I came across these photos from 2016 online by accident. Turns out that Kelly Rohrbach, 27, recently got herself a modeling gig, advertising a popular hosiery brand in Europe. She is an American-born model and actress, also happens to be one of the ex-girlfriends of Leonardo DiCaprio.
I just returned from my trip to Europe, wearing on my flight back for the first time a pair of Russian pantyhose of Gracia (Грация) brand. You can learn more about my trip through in my pantyhose diary if you’d like.
Some people try exotic foods when they travel, I try exotic pantyhose. It’s been a while that I wanted to try this brand, but I just couldn’t get it anywhere for obvious reasons – this label is only available in Eastern Europe and is not designed for export. Грация label, in Cyrillic letters, would not sell anywhere else.
I passed through Moscow for work and I visited an old friend of mine, Natasha. She greeted me wearing beautiful black pantyhose. Later she returned, complaining that she got a run in them, but saying that they lasted her many wears. I asked what brand it was and she said – Грация (Gracia).
Next day I had to leave, so I didn’t even know if I’ll have a chance to buy myself this brand. So just in case I asked her if I could have those pantyhose, just to try them on. She didn’t mind me asking, but she didn’t want to give me something that was already damaged. Actually she even looked through her pantyhose drawer and pulled out many 40 den pantyhose of different colours by the same brand, looking for another sheer pair, but she had none left. Realizing how much I wanted to try it, she even offered me to ship a pair to Canada, but I declined, since I didn’t want her to go through the hassle.
Luckily, I found a pair of pantyhose by brand in a store – the style displayed on the photo above, 20 den, sheer to waist, with reinforced toe. I asked for whatever colour they had, except for black – turned out they had Mocca. Fine, I took it, but I must admit it looks more like dark tan rather than real Mocca.
Somehow for my whole trip it was really cold, so I was walking around in 40 den pantyhose. But on my flight back to Vancouver I decided to lighten up and look glamorous, since a special someone was supposed to meet me at the airport.
I put on Gracia pantyhose for the first time in the morning, getting ready for my flight. Let’s just say, I was a little nervous since I never tried that brand and besides Natasha’s positive feedback had no idea if it will survive for such a long period. What if I end up with a huge run in them?
Reinforced toe already cheered me up, at least that means it’s more durable in that section. Interestingly, it had a thick border at the beginning of the reinforcement, almost like a statement saying that the toe section begins! Also, I noticed that the band was quite broad and elastic and held on well. It didn’t have a control top, but a t-top with a cotton gusset.
That proved to be very good eventually because I never felt like I had to pull up these pantyhose throughout my flight and two transfers. It survived at least 24 hours on me and when I took it off it had no runs or holes. Excellent quality! Now the only regret I have is that I didn’t buy more.
After checking the website of the manufacturer, I realized that they have some really nice advertisements. Here are some of their pantyhose ads. Do you notice that they feature only skin-tone and black colours?
This is an old advertisement that used a man for their marketing material.
I’ve heard it in a lecture on marketing that this was an approach to recognize the males as customers too. Women buy hosiery and underwear and who gets to appreciate the most? The men!
This brand still exists to this very day. I wonder, did they really try to get men to buy stockings for their women or is this taken out of context by the presenter of the marketing lecture that I listened to?
I would love to hear your opinion. But I somehow don’t feel that the man in that silly hat on the Wolsey poster turns me on.
I found this ad somewhere and thought to share it with my readers. Is anyone nostalgic yet looking at those stockings with reinforced toes, soles, and heels? Silk stockings, despite their sky high price, were the most desirable accessory for women. Even Coco Chanel said that it’s better to have a wrinkle on the skin than on the stockings.
I was in Washington DC this summer, browsing the Smithsonian district. I kept on asking if they had vintage stockings since I’ve read on their blog that they do. Introduction of the nylon stockings was a major milestone in the clothing industry, as you can see from the history section of this blog.
Perhaps the exhibit was no longer displayed since I couldn’t find it. But if anyone of you have ever seen it there, please let me know and share your experiences with the rest of us.
