Saturday

How I Became a Stocking Vixen


I always wore skirts much more than my friends growing up, mostly with knee socks in elementary school, then with various shades of pantyhose and tights when I was in high school. Not because of any fetish that I was aware of, I just gravitated that way, partially because my waist is a lot smaller than my hips and it used to be much harder to find pants that fit properly. I did always like finding interesting hose and I owned a lot of it and I did like looking at my legs a lot. I can remember lying on the couch in my rec room with my legs and feet up in the air just looking at them and thinking, "Are they pretty? I think they might be, but can I know?" in a very typical girl-becoming-a woman, kind of way. I have no idea if there was something latent in there. I suspect there must have been because of how crazy the Hosiery Monster went once I let her out of the cage.

I have always thought other female legs were gorgeous. When I was pretty young, I can remember reading an article in People magazine about three different women who each claimed she was the model for the For Your Eyes Only movie poster, and I saved that magazine for years and can remember scrutinizing it fairly often, partially because one of the women said that she had been studying her legs since she was five years old and knew every curve and had no doubt they had used her legs in the final poster (they hadn't).

I do know when the switch flipped in my head though and hosiery and shoes became truly very tingly-charged for me. I was in a Designer Shoe Warehouse, of all places, buying boots and an incredibly good-looking couple was one aisle over from me and the man was kneeling at the woman's feet helping her try on different styles of black knee boots and I could tell he was desperate for her to buy these boots. She was wearing jeans, but the leg was rolled up and she had on a pair of very dark, dense lace black hose (couldn't tell what type) and the poor guy was putting her boots on and very incredibly slowly zipping up the boots while cupping her calf and it was obviously all he could do not to lick his way up her leg. The tension in the air was incredible.

Her calf was very slender and they were trying on boot after boot because they were all too big and he ran around the store, almost in a panic, because he really wanted her to leave with some boots and she was visibly losing patience for the whole endeavor. It was obviously "his thing" and she didn't get it (except I do give her props for wearing hose under her jeans). I just sat on my little shoe-trying-on bench with one foot halfway in the Franco Sarto boot I was going to buy and tried not to stare too hard or climb over the shoes and ask if he'd put boots on me, too.

For some reason, I left there not fixated on boots so much, as really focused on hosiery. Maybe it's because the boots weren't working out for her, but she was already wearing the hosiery, I don't know, but after that I started rabidly collecting photographs of hosiery I found online and buying piles of it in stores, then garter belts, then shopping online because I wasn't satisfied with what I could find in brick-and-mortar stores. It was at the point that I realized I was spending hours every single day looking at photos of hosiery or trying on hosiery or plotting my next hosiery purchase, that I thought it might be a very good idea to start this blog. Especially since I enjoyed the thinking and looking and wearing I was doing so much.

So, that's how I became so obsessed with hosiery. I think hosiery is an endlessly fascinating subject and, recently, my focus has turned towards stockings and thigh highs more than anything else, possibly because they are slightly more novel to me, I'm not certain. They definitely feel sexy, so I don't really need to dissect it too much. I'm just very busy enjoying myself and obviously a good stocking tease is something that really turns my crank. Crank turning is a good thing in my book.

Thursday

Stuck on Stockings


Okay, after having posted the Lise Charmel garter belt earlier today, I haven't been able to stop thinking about the stockings in that photo. Some very similar appear in white with this Waspie, too. I love it that the top is scalloped and lace-like, yet completely smooth. Both styles cross sophisticated and girly in a way I really adore, but I have no idea where these bad boys came from. If anyone has any ideas, or suggestions for lookalikes, I'd love to hear about them in the comments. Must have stockings!

P.S. I should mention that clicking on the photo will take you to a much larger version and it is pretty, pretty, pretty.

Comments Work, Hooray!


Unbeknownst to me, comments have not been working at all for the life of my blog. I thought I had a setting wrong at the beginning, but thought I had corrected the problem, so then developed a complex wherein no one loved me or my stockings (well, no really, many people have been very supportive and, stymied by my comments situation, have sent emails or tweets in my direction). I owe thanks to Kevin in Texas for finally saying to me, Hey dorky! Your comments aren't working.

