Lack of Refinement at the NYC Wolford Boutique (Columbus Circle Location)

Wolford boutique New York City NYC Columbus Circle reviewI got to visit New York City on my vacation and I couldn’t resist to see their local Wolford boutique near Central Park, at the Columbus Circle shopping center). Despite the crazy heat this Tuesday, I put on my Satin Touch 20 pantyhose (a gift from a special fan), a lace white skirt, and a black thong bodysuit that I just recently purchased (more about that later). Not intentionally, but I actually ended up wearing the bodysuit style that is called “New York”. I thought I was all set for my visit. My expectations were soaring high and I knew exactly what style of pantyhose I wanted to buy.

I walked into that boutique and noticed two women talking to each other at the entrance, both of them turned out to be Wolford employees. Only after they finished their conversation and I already had my back to one of them while looking at the display, I heard a greeting from Kathleen. Here comes the first strike. Greeting a customer without eye contact.

No matter how long I circled the boutique, trying to solicit any further response in my address, I still felt like I was invisible. At some point I even took the liberty to pull out the drawer of Neon 40 tights and started checking their shades and sizes, hoping that the woman watching the screen of the desk top computer would turn to me and help me pick out the right size and shade.

The day before I sent my guy “undercover” to scout the boutique. His experience was actually quite pleasant, but it was not the same sales person welcoming him though. Right away he was informed that there is a sales section with 70% OFF. At least it would be nice to also get the same information! I figured if I bring up the price, perhaps I’ll heard back which items are on sale as a way to accommodate budget-conscious customers.

I walked up to the rack with some tops and finally asked the sales person why the items are so expensive. She came up to me and highlighted some valid points about Wolford’s quality and reputation. I thought to see how she will respond to a tougher question and pointed at the snags all over the collar of a shirt that was still hanging there with a regular price tag – “Really, you say they make good quality items? Look at this damage.”

Kathleen (forgive me if I spell this wrong, I had to ask her what her name was because none of the staff wore name tags) was very polite and offered to give me a damage discount on the top. She also pointed out that even though that rack is still regular price, this is what’s left of the summer collection and it is getting shipped back to Austria tomorrow. This is just my opinion, but here is the 2nd strike – damaged merchandise should be spotted immediately by staff, not by customers, and either taken off the floor or discounted accordingly.

Third strike for me was that both of the workers on the floor were with bare legs. I brought up the question and got the answer that it is not part of the summer uniform because it is so hot outside. Of course, Kathleen pointed out that whatever she is wearing is made by the Wolford brand. Did Wolford really change their policies or is she just not aware of the dress code? Most of my Wolford boutique visits happened during the summer and I don’t recall seeing staff with bare legs. At least if the front window is occupied mainly by mannequins in fishnets, I would assume that such hosiery would be a great solution for a hot day.

I told Kathleen everything as is, pointing out that I am also wearing Wolford and that I am planning to blog about my visit. She offered me some information to take with me about the upcoming collection and I gladly agreed. But here came the fourth strike – the phone rang. Those of you who worked in customer service know that there are techniques to handle a phone call and an in person customer at the same time by picking up the phone and asking the caller to wait a little bit, then to wrap up the discussion with the person in front of you, and move on to the phone call. In this case I was still standing there, waiting for the conversation to come to an end so I could get that promised brochure.

That moment I saw my guy turn up at the door looking for me, so I was about to leave and Kathleen caught up to me and gave me that brochure to take home. I haven’t seen whether the phone call was over or whether she in fact did put the caller on hold.

My visit, regretfully, ended without a purchase. I only buy if I feel satisfied with the service. It is a little bit sad for me, I was hoping to get a pair of Neon 40 tights in Midnight shade because this is one of the shades I haven’t tried yet. If even more good deals would be pointed out to me, perhaps I’d buy a few other things too. My experience did not live up to my initial excitement based on the courtesy I’ve seen in other Wolford boutiques across the country.

 

 

Leggings Imitation Tights: Tamara models Morena by Fiore

These legs belong to my friend, Tamara. She agreed to take a few photos for me of the leggings imitation tights called Morena by Fiore. Here are the photos of what they actually look like on the legs. It looks like it’s a mix of 20 and 40 den. There is white embroidery on the ankle.

Fiore Morena pantyhose on a woman 2 leggings imitation tights

Fiore Morena pantyhose on a woman 3 leggings imitation tights

Fiore Morena pantyhose on a woman 1 leggings imitation pattern hosiery

Do you think candid photos like that are easy to get out of friends? No way, I waited for over a year for these to be finally done. Still, I would prefer to have photos outdoors in daylight just in order to see what it looks like in reality.

