’t have to worry about matching a outfit cause if out I wear under my pants naturally because of societies views on men wearing as fashion.
Anonymous
I love my tights.I always wear them underneath my skirts. Will never be without them.
Mandy.
Tightlover
Make your legs look and feel amazing
Scott Repsher
True, when you are in any public setting the classiest women there, any time of year, is wearing tights or hosiery. And the brand of tights is also evident. Was in a large hardware store a month ago and a very classy, euro style woman came in and just the act of buying LED light bulbs brought a hush to the place. This empowers a Woman and garners respect. A lot from such a simple investment and clothing accessory. Tights speak loudly!
Barbara Warren
Tights are the most uncomfortable and unhygienic garment ever invented !
Hold-ups are much much better.
More comfortable, more hygienic, easy to put on / take off, easy to wear.
Just wish that there was more variety, colours, styles, patterns.
UK Tights
Thanks for your comment, Barbara.
We don’t really find tights uncomfortable or unhygienic. On the one hand, wearing tights or hold ups is a personal choice. You can wear one of them, none of them or both, tights or hold ups, and that’s totally fine. On the other hand, we don’t see why something you wash often can be unhygienic. After all, you should also wash your hold ups after every wear using neutral soap or hosiery wash not to ruin the elastic band in the hold ups.
We agree with you that there should be more styles and variety of hold ups. We always try to order a large selection of fashion hold ups, but unfortunately, there is never much variety as in the tights.
Thanks again for your comment.
UK Tights team
Michael
Great advice concerning washing. I usually wash tights at 40C with other clothes, but will be investing in a hosiery bag and washing on a short cool wash in future.
UK Tights
That’s great. We’re glad we helped you. On the meantime, you can use a pillowcase, instead of a hosiery wash bag, to protect your delicates when using a washing machine.
Stephen Britt
Great writeup. Tights promote health. Keep you warm. Provide support. Good for walking, after all cyclists do it. And after 200 years, its about time men were allowed tights again! Thats called equality.
Stephen Britt
UK Tights
Thanks, Stephen! We couldn’t agree more!
Stephen Fleet
I love tights and wear them daily I am a straight male and I think tights are the best item of clothing invented, you can never have enough tights this blog is very good and UK Thighs is the best .
UK Tights
Thanks for your lovely words, Stephen! And yes, you can never have enough tights… or shoes! 😉
Thanks for your comment!
UK Tights team
Tamara
Hosiery has an infinite way of dressing your legs. If you love your legs you can make them look elegant, sexy, funky and so much more. Never stop exploring and it’s great knowing people are stealing glances at your pins.
UK Tights
Well said, Tamara! We couldn’t agree more!
Thanks for your comment.
UK Tights team
Steve
Tights are fantastic, the best invention for legs ever. It’s just a shame that society sees it unacceptable for men to wear them. I thought this was 2018 where we live in an equal society? It’s also noted that most of the posts are from men so there must be a lot of us out there wearing tights under our trousers. Thing is though they look great with shorts. One day maybe, love the site btw UK Tights.
UK Tights
Awww thanks for your compliment! We understand tights as gender-neutral, even if we have to acknowledge that some styles seem more feminine than others (eg some back-seamed stockings). We always try to respect all points of view, don’t judge anyone and simply focus on creating helpful content for the fans of hosiery like us.
Thanks again.
UK Tights team
Steven
I love Wearing tights, they make your legs feel great, they keep you going throughout the day, especially support tights. I only wish it wasn’t looked upon as being gay for a male to wear tights. From what I read on the net most men who wear tights are straight. It’s about time that society realised tights are for both sexes. Why should they be seen as for women only. There are definitely styles I wouldn’t wear but, the more neutral styles look good on men as well as women. I do prefer the brands aimed at women. I don’t like the tights made for men, the ones for women are better and cheaper, although Wolford Neons are by far my favs.
You do a great job UK Tights in not making a distinction between the two sexes. Well done UK Tights, Dawn and her staff.
UK Tights
Awww thanks for your lovely feedback! We couldn’t agree more with your words. Wearing tights doesn’t define a person’s sexual identity. No man is “less man” for wearing tights!
Nice taste there, by the way! The Wolford Neon tights are absolutely amazing! They are one of our bestseller styles indeed.
Thanks,
UK Tights team
Stuart
Hi, I have always wondered the percentage of men who wear tights or stockings. Maybe if enough men buy from your site, you could do some tips for men in a blog. You could answer questions from men to help us out. As an example I have always wondered how men are wearing without being caught. So I wear tights most days but I put socks on to cover my ankle encase my trousers ride up. I also wear them under underwear so I can hide the waist band. How does everyone else do it, or do people simply not worry so much anymore. Before the internet and sites like yours I held a belief I was in a very very small minority, but I tend to think now that men wearing tights and stockings is far more common. Anyway, great site and keep up the good work.