Of course, fixing comments has done something to the Google ads and now they appear willy-nilly throughout my posts. I will need to rummage around later to figure out how how that issue.

Since this post has little to do with hosiery, I will now redirect to this gorgeous garter by Lise Charmel at Cazar (pictured above). Cazar features some of the most beautiful lingerie photography out there and some HUGE zoomed images. In some it feels almost as though one could touch the skin of the model. I've tried, though, and it doesn't work.

Eva Longoria's Stockings and Garter Belt Scene


Eva Longoria in stockings is something I'd never considered before. I don't watch Desperate Housewives, but maybe I should start if they have scenes like this one where Eva Longoria's husband puts her stockings on for her and the tension is palpable. I may have watched this about five times this morning, but I'm not signing anything. It just goes to show that sometimes the sexiest things leave almost everything to the imagination.

Wednesday

Stockings, Suspenders and Girdles, Oh My!


Here's a brief fashion show of stockings, suspenders and girdles by What Katie Did a London lingerie company built literally from the ground up on stockings by lingerie designer Katie Halford. In 1999 when she couldn't find seamed stockings at a non-ridiculous price, she ordered a bunch of stockings wholesale and sold them herself on a website. I have to admit, I really like her style.


Today, the company makes a full line of vintage-style hosiery, lingerie and corsets adapted for the modern woman from vintage patterns. Delicious is really the only word I can think of to adequately describe her collections. This fashion show is fun, though low on production values, and I love the way Girl #3 shakes it!

Tuesday

Love Me, Miss Dora


The words, "Love Me" in lace on the welt of a pair of beautiful black thigh high stockings...an endearment or a call to action?

More photos coming of these and the rest of the Stockings HQ package. These were all I've had time to take so far, but I plan to do more.

Star Trek, Stockings Addict and Bebaroque

I was catching up on some blog reading this evening and ran across an excellent run-down of the Bebaroque Spring/Summer 2009 collection at Stockings Addict, which I feel is one of the best hosiery/lingerie blogs out there. She focuses on higher-end merchandise and is always on top of the sales, as well as filled with great advice about how to get the look for less when the high price tag may not be warranted. Never boring, one of my favorite recent finds of hers was a Star Trek corset.


Today's post on how to beat the $210 price tag on a Stella McCartney bodysuit is a good example of how one can save money on the good stuff by reading Stockings Addict.

Fishnet Peace Offering


Since I was so naughty and didn't blog much at all the last few days, here's a photo of me in fishnet pantyhose and t-strap shoes from my personal archives. I think I took this last October or so. It's my peace offering to the wonderful people who read Stocking Vixen. Thank you and I'll be back tomorrow.

Monday

Off Petting My Legs


After a fun-filled weekend with my best friend, who was visiting from Los Angeles, I am a rather tired vixen. I am even too tired to write about the arrival of my package from Stocking's HQ, which contained three pairs of stockings. I'm sitting here in my favorite of the three, which are also the simplest, the Aristoc Ultra Sheer 5 denier nylon hold-ups, and I can't stop petting my legs. Look for a full report on the content of the package, with photos, tomorrow.

Until I get my second wind, I invite you to enjoy a trip through Gals, Gams and Garters, a fabulous wordless blog, filled with pre- 1960's images of women in stockings taken from a found "large scrapbook patched together by an anonymous afficinado of the ankle, thigh and leg."

Sunday

Yes, Bloomers are Sexy.

Sexy bloomers. That's right, you heard me correctly. I'll come out of the closet now and admit that I have a cutesy side upon which I have to keep a very tight reign, lest I go traipsing about festooned in ribbons and lace and pearls looking like the human embodiment of Marie Antoinette's wedding cake. I'm naturally drawn to girly embellishments and sometimes it's difficult for me to judge how much is too much, so I err on the side of sticking with the classics, or possibly even occasionally choosing things that are a little too plain.

