Hello, Mantyhose fans! I wanted for a long time already to introduce this special mantyhose person to you. He lives in USA and takes pride in wearing fun hosiery with shorts. Most mantyhose wearers keep it basic, but this man loves to show it off.
His blog – http://thehosieryspot.blogspot.ca/
I especially enjoyed to read his section about favourite brands, as he explains why he likes them.
English Translation by Michel
SOURCES:
The dialog is from here: http://youtu.be/3EZ6OjH1TvU Similar show with the same topic: http://youtu.be/3jnaUDy9_ys
Host : It’s 11:05 am, and 11:05 is scoop time. No, you are not dreaming, I won’t tell you the name of the mysterious character, the one that will allow you to win an invitation to Olivier Eltzer’s restaurant. I won’t even tell you a second clue. It will be some time later. No, no I have a real scoop. Are you ready to hear it? Men are at last equal to women. I know it’s quite provocative for a scoop, but it’s indeed the case. We, men, we can, from now on, wear pantyhose and knee-high. Thanks to these ladies. Hello!
Lady 1 (in black dress): Hello!
Lady 2 (white jacket): Hello!
Host : Hello to Annie and Anne-Marie. You come to show us a product : pantyhose for men.
Lady outside frame (1 or 2): Indeed.
Host: Why pantyhose for men? Was there a demand?
Lady 1: Yes, there was. Since the opening of our website, we had daily requests from men to have a pantyhose designed especially for them. So, we have thought about it, and this year Gerbe decided to exert its savoir-faire to men.
Host: So it means, it’s not a marketing idea at first? It’s really the male customers who asked for it?
Lady 1: That’s right! It’s the demand of the market, and we have asked these men their help by asking them what kind of product they wanted.
Lady 2: They told us: “We want this. We usually buy pantyhose like those for our wives, but we would like a line especially for us”. Why would pantyhose only reserved to ladies? So, we took this like something not conformist. We thought: “It will stay very very marginal”. Then, in at a second thought, as we were facing the demand, we talked about it and we said: “Why not? We should start. There may be something to do in that domain.” And so, that why it started, and…
two male models – one in footless hosiery and one in sheer hosiery
Lady 1: …since March 5th, we launched this line for men.
Host: So Annie, what is the assessment?
Lady 1: It’s very positive. It goes even beyond our expectations. It’s so positive that we will improve this range that presently consists of 4 pantyhose and knee-high, by adding 2 new pantyhose. So the “Drain Up 40” pantyhose…
Host: … that I am actually wearing right now, I dare to say. I will ask the camera to make a close caption. (To the camera operator) Come in. Come in. (To the audience) Strip-tease moment in this show. Look! I will not take off my pants. So, effectively, I am wearing these pantyhose.
Lady 1: …opaque, 40 deniers, draining and relaxing. I think you can…
Host: Effectively, I feel freshness at the bottom of my feet.
Lady 1: That’s right. It’s made on purpose.
Lady 2: It’s especially recommended for people who stand up or sat down for long periods of time.
Host: Cooks, for example?
Lady 2: Indeed, also barbers, or people who take planes, who sat down a long time in planes, on long trips, who feel pain in their legs, can wear that kind of product. And we already have feedback, given we already had this product for women and they were very happy about it.
Host: Is it a bit like compression stockings? I already knew compression stockings that can be purchased in pharmacies. It’s a bit similar.
Pantyhose for men have some modifications to the fit.
Lady 2: If you want, but a slight compression.
Lady 1: Preventive compression.
Lady 2: Preventive and it’s also for comfort. For well-being.
Lady 1: Draining and relaxing.
Lady 2: By the way, at the end of the show, you will tell me how good it is!
Host: All right. What are your arguments to sell pantyhose to a man? I imagine there’s a psychological barrier to break, right?
Lady 1: No, given it’s a demand from the market, so it’s very easy for us to respond.
Host: So what do they tell you?
Lady 1: There is a specific demand, given there are specific products. There are men who ask for very sheer products. So there are 2 styles.
Host: Precisely, Phatty is wearing them!
A male model, Phatty, shows up on screen.
Lady 1: That’s right!
Host: Precisely, that is a real revolution in the domain of male fashion, comparatively to classic styles every woman wears.
Lady 1: Correct. We had to do it, given we were asked for it.
Lady 2: I must add, it’s adapted to the male morphology.
Host: We’ll ask Phatty. (To Phatty) Is it comfortable?
Phatty: Yes it is. It’s quite fresh at the bottom. It’s refreshing. But it’s true that…
Lady 2: (To Phatty) It sure makes you pretty legs! (To the host) It can be worn with a bermuda. Given men asked for it could be worn with a bermuda. Or wear with a skirt or a dress, and I am speaking here absolutely seriously. Or, alternatively with pants, to feel a little bit warmer, to feel the fabric on the legs, to feel the elasthan on the legs, that applies a slight compression to the legs. (To Phatty) You must feel your legs encased in the pantyhose. (To the Host) And it’s true that we had very positive feedback, given it’s the style that tops the sales, and I must say, Annick, since the start of the commercialization, that is, since the beginning of March, we sold more than 1,000 pairs and all styles added, more than 1,500. It encourages us to continue, and to respond positively to the demand.