UK Tights
Hi Stuart,
The percentage of men who buy from us is around 40-45%. Most of them buy tights to wear themselves, although a part of these men doesn’t wear them in public. Many of them go for thicker denier tights to wear under trousers so that nobody can really check if they are tights or knee-highs, if that’s something that worries you. Maybe try hold ups, in case they work better for you, not having a waistband. Or you can check Cecilia de Rafael’s waist-less styles? It’s really a personal thing, so you could check the blog of Hosiery for Men for tips. We work with him often and I’m sure they have good tips for you.
Thanks for your support 🙂
UK Tights team
Rick
I’ve worn tights for roughly 35 years, I’m a Straight Married Male and my wife doesn’t mind that I wear tights, hold ups, or stockings, we have been married for 27 years now. I wear them for many reasons- I love how they feel, I think they look great, they keep me warm, they make legs feel great, and I like to see the reactions on peoples faces when they notice them under my pants. I just love to be different yet normal, and I also like to feel a lil feminine once in a while. I like to layer them with either fishnets, stockings, or Thigh high (over the knee) socks. I wear them almost everyday, and enjoy every minute that I wear them. I am by no means embarrassed when I wear them, I just wish society wasn’t so critical and would just accept the fact that tights are for men and women! Thank you for your wonderful website/blog!!
Rick
UK Tights
Thanks for your testimony, Rick, and your kind words. Many of our male followers also choose to wear hosiery almost every day. We are always happy to meet people who share our passion for hosiery! Thanks
UK Tights team
David
I’m a straight man who has had a love of tights since i was 7 – both to look at women wearing them, and wearing them myself. They feel fantastic to wear and very sensual. Definitely the greatest, and sexiest, item of clothing ever. I think if they were generally accepted for men to wear, as well as women, it would lose the thrill of wearing them in secret, and the honest truth is that they don’t suit men as well as women, as generally, women have better and shapelier legs. But i’ll always be a fan of tights.
Frank
It would help men to buy tights in the UK if your company used the Post Office service – Local Collect, where you can collect delivered parcels for free at your local Post Office.
UK Tights
Thanks for your feedback, Frank. We tried Collect + in the past and it didn’t work for us. We didn’t have enough individual orders to keep it going. It was also very restrictive for us (with Royal Mail you can place an order by 5pm and receive next day -1pm for Collect + it was-). Customers usually prefer to have their items home-delivered, since the envelopes and boxes are opaque and we ship them as
‘Web Shop Direct’ (not UK Tights) to make it completely anonymous. We’ll look into your idea anyway. Thanks!
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Joanne
I love tights and have recently been wearing them regularly. I am wondering if anyone can tell me why it is that with some tights the yarn goes ‘knobbly’ in patches in and around the crotch area? I have noticed this with M&S and Cindy tights brands although i suspect the latter is a cheap brand? I find this annoying! I am still looking for the right tights for me; I like them with the reinforced panty, and have been trying various brands to try to find perfection! I ma getting good at putting them on/off without laddering now but would love to know how to cure the aforementioned problem.. Any tips welcome. Thanks! Joanne
UK Tights
Hi Joanne,
It’s probably bad quality. In the hosiery world, you really get what you pay. So, often cheaper tights will have patchy fabric after a few wears and washes. Make sure you are washing your tights the right way: hand-wash, if possible, with a neutral soap or Soak soap. That should also help your tights last longer and patch-free.
Thanks for your comment, Joanne!
UK Tights team
Ian
I am a man who regularly wears tights under my work trousers, I find the leg hugging feel lovely and if they are glossy my trousers don’t cling to them.
This write up is great.
Thanks
UK Tights
Thanks for your feedback, Ian. We are glad you like our questions-and-answers post! Happy to help.
Kind regards,
UK Tights
Alan
I am a straight man who frequently wears tights with shorts. They are very comfortable if you get good ones of the right size. They also reduce knee pain which I suffer from. I usually wear opaque ones in black or blue. Being in traditional male colours and in more “sock like” material people seldom notice and virtually never say anything if they do.
It’s a pity a few more male tights wearers can’t muster some guts and wear openly. That’s how women did it when they started wearing trousers. They just did it. Come on fellas!
UK Tights
Thanks for your comment and your positive message, Alan. Maybe you could use Autumn as an excuse to explore new colours. Chocolate and dark green tights are superb alternatives to black and blue.
Thanks again.
Kind regards,
UK Tights team
Anonymous
I have been wearing them for over 30 years on and off…I like to wear them under my traditional clothes for work and sometimes around the house I will wear them with more traditional female clothing…particularly very comfortable lingerie that I can relax in for the evening. Sooo relaxing….Girls do not know how lucky they are to be able to ware this stuff without scorn.