However, if wearing this pair of pink Maya Hansen bloomers and corset is bad, I don't want to be good.
sexy bloomers maya hansen bloomers
sexy bloomers maya hansen bloomers
Unless you have some time to kill today, don't click through on this La Magia link. La Magia is a heaven of sophisticated, high-quality luxury lingerie and corsetry, beautifully photographed and heavily influenced by burlesque and vintage style. I have lost hours there myself.
sexy bloomers
From now until the end of February they are offering a free pair of Kiss Me Deadly stockings to any customer who spends £40 or more on Kiss Me Deadly products. No code is necessary; the free stockings are included automatically.

Friday

Stockings of the Day



I am fascinated by the hose made by bebaroque, the cleverly-named Scottish hosiery company. The designs are focused around hand embroidery and printed stockings and tights and are incredibly distinctive and much different than anything else I've seen on the market. What they sell is young, feminine, spunky, and fun with an edge. The stockings and thigh highs I've chosen above as Stockings of the Day, are from their Spring/Summer 2009 line, which is influenced by tattoo designs, nautical themes, lace, snakes, and features hose with embellishments like fringe and ruffles. They seem to be following the overall trend towards white stockings and tights that seems to be emerging for this spring and summer, though they have other colors on offer. Their tights are 80 denier and fit most people, including plus sizes.

As of today, I will be doing Stockings of the Week rather than Stockings of the Day, so I can focus more on other parts of the blog and spend time finding stockings that are really special for this feature. Please do not let the crying be mighty. This place will still be chock-a-block with images of legs and stockings and hose. I swear it on my legs.

Izabel Goulart in Black Stockings - Victoria's Secret


Izabel Goulart declares black stockings, "sexy" and not just for special occasions. I couldn't agree more. I also love the red thigh highs she's sporting in the photo below. I love how they look like a cross between a trouser sock and a stocking. I'd love to get my mitts on a pair in white. Also, HOLY COW, does she ever have an amazing heiny (not much gets past me). Notice the tights and suede boots on the photographer to her right, also, very cute.

Thursday

Fishnets and a Cuban Have Landed




The Wide Lace-Top Fishnets I was craving from Stockingirl have finally arrived in the store. There's just something I love so much about the size of this particular fishnet. In the oh no they didn't category, they have come out with a fishnet version of their gorgeous Madonna thigh high with the colored-lace top, (which normally has a sheer nylon bottom) in black/red, black/royal blue and black/pink. The Cuban-heeled thigh highs have two silicone bands to help them stay up without a garter belt and are 85% nylon/15% lycra to give you that retro fully-fashioned-stocking-look a little bit more on the run than the real deal. These would be great for a rushed morning, when you simply still had to have a vintage look.

The Seductive Power of Stockings


A wonderfully whimsical cartoon commercial from a German hosiery manufacturer that shows men drawn helplessly to Dolores and her beautiful bestockinged legs. I love the scene at about 1:38 where the men are blissfully hugging her ankles.

Stockings of the Day


These Cervin Madonna 1979 Logo Series seamed nylon stockings are the single pair of stockings that made me finally think, "Yeah, there's really no arguing, stockings are pretty much freaking sexy," and then commit to wearing them as much as possible over pantyhose and tights. I placed an order with StockingsHQ the other day and was excited to buy a pair of these, finally, but they were unfortunately out of stock.  I'll get them next time, but until then, I'll make them Stockings of the Day for today and content myself with the beautiful photograph and perusing the current Cervin stockings at SHQ.

Retro Garter Goodness


I haven't been able to stop thinking about this garter slip since I first saw it a few days ago (nor all the fun a girl could have wearing it), but alas Victoria's Secret, in their wisdom, feels that no one above a C cup should be parading around in this piece of yumminess, so I will have to just enjoy it in my imagination.

I love the sheerness of the slip and how it's reminiscent of nude hose, really the perfect piece of lingerie to pair with stockings. Beautiful!

Wednesday

Giveaway Alert!


