Hot Pink Backseam Tights

Whoever made these wants all my money. I have a pair of purple DKNY tights that I would take a razor blade to right now if I had any illusion I could make something that looked as awesome as these opaques. A cut out backseam? I officially need more legs.

Perhaps it is time to re-peruse the DIY Rodarte leggings instructions over at Stockings Addict. Or, perhaps it's time to kidnap James Lillis and keep him in my basement.

Tactical Nuke: Topless Lily Allen

A certain someone has accused me of lagging in our Lily Allen war, going so far as to say perhaps I was off eating bon bons. But no, I have just been stealthily planning my next attack.

Okay, not really. I am working on a major project and have had a hard time keeping up with my blogging in the meantime. Fortunately, I have been in possession of a tactical nuclear missile for some time and am now aiming it toward Nick Danger's naughty bits fully loaded with:

A TOPLESS PHOTO OF LILY ALLEN IN BLACK TIGHTS!!!



I don't often post nudity on Stocking Vixen unless it's for artistic reasons and this doesn't seem to fit that criteria, so I have created some highly attractive faux green pasties in my paint program to torture Mr. Danger with thoughts of what is directly below them. Luckily I have his email address and can deliver the nuke with authority directly to his home.

Seams in Front?

I've had backseams on the brain lately, but it never would have occured to me to wear them with the seams at the front of the leg! It's pure genius, I tell you. These look very much like my fave Nordstrom's house brand of pantyhose/thigh highs where the "backseam" is woven into the nylon and it could definitely pass for a stripe rather than a seam.

Am I brave enough to try it and risk well-meaning strangers saying, "Lady, you've got those on backward?" Hmmm, not so sure. In theory, however this is a very cool idea.

I realize this very well may be a pair with a stripe up front and a stripe down the back, but they look SO much like the Nordie's hose, I can't help but wonder.

Edited to add: My dear blogging pal, Treacle who writes the über-awesome Stockings Addict and who has forgotten more about hosiery than I will ever know, pointed out in the comments area, the Wolford Palomas, which are a front-seamed style and are, indeed, what I think the model above is wearing. Thank you, Treacle. (Also, look at how hot she looks in her new corset).

Blue Lingerie

"Why don't they make more blue lingerie?" Eric asked me.

I don't know.

Do you?


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Red and White Stripes on Grass

Greta-stripes on grass, originally uploaded by Greta et Donato.

Some photos just make me feel happy, like this one of red and white striped tights inside a pair of cute black Mary Janes against some gorgeous green grass. Greta and Donato's photostream is well worth heading over to Flickr to check out, though it's something to view at home rather than work. There are some stunning, incredibly sensuous images and Greta is a really beautiful woman. They are both terrific photographers, as well.

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Tights with Shorts

Recently, the Stockingirl blog has made quite a few mentions of one of my favorite trends from my teenage years: tights worn under a pair of shorts. I know it will come as a major shock to everyone who reads my blog, but I really enjoy showing off my legwear. What might be more of a surprise is that I'm not a huge fan of wearing very short skirts. I just have a very difficult time tuning out the idea that I might be showing off the lady parts unknowingly, so it's hard for me to relax if my skirt is more than a couple of inches above the knee. Wearing a pair of shorts takes care of that anxiety and lets me show off a few more inches of the hosiery.

Now, as someone who, in the 80's, owned a pair of red and white polka-dotted rayon shorts that she often wore with white tights and a pair of red suede flats that had a gold medallion on them, I can attest that it is a look that is really easy to get wrong. Even then, I knew I felt best wearing a pair of denim shorts with black tights. I think I'm going to go on record now and say that I still think this is the gold standard of the shorts with tights look. A monochromatic look is a very close second.