Gary
Gary
I do love tights love the look and how they feel I would love to wear them out but I’m a man not acceptable ? Which tights would you recommend for a man like ?
Gary
UK Tights
Dear Gary,
If you spend some time in our blog or you’ll follow UK Tights on Social Media, you’ll soon realise we don’t make any gender distinctions when we talk about hosiery. We always encourage people to wear whatever makes them happy. If you are thinking of getting new tights, maybe check out our post on Buying Tights for the First Time and our other post about the Best Hosiery Brands For Tall People which may help you, as men usually need longer tights than women. Wolford, Cecilia de Rafael and Kunert are some of our top-selling brands amongst men, but it depends a lot what styles you’re after and what’s your budget. Many of our products have reviews, which also helps you choose the right pair.
Thanks.
Kind regards,
UK Tights blog
Alan
absolutely amazing the amount of straight guys like me on here love tights!!!! I am complety crazy about them and own hundreds of them…there is no better sight than a gorgeous girl in a sexy pair of gorgeous tights…I myself am a sissy crossdresser and I make sure I have tights on every day…the sensational feeling of them on your legs is the best feeling ever…because I loove being sooo girlie ahl always wear womens tights and clothes…ad love for it to be accepted for everyone to wear wat they like..no fuss..love yous uk tights xxx
Alan
its always horrible when you put a ladder in your fave hosiery also…i remember in 2012 I put a ladder in my lady chic hold ups (I had them 3 years and took great care of them especially) …accidentally tugged them too hard and they ripped…I was in floods of tears and was hysterical at the time…now I always put my tights and stockings on with my lace glamour gloves…..my bestie girl palcalls me a drama queen cause she knows I love my lingerie and hosiery xxx
alan
UK tights am I being a bit OTT crying over ripped tights? av not done it years but tights mean everything to me xxx
alan
new filigree tights are amazing uk tights…can’t take them off..this all week av had them on with mini skirts ( cardigans etc) cute dresses and heels and skirts with knee high boots…simply gorg folks xxx xxx
alan
dear UK tights..do mens tights come in all diffetent colours and patterns??? are mens tights of better quality? wats the difference?? cause I love womens tights all floral and girlie xxx
UK Tights
Dear Alan,
All tights are suitable for men. We don’t like to label them. However, there are a few brands that specifically care for the male market. Here you can see a few of our products designed just for men: https://www.uktights.com/tights/mens-tights
Kind regards,
UK Tights team
Anonymous
Yes to hold ups
Mrs T
Do you have any advice for the best tights to wear under dresses or skirts that don’t cling (to the dress or skirt)? Is sheen/gloss / Matt better? This is a real problem for me, especially for tighter fitting bodycon style dresses. Many thanks!
UK Tights
That’s a tricky question. Clinging or Static Electricity can be a problem, yes. The way you wash your clothes and your hosiery may make it worse. We’ve heard that it helps:
* Rub your clothes with a metallic object to discharge the electrical charge to prevent static.
* Hand-wash your hosiery rather than machine-wash it.
* Air-drying instead of tumble-drying your clothes (you should never tumble dry your hosiery!)
* Hair-spray the problematic areas before you put them on.
* Trial and error. Silk tends to cling with nylon fibres, we believe. Maybe look at the composition of the tights and check out if, for instance, 100% nylon tights work better for you than any other hosiery. We haven’t found any difference between matt or gloss tights, sorry.
* Wear a slip dress or other light shapewear underwear: a smooth slip, a full slip, etc.
Please, let us know if any of these tips work for you!
Thanks
Kind regards,
UK Tights team
Alan
Amazing. Love yous uk tights. Yous are THEE best xxx xxx
Richard
Completely love your site and blog. It’s great that you are now reaching out to men as well as women and the variety of tights is unbelievable. I have found it extremely informative and it’s made choosing easier.
Jerry
I like my wife in shiny tights. She has the most amazing shaped legs and the shiny tights enhances that.
I wish she would wear them with shorts.
Irene Blount
Can anyone please please help…. I can’t go bare legged in summer (I’m 62 and quite fit, not overweight) but I have horrible lower legs, bit lumpy etc despite daily excercising. So, I need to wear tights . Whenever I ‘look’ online to seek advice the ‘articles’ always revert to talking about leggings😡. I need to know what type of tights I can wear in the summer, I’m tired of wearing trousers all the time. I can’t find ‘appropriate brands, colours or thing for ‘older woman’, help! ThNKS
UK Tights
Hi Irene, we would always recommend a classic like Aristoc Ultra Shine for any age or size or style. It is very versatile, and sheer enough for summer.
Donald Robertson
I hate woman who discriminate men wearing tights in public .men should be allowed to wear them