Pink Nylon, who writes one of my absolute favorite hosiery and lingerie blogs, The Panty Drawer, is giving away a pair of Wolford hose or a Dollhouse Bettie gift certificate to one lucky reader of his blog. What's even more interesting is that he is interested in encouraging reader participation in his blog, so to enter, he would like you to recommend a pair of tights, "sheers, opaques, fishnets, patterns, or anything else goes," post the link to buy them at his blog and he will buy them, wear them for an entire day and write a review on The Panty Drawer. One lucky reader will get the grand prize, but to be honest, Pink writes some of the best hosiery reviews I've ever read and is very knowledgeable about hose, generally. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have road test something for me before I shelled out my own hosiery moola, so just having him write a review on request is a wonderful thing. Just last week, his review of the Levante Seamless Stay Up saved me from buying something I probably wouldn't have enjoyed.

It's nice when there's a contest that you win just by entering. If there's a pair of tights you've been wondering about, but have been reluctant to buy because of price or some other element, put Pink on the case and get an expert opinion free of charge. All he asks is that you not ask him to buy a pair of tights that costs hundreds of dollars, but other than that, anything goes.

I'm very excited to read his reviews and see what people choose for him. Happy entering!

Tuesday

My Favorite Red Mary Janes




I love two things a lot, a pretty Mary Jane shoe and a great bargain, and these red Guess Borda Mary Janes ended up being both of those things. The heel is 4.5" but, because of the 1" platform, they are surprisingly comfortable and easy to walk in. This is coming from someone who once tripped while standing completely still outside a Baskin-Robbins, so you can trust me on this. I am coordination-challenged, generally, and try to keep my that in mind when buying shoes, but these were so pretty I didn't care if I had to ride around in a mobility scooter while I wore them, especially since I had managed to find them at close to 50% off.

These shoes are a great example of comparison shopping online. At the time I bought them, they were being sold online from between $58.95 to $116, depending on the store. Today, I can find them from $75 at Amazon.com to $115 at Dillards.com. That's quite a difference in price! I wish I had actually realized what a great deal I was getting in December, because I would have bought them in black, too.

Monday

Pin Up Hotness


I had this sexy pin up photo in my personal stash and I can't remember for the life of me where it came from, but I really needed to share it because she is SO beautiful and her nylons aren't too bad either. I don't know exactly what she's wearing, but one could get the same look with any number of sheer black nylon fully-fashioned stockings. I like the Cervin Tentation FF stockings because they have a little extra mystique from being made on vintage machines. I just think that's kind of cool.

Sunday

DIY Thigh Highs





So, I had these great tights that had a waistband designed and manufactured by Satan. I would wear them sometimes, anyway, because they had such a cool chevron pattern on them and they looked great with pinstriped skirts or solid black or denim or any variety of things. Sure enough, after about 30 minutes, the waistband that had behaved perfectly nicely at home would have rolled halfway down my rear, making me look as though I had dumpling buns. I don't know why I didn't throw these bad boys away. They only cost about $8, so it's not as though I were trying to get a good return on my investment, but they are really, really cute and I couldn't accept that Satan's Waistband™ would get the best of me.

So, I was perusing the selection at Sock Army the other day (which I sadly found disappointing) and saw that they had industrial fishnet stockings that have unfinished tops on them and need to be held up by garters. Suddenly a light bulb went on. I am a former knitter, so I tend to think of fabric in terms of knitting. If you cut across a knitted piece, it will very quickly unravel and will very definitely not stay together, but I suddenly realized the same wasn't true of tights and nylons, because I have cut them apart to make headbands and ponytail holders in the past, and that all I had to do to be rid of the horrible waistband was to cut the legs off the pantyhose and convert them into stockings with unfinished tops.

Unlike many of my half-baked ideas, this one actually worked and the results are shown above. I was really careful when I was cutting to get the line as straight as possible, but, once they are cut, the tops roll over a little, which is visible in the photos, so it's okay if the line the scissors make isn't perfect. I think I'd be happiest wearing these with an 8-10 strap garter belt, just for extra support toward the inner thigh, or perhaps wearing a little body adhesive with them, but someone who isn't as neurotic as me could absolutely wear them with fewer garters.