If somehow I give a pair of pantyhose or leggings to a woman and tell her that in exchange for it I want photos, she just forgets completely disregards the fact that she still owes something for it. Let’s just say that without a formal agreement to such a barter arrangement I am no longer doing that.

Just recently there was an article published here about taking your dog to work. Initially I really wanted to have a male pantyhose wearer do some photos with the dog, just as something different. If workplaces are accepting to dogs, why wouldn’t they be to males wearing hosiery? Well, that didn’t go so well, many people promised but none submitted. Eventually I gave up on trying to persuade men to pose with their dog and asked Helene to do it. She did a really nice article and sent me several photos to choose from.

Alright, finally back on topic from my little rant there. If you want to try out these leggings imitation tights, here they are – Morena by Fiore.

Evening Gala Event: to wear pantyhose or not to wear?

Anna Kolashnikova in pantyhose 2

Russian famous model, Anna Kalashnikova, trying on a dress for a wedding party. Yes, she wears pantyhose!

 

I saw this in an interview with a Russian / French fashion historian, Alexander Vassiliev, about wearing pantyhose with an evening mid-length dress. Here is a translation of the dialogue, taking place in Estonia (Europe):

 

Interviewer: Now, a question about something idiotic. A colleague read online some “fashion advice” about not wearing pantyhose with a shorter evening dress because it would make the legs glossy and this is not desirable. This would mean that ladies would come to celebrations, regardless of the time of the year, with bare legs. We were shocked. Do you have any comments?

Vassiliev: The author of this “fashion advice” should learn that there are not only shiny pantyhose out there, but also semi-matt and matt. For sure, they are always a must if paired with closed toe shoes.

 

Let me tell you, recently I went for my dental cleaning and I was chatting to my 23 year old dental hygienist. She was telling me about a beautiful wedding she just recently attended. I asked her if she wore pantyhose. Her answer was naturally “no”, as that of most Canadian-born women her age, but she said that she would if she would have a pair. Never in her life she tried on pantyhose, not even once, and there is currently none in her wardrobe.

It’s hard to say whether she said that she would wear it if she would have it just to please me, since she knows that this is what I work with. But at least it’s clear where this “fashion advice” is coming from that gets authentic fashion experts to raise their eye brows.

Juliana models Fiore Lemonade Stay Ups

Lemonade Stay Up Stockings by Fiore Hosiery on Juliana tanned legsI asked my friend Juliana to take some photos for me. She just got back from Brazil and she has a very nice tan.

Anything yellow looks amazing with a tan and I thought she would be a perfect person to ask to model this style. She didn’t have anyone to help her with the photo, so she snapped a few herself.

I think these stay up stockings look much nicer in reality compare to the photo on the original package. It is also good to see that it fits nicely all women, even those with fuller thighs.

Buy it here – Lemonade by Fiore 

Sale on Cornelia tights by Fiore

I just put these cool suspender tights on sale. They are only $4.99. However, please note, I only have Small and Medium in stock. This is the reason for the clearance.

Cornelia by Fiore in Linen shade, modeled by Julia:

Cornelia by Fiore on Julia's legs 3

 

Cornelia by Fiore in Black shade, modeled by Jessica (me):

cornelia-tights-in-black by Fiore suspender tights mock stocking imitation

 

Which shade do you think looks hotter? Black on black, or the contrast one? I’d love to hear your opinion. Don’t forget to get one for yourself – Cornelia by Fiore.

Wearing Japanese 5 Toe Pantyhose – a Gift from a Fan!

tights, nylons, individual toe, One of my fans sent me these 5 toe pantyhose to try, one pair in black and one pair in nude. They are made in Japan and the brand is Shaleg Nudy 5 by Revealle.

This is my first time trying on Japanese pantyhose because usually I just can’t find something to fit me, I am way too tall. These are size L – LL and still it claims that 170 cm (my height exactly) is the highest it would go to.

I tried the black pair first because it shows up much better on the feet. This is a lot of fun and the feeling of having all toes separate is definitely something worth experiencing.

It took me longer to put it on compare to a regular pair of pantyhose. I had to pull on each toe separately and do it gently. This is not something that you can hop into in a rush.

Pantyhose like this I would actually consider wearing with thong sandals. They look so much better than toeless pantyhose in my opinion!

If you look closely, the toe part is made of micro mesh weave for extra durability. The panty portion on these is also reinforced. Stay tuned for my review of the next pair! You may also find a video of this on Youtube – 5 TOE PANTYHOSE.