Update from 2017: One of my internet friends here, Ian, says that he visited a car museum in England called the Lake’s Transport museum. They had a display of fashion from the 1960s and there was a pair of vintage stockings there by Mary Quant.
This article is by T. Gallagher from USA, an industry expert and a person with great knowledge about different types of run resistant hosiery. We express such gratitude to him for taking the time to write for Fantasy Stockings blog and share his knowledge.
This is a package of Brooke’s run resistant pantyhose.
See if you can relate to this story. Its Monday morning, you hit the snooze on your alarm clock one too many times, and now you are running late for work. You are in a full blown frenzy desperately trying to get out the door. You rush to brush your teeth, shower, get dressed, do your hair, and get your makeup just right. You open a new package of your favorite pantyhose. You slip your feet in, gently slide the hose up your legs, tuck yourself in, only to realize that you have a huge run up the back of your leg.
Seriously, what business professional wants to be in the middle of a presentation and realize she has a glaring unsightly run up the side of her leg for all to see? For that matter, who wants to be at an elegant dinner party or wedding and discover a snag has opened up into an unsightly hole or ladder? Ladders, rips, runs, and snags are often cited by women as the main reason they don’t wear or stopped wearing hosiery including pantyhose stockings and tights.
There is a solution: Run resistant hosiery technology. Run resistant hosiery technology does exist and has been around for decades. When manufactured correctly, hosiery that utilizes run-resistant technology is not only more durable it actually increases the appeal and experience of wearing hosiery. Run-resistant hosiery technology is relatively inexpensive to incorporate in the manufacturing process.
For years, the hosiery industry chose to shelve run-resistant technology. Hosiery manufacturers were slow to embrace and invest in new advances in sewing and textile equipment and processes.
They were content with the status quo and followed the short sighted logic that they would lose business and profit if they made hosiery that was durable. "Sell more to make more profit" was the prevailing thought process of most hosiery manufacturers. Instead of making a product that would last, they chose to make a product that was prone to fail. Had the manufacturers incorporated run resistant technology when it first became available, one could argue more women would still be wearing hosiery today.
Run resistant technology for hosiery involves a two-step process.
The first step in producing run resistant hosiery involves changing how the fibers and threads forming the hosiery are stitched, machined, or woven together. In regular hosiery (prone to ladders, runs, rips, and snags) the fibers and threads are plain stitched together which is a looser weave or stitch process. In run-resistant hosiery, the weave or stitch is tightened up. Tightening the weave is referred to as the knotting process or lock stitching. In some hosiery, the knotting process or lock stitching is focused on key areas prone to runs including the waistband, panty, crotch, gusset, heel, toes, and the transition point between the panty and leg. In true run resistant hosiery, the knotting process or lock stitching is incorporated throughout the entire product from waistband to toe.
The second step in run-resistant hosiery involves blending the original nylon fiber with another synthetic or natural fiber. Some examples include acrylic, acetates, cotton, lycra/spandex, polyesters, polyethylene, polyurethane, and polyvinyl, rayon, silk, and wool fibers. The most common blend in hosiery is to combine nylon with lycra/spandex. By increasing the amount of lycra/spandex content, the more run-resistant the hosiery becomes. For example, a pair of pantyhose with a 80% nylon and 20% lycra/spandex blend is going to be more run resistant or more durable than a pair with a 90% nylon and 10% lycra/spandex blend. One drawback to incorporating more Lycra/Spandex into the blend is the denier or thickness of the hosiery increases. A true sheer pantyhose blend would have a 86% Nylon and 14% Lycra/Spandex content. Anything more would result in a heavier denier or thicker ‘tights like’ hosiery product.
run resistant hosiery won’t snag easily
A shortcut would be to stop at the stitching process. However, the finished product would be rougher and uncomfortable to wear. Likewise, blending nylon with lycra/spandex fibers alone would still lead to ladders, rips, runs, and snags. To achieve wearable run-resistant hosiery both steps must be utilized.