I realized this could work for any pair of pantyhose or tights that isn't available in my size. If it's cute and I want it, I can just cut off the legs and wear garters or a garter belt. The sale bin is now my playground, since my legs are slimmer than my hips, and it seems to be the smallest sizes that get clearanced a lot of the time. Now that I can make my own stockings, I don't have to worry about size too much. I think this would be great for tall people to try, too.

Hooray for DIY!

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Tights, Leggings, Pants, or Mysterious Amalgam?


I find these 100 denier leggings by Spanish hosiery company, Cecilia de Rafael, fascinating. I love it that they don't hug the ankle like traditional footless tights, but instead fall into a slouchy, boot-cut style and look very sexy over the high heels the model is wearing. I think they'd also look terrific over these Christian Louboutin red d'Orsay Pumps with a crisp white French cuffed shirt and silver cuff links. In the lovely imaginary world I inhabit, I can afford to spend $800 on a pair of shoes, please don't wake me up. Shhhhhhhhh.

The leggings are available on Hosieree.com, which carries an extensive selection of hosiery from European makers like Falke, Transparenze, Girardi, Cervin, Levante and more. I've never ordered from them, but I plan to in the very near future and will report on the whole experience.

Saturday

Hosiery of the Day


The absolutely adorable and sexy Love Me Miss Dora thigh highs have been at the top of my wish list for quite a while and it is officially now time for me to order a pair from Stockings HQ. I love the arabesque pattern that climbs the leg and the pretty rhinestones that dot the calf. The silver and black welt is just dreeeeeaaammmmy. These are just so feminine and pretty, that I may have to go all out and buy special shoes to go with them and maybe even a special dress or girly underthings, or all of the above.

World's Most Beautiful Panties

Who wouldn't feel like a naughty little fairy princess in a pair of Strumpet and Pink's Willow panties? Perhaps Don Knotts, but everyone else is straight off to Princessville in a pair of these. Strumpet and Pink's makes some of the world's most beautiful panties, as well as the most imaginative and insanely impractical. For those worried about practicality, I wonder what could be better than slipping on a pair of these panties and knowing you have the prettiest pair of buns in a ten mile radius, even if you can't sit down.

Friday

Sheerly Sexy Legs


There's not a shred of hosiery to be seen in this photo, but I love all types of pretty lingerie and, let's face it, this photo is so sexy that if I didn't blog it, we'd need to check me for a pulse. I love the way the chemise clings to her breasts then flows down over her beautiful legs, turning so sheer with the light behind her. With the look she's giving the photographer, it's easy to imagine what might happen next. I find the tasteful eroticism tantalizing.

Fishnets Party


Treacle at Stockings Addict has declared March 4th the start of Fishnet Stockings Week. I have no idea what this entails, but since I take my duties as Hosiery Ambassador™ very seriously, sign me UP! I will make some special purchases and document and review them in honor of the occasion, as well as blog about whatever Stockings Addict does.

Thursday

Hosiery of the Day

I admit it, these cable knit socks are pretty and definitely a handy wardrobe staple, but what really presses my stocking button is the photo. I'm making these the socks of the day also to point out that StockinGirl added new items today (no wide top fishnet thigh highs yet, though).

P.S. My brother came over and fixed my furnace by banging on a part with a screwdriver. Also, he mocked me for thinking that my furnace had a pilot light because apparently they haven't had pilot lights since just after Clara Bow was a sex symbol (I have to admit that I was surprised to see that my furnace had a motherboard in it).

P.P.S. My fishnets do not have any cavities.

Fishnets go to the Dentist



Off we go to the dentist. I love those mary-janes. They are by Söfft and are some of the most comfortable shoes I own, even though the heel is approaching four inches.