Lady 1: The demand now, is new fabrics and new colors, so it’s obvious we won’t stop now.
Host: Is the mentality evolving?
Lady 2: Absolutely! Mentality is evolving, and I find that just right. I must say that these pantyhose are adapted to the male morphology, so there’s a front opening that is well adapted to male morphology. (To Phatty) I don’t know what you think about it, Phatty.
Host: He looks happy.
Lady 2: He looks happy. Everything is all right. And I think he will be from now on a regular user of pantyhose.
Phatty: Yes indeed!
Lady 2: We will make the warm tights too.
Lady 1: Especially made for Winter. For cold sensitive men.
Host: We will invite you again in December.
Lady 2: These are tights made of silk Rhovyl (clothing fiber), that is very warm, that can be worn with a comfortable outfit, sport or ski outfit. Our male customers are free.
Host: Annick, Anne-Marie, thank you very much for having presented us this innovation.
Lady 2: It’s us who thank you.
Host: And myself, I keep my pantyhose on.
Lady 2: All right. No problem! That way, you will tell us again about it in December.
Host: Absolutely! Thank you, ladies!
Men in Gerbe pantyhose
Original text in French:
Présentateur : Il est 11h05, et 11h05 c’est l’heure du scoop. Alors, non, ne rêvez pas, je ne vais pas vous donner le nom du personnage mystérieux, celui qui vous permettra de gagner une invitation au restaurant Olivier Eltzer. Je ne vais même pas vous donner un deuxième indice. Ce sera pour dans quelques instants. Non, non, j’ai un véritable scoop. Etes-vous prêts à l’entendre ? L’homme est enfin l’égal de la femme. Je sais que c’est un peu provoc comme scoop, mais c’est le cas, en effet. Nous autres les hommes, nous pouvons désormais porter des collants et des mi-bas, grâce à ces dames. Bonjour.
Dame 1 (robe noire) : Bonjour.
Dame 2 (veste blanche) : Bonjour.
Présentateur : Bonjour à Annie, bonjour à Anne-Marie. Vous venez nous présenter un produit : des collants pour hommes.
Dame hors écran : Effectivement.
Présentateur : Pourquoi des collants pour hommes ? Il y avait vraiment une demande ?
Dame 1 : Oui, on a depuis quelques mois, dès l’ouverture de notre site Internet, des demandes quotidiennes de la part de ces messieurs, pour avoir un collant qui leur soit spécialement réservé. Donc nous nous y sommes attentionnés, et cette année, Gerbe a décidé de dédier son savoir-faire à la gente masculine.
Photos of men in pantyhose by Gerbe
Présentateur : Donc, ce qui veut dire que ce n’était pas une idée marketing à la base, ce sont vraiment les clients qui vous ont réclamé ce produit ?
Dame 1 : Tout à fait ! C’est la demande du marché, et nous avons mis très largement tous ces messieurs à contribution en leur posant des questions quant au produit qu’ils souhaitaient vois se développer.
Dame 2 : Ils nous ont dit « On veut ça. On achète habituellement des collants comme pour nos femmes, mais on aimerait bien avoir une ligne spécialement pour nous. » Pourquoi le collant serait réservé uniquement aux femmes ?
Et voilà ! Donc on a pris ça d’une façon un peu marginale. On s’est dit : « Ca va rester très très marginal ». Puis après, devant l’afflux de la demande, on s’est concerté, et on s’est dit : « Et pourquoi pas ? Si on se lançait ? Il y a peut-être quelque chose à faire dans ce domaine. » Et voilà. L’aventure a commencé, et…
Dame 1 : …depuis le 5 Mars, nous avons lancé cette ligne homme.
Présentateur : Alors Annie, justement un petit bilan. ?
Dame 1 : Un bilan très positif, qui va même au-delà?de nos espérances. Tellement positif que nous allons étoffer cette gamme qui est composée actuellement de quatre modèles de collants et de mi-bas, de deux nouveaux modèles de collants. Donc, le collant « Drain Up 40 »
Présentateur : …que je porte sur moi, il faut bien le dire. On va demander à?la caméra de se rapprocher. (Au cameraman) Venez, venez ! (Au public) Séquence strip-tease, un petit peu dans cette émission. Regardez. Alors je ne vais pas enlever mon pantalon. Effectivement, je porte ce collant.
Dame 1 : … opaque, 40 deniers, drainant et relaxant, qui soulage. Je pense que vous pouvez…
Présentateur : Justement, j’éprouve une sensation de fraicheur, en bas du pied.
Dame 1 : Absolument, c’est fait pour.
Dame 2 : Il est surtout recommandé pour les personnes qui sont en station debout prolongée ou assis très longtemps.
Présentateur : Les cuisiniers, par exemple ?
Dame 2 : Absolument. Les coiffeurs, les personnes qui prennent l’avion, qui sont assises très longtemps dans l’avion, lors de grands trajets et qui, effectivement, pour éviter la sensation de jambes lourdes, peuvent porter ce type de produit. Et nous avons déjà?des retours, puisque nous avions déjà?ce modèle pour femmes, et les clientes ont ont été très satisfaites.