An early example of a run resistant hosiery brand that I remember was the Brooke Shields Forever Sheer Non-Run Pantyhose. Brooke would sell her brand of hosiery on infomercials only. During her half hour commercial she would take knives, forks, staples, scissors, and other sharp objects to her hose and show they would not snag or run. The visual demonstrations were quite effective and consumer response was strong.
More recently, Microfiber technology has been incorporated in the manufacturing of hosiery as a way to increase run resistance. Microfiber technology is also a process of blending fibers. Microfibers are more commonly synthetic fibers although some natural fibers have been incorporated in the process. The shape, size and combinations of synthetic fibers are selected for specific characteristics, including: softness, durability, breathability, thermal regulating, and wicking properties. Microfiber is also very elastic, making it ideal for hosiery. Microfibers allow for stronger more durable hosiery at lower denier or thickness. Not only does microfiber technology enhance run-resistance… Microfiber technology increases overall comfort, durability, fit, and feel of hosiery. Have you ever felt hot or tend to perspire wearing hosiery? How about a binding sensation or itchy feeling from a pair of pantyhose? Ever have a pair of pantyhose or tights lose their shape, sag, or bunch up/wrinkle at the ankle? Thanks to the incorporation of microfibers into hosiery those problems can also be a thing of the past.
Example of a hole in run resistant hosiery. This specific one is from Forte run resistant tights by Fiore.
High end manufacturers of hosiery in Europe were the first to incorporate run-resistant technology including the use of microfibers in their hosiery products. Brands like Wolford, Falke, Kunert, Gypsy, Gerbe, Filodoro, Elbeo, Cette, Pretty Polly, and Transparenze all have incorporated run resistant technology and the use of microfibers into their product lines. United States brands like Hanes, Berkshire, Just My Size, Leggs, No-Nonsense and Silkies were soon to follow. They all have released run-resistant hosiery in their product lines. Asian manufacturers have also started producing lines of run resistant hosiery.
One can only hope that hosiery manufacturers have learned from their mistakes of the past… opting for the wise choice to embrace improved processes and technology that lead to better products for their customers.
Have you tried or do you have a favorite brand of run resistant hosiery? Tell us about it and share your story below.
1990 Run Free Pantyhose commercial
K-tel “Perfect Pantyhose” commercial
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I remember watching this commercial and wondering how they made it so sensual. Kim Basinger (the actress from the first Batman movie) has amazing legs and her attitude is so sexy.
I also just recently tried Golden Lady, 20 den – one of those in a square box package that you see in Kim’s trunk in the commercial. That type of pantyhose is not folded around a cardboard insert, it’s just stuffed into a little compact box. Well, when I took it out, it wasn’t neatly folded, it was all wrinkled like crepe paper.
My experience overall was positive, but I can’t really say that it feels great. I liked that they made the toe reinforced, but I am so already not used to seeing pantyhose without a gusset.
Golden Lady brand is not known in North America, but it is very common in Europe. It is made in Italy and has a good reputation. I have a couple of other styles on hand from this brand, so I’ll give it a try.
Today I was flipping through our Fashion magazine for Canada and I was hoping to see some hosiery for the fall collections. I saw some here and there, but Anne Klein had the most colourful display for hosiery enthusiasts!
I’d love to hear your opinion on fashion colours like that. Do you ever wear it? I have some, but I feel like it’s very hard to make it look stylish. At least I always need to put more effort.
On another note, I’d like to say that the fashion combinations in general in the photo below are horrible in my opinion. The only lady that somewhat makes sense with her clothing is the black girl. I just decided to show it to you because finally someone is advertising hosiery.
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I saw these on the pantyhose forum, posted by Pavel. I thought I’d share it with you. It’s good to know that Elbeo brand is still around. It is actually one of the oldest hosiery brands that exist.
Please see translation below in a comment posted by a person who speaks German. This way you can understand what it says on the packaging. Thank you, my German readers for helping me out with that!
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