Long Socks to the Rescue



My furnace has decided to start acting up, probably the pilot light, and since it is locked down tighter than Ft. Knox and the troubleshooting tips we followed didn't get it to start heating again (the blower is working, but there is no heat) I am going to have to have our furnace guy come and look at it, which is terrifying because he thinks he is part of the family and stays for hours and says "literally," every two minutes, only he pronounces it "litch-rully". The furnace is brand-new, less than a year old, so I'm not concerned that it's anything too major causing the issue, but it's still a pain. We have space heaters from when the old furnace kicked the bucket, but it's brisk in the parts of the house without them, so I have turned to my trusty Long Cuffable Scrunchable Socks from Sock Dreams to help keep me warm. I like these socks, although they're not a front-line sock for me, mostly because there's so much bulk to them, but today they are a life-saver.

Of course, when I go to the dentist today, I am going to be all about the nude thigh high nylon stockings with some ivory swiss dot fishnets over the top and my brown patent Mary Janes. My legs would be sad if they were boring while they were on display when I was upside down in the dentist's chair.

Wednesday

Hosiery of the Day




So I never did manage to get back today and write about Omero and there is nothing worse than a bunch of disappointed crying Italian-Australians (except for Payless shoes), so to make it up to them I am making several of their items "Hosiery of the Day". I think Stocking Vixen could use a splash of color, anyway, so it's not really cheating to feature more than one piece of hose.

Do you know what I wish? I wish I could leave the house dressed like the lady in the blue tights, sans-skirt and everything. It just looks super-comfy and pretty.

Thigh Boots of Glory


Sergio Rossi wants all my money, I'm fairly certain, since he has taken to designing thigh boots that evoke black lace thigh high stockings and charging in excess of two grand for them. These boots literally kept me up the first night I saw them because I couldn't stop thinking about wearing them and trying to figure out just exactly which bank to rob to get the moola. Unfortunately, I'd probably spend so much time figuring out which pair of pantyhose I could sacrifice to make my mask, that I'd never get out the door to commit my crime.

Moving to Italy







Fata Fashion sells the styles in the photographs above online at very reasonable prices (thank you drop of the euro) and the fashion pantyhose is to die for and has some really interesting and creative patterns. I love it that they call argyles "rhombuses" all over the site. I have hunted down Omero, one of the other companies in the video, but their stuff is SO special I need to gather myself and give them their own special post.

Tuesday

Hose of the Day


I've been doing Stockings of the Day for four days now and haven't managed to choose stockings once, so I'm changing the name to Hose of the Day, which has the added benefit of sounding vaguely naughty which makes me giggle because I'm about twelve inside.

On that note, I give you today's tights from Wolford's Spring 2009 line, the Mini-Flower. This is proof positive that I am a girly-girl-a-go-go because these tights make me want to put on a pink dress and twirl around to show off my hosiery until I make myself too dizzy to stand up. I love the whimsical backseam and the little black flower at the ankle, but the gorgeous faux nude fishnet is what takes these into the realm of spectacular for me.

Dreams of Socks


I'm wearing some of my favorite socks today, Harajuku Lovely Knee Highs from Sock Dreams. They remind me so much of the knee socks I used to wear every day as a little girl. My mother did not believe in pants, so I wore a skirt and socks every day until I was in the fifth grade or so. These are super-soft and stay up all day without having to be adjusted, which I love. I find myself staring at my legs a lot when I'm wearing these because the pattern is really pretty and there's a depth to the design that's not visible in photographs.

Stockingirl Sneak Peek


Superdrool with a cherry on top! The Stockingirl blog has posted a sneak peek of new stockings they will make available on the site in the next few weeks. The photos are behind-the scenes shots, just enough to be tantalizing. I see several pairs I want to try. Is the redhead wearing blue giraffe print? I am definitely very, very excited at the idea of "fantastic wide lace top fishnets." They've hidden the lace top out of frame, but the proportion of the net is really pretty and I want the model's black patent pumps.

Monday

Hose of the Day


Oh, Falke Zarah Tights, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways on your beautiful ivory crocheted silk ribs.

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