Let me re-iterate. This is a danger-zone kind of look. You can very easily dip into "My EYES!" territory and injure others if you get this wrong, as captured by malingering at Flickr.
There are issues other than the shorts and tights going on with this ensemble, starting with the poor fit of the shirt and jacket. However, keeping our focus on the shorts and tights, if The Busy™ is happening on the legs, the rest of the outfit needs to be simple as all get out. These tights are way too busy to wear with tweed shorts (which are not even in the same color family as the tights) and a jacket that is possibly made from yak and seems to have ripped up toilet paper glued on it. She seems to have also made the shorts herself by scissoring up a pair of her former tweed trousers and leaving them unhemmed. Obviously, there is a long tradition of cut-off shorts. These, however, look like what would happen were Martha Stewart to decide to get herself a pair of Daisy Dukes.

Keeping it simple and as classic as possible with the shorts with tights look is really important because it's already a little different than what people are used to seeing and it is surprisingly easy to confuse the general public.

Style Du Monde shows Sarah Rutson, the fashion director of a very popular chain of Hong Kong department stores, rocking the ever living daylights out of the shorts with tights look. The length of these shorts is perfect for her, the little distressed details are fun (notice her perfectly trimmed hem, though) and she has kept her accessories and other clothing really classic and perfectly put together. Although she is wearing a lot of different things, the coordination is so tight that the impression is just holy cow and fabulous. One thing she's doing that's a fave for me with shorts and tights is wearing a tailored blazer, which helps the tights make sense again and dresses up the shorts.

However, even someone as stylish as Ms. Rutson can make me question the shorts with tights look. It's that fraught with peril.

There's something that's not right about these shorts with this outfit. I think it's the shape and the length most of all, but the distressing seems to be too much here, too. It's one of those times where I can't say exactly what's bugging me, but putting my thumb over the shorts improves the outfit a hundredfold. I think this would have looked fabulous with black wool shorts.

All in all, the shorts with tights look can be a really fun way to show a few more inches of legs than you might be comfortable showing in a skirt. It's not the time to get crazy with the rest of the outfit, in fact it's probably the time to dip into the more classic areas of your wardrobe. I am guilty of high crimes against fashion while wearing shorts with tights, but I hope this year I'll be making up for what I did 20 years ago.

I'm adding some photos of some longer shorts with tights in response to the comments on this post. It's definitely possible to wear the look with a longer short as long as the shape is right. I've thought about it and I think the thing that bothers me the most about the third Sarah Rutson photo is that the shorts are baggy through the thigh and then pull in at the cuff, so they look almost like bloomers. The length is also not exactly right on her, but it's definitely possible to venture out of short short territory with tights and look fabulous, as evidenced by the photos below I've borrowed from a Stockingirl post on the shorts with tights trend at New York and London fashion week. (photos from style.com)




What do you guys think of shorts with tights? Are they serving up the hotness or do they make you want to escape to your special place?

Fishnet Photos

Yawn...what a boring day, too bad nothing is going on and it's just a regular ordinary day. I wish something cool would hap...What? What's that you say? IT'S FISHNET FRIDAY?!?!?

Good thing I wore various types of fishnets to celebrate and took photos of myself, then.

Music Legs diamond net pantyhose over 100% non-stretch RHT (reinforced heel and toe) nylon stockings.




Nordstrom lavender fishnet knee socks with ribbons (perhaps it's a good thing the sun will be coming out soon...okay, no, we don't get sun here).




Black topless industrial net stockings over purple DKNY opaque tights.




Happy Fishnet Friday, everyone!

Roller Derby Fashion Statement

I have found my sport! Anything you can do while wearing roller skates and completely awesome patterned pantyhose and fishnets, sign me UP! So, if anyone is looking for me, I'm down at the roller rink, practicing my body slams, getting ready to move to Australia so that I can join the Victorian Roller Derby League.

I actually think I may have just ordered an identical pair of black and white striped tights as the skater in the center, but the order has yet to arrive. I'm ready! The girl on the left looks like she's getting ready for Fishnet Stockings Week over at Stockings Addict.

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.

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!

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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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.

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.