Présentateur : Est-ce un peu comme les bas de contention ? Moi, je connaissais les bas de contention, qu’on achetait en pharmacie. C’est un peu le même système.
Dame 2 : Si vous voulez, de contention légère.
Dame 1 : …de prévention.
Dame 2 : de prévention, et c’est aussi un certain confort. Un bien-être.
Dame 1 : Drainant et relaxant.
Dame 2 : D’ailleurs, à?la fin de l’émission, vous m’en direz des nouvelles.
Présentateur : Très bien. Quels sont vos arguments pour vendre un collant à?un homme ? Moi, je pense qu’il y a une barrière psychologique à?franchir, non ?
Dame 1 : Non, puisque la demande vient du marché, donc c’est très facile pour nous d’y répondre.
Présentateur : Mais alors, qu’est-ce qu’ils vous disent ?
Dame 1 : Il y a une demande différente, puisqu’il y a différents produits. Il y a des messieurs qui demandent des produits relativement fins. Donc il y a deux modèles.
Présentateur : Justement, Phatty en porte.
Apparaà?t à?l’image un mannequin homme, Phatty…
Drain Up 40 den – popular style
Dame 1 : Voila.
Présentateur : Justement, à?a, c’est une vraie révolution dans le domaine de la mode masculine, par rapport au modèle classique que portent toutes les femmes.
Dame 1 : Voilà?. Il fallait le faire, puisqu’on nous l’a demandé.
Dame 2 : Mais qui est quand même, il faut le préciser, adapté à?la morphologie masculine.
Présentateur : On va demander à?Phatty. C’est confortable ?
Phatty : Oui, c’est assez frais. C’est frais en bas. Ca rafraichit. Mais c’est vrai que à?a….
Dame 2 : (A Phatty) Ah oui, à?a vous fait de belles jambes ! (au présentateur) On peut le porter avec un bermuda. Puisque ces messieurs l’ont demandé, pour porter avec un bermuda. Pour porter avec une jupe, une robe, et je suis en train de parler tout à?fait sérieusement. Ou encore, sous un pantalon, pour avoir un peu plus chaud, pour avoir une sensation de matière sur la jambe. Pour avoir aussi une sensation d’élasthanne qui fait une contention légère sur la jambe. (A Phatty) Vous devez sentir vos jambes qui sont bien tenues dans le collant. (Au présentateur) et c’est vrai qu’on a eu des retombées très positives, puisque c’est celui qui arrive en tête des ventes, et, il faut oser le dire, Annick : depuis le début que nous l’avons commercialisé, c’est-à?-dire, début Mars, nous en sommes déjà?à?plus de mille collants vendus, et en tout nous en somme à?mille cinq cent. Ca nous encourage quand même à?continuer, et à?répondre toujours présent à?la demande.
Dame 1 : La demande, maintenant, c’est des nouvelles matières, de nouveaux coloris, donc on voit effectivement qu’on ne s’arrêtera pas là?.
Présentateur : La mentalité évolue ?
Dame 2 : Absolument ! La mentalité évolue, et je trouve à?a très bien. On doit ajouter que ce collant est adapté à?la morphologie masculine, et vous avez une ouverture transversale qui est justement bien adaptée à?la morphologie masculine. (A Phatty) Je ne sais pas ce que vous en pensez, Phatty.
Présentateur : Il a l’air content.
Dame 2 : Il a l’air content. Tout va bien. Et je pense qu’il sera désormais un adepte du collant.
Phatty : Oui !
Dame 2 : Nous allons faire le collant chaud, aussi.
Dame 1 : Spécialement conà?u pour l’hiver. Pour les messieurs qui sont frileux.
Présentateur : On vous réinvitera au mois de Décembre.
Dame 2 : Absolument. Un collant qui est en Rhovyl soie, et qui est très très chaud et qui peut se porter soit en tenue confort, soit en tenue sportive, en combinaison de ski. Ces messieurs sont libres.
There is a demand for men’s pantyhose.
Présentateur : Annick, Anne-Marie, merci beaucoup de nous avoir présenté cette innovation.
Dame 2 : C’est nous qui vous remercions.
Présentateur : Et moi, je garde mon collant.
Dame 2 : Tout à?fait. Pas de problèmes ! Justement, comme à?a, en Décembre, vous nous en direz, des nouvelles !
Présentateur : Absolument ! Merci, mesdames.
*I would like to thank Michel, a very kind reader, who surprised me with this translation. I am so grateful for his help.*
*Friends, the only funding for this blog is from the shop section. Please indulge your pantyhose obsession and show some support for my work! Your purchases make this blog possible.*
Note: Gerbe pantyhose for men are no longer produced.
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 am excited because this is actually the first time I am doing an interview for another blog. Andreas Lucius, the owner of Legwear Fashion for Men, is a real trend setter when it comes to wearing tights as a fashion garment.
Some sample questions from the discussion that I answered:
Why do I love hosiery?
What do I think of men who wear it?
Would I date someone who wears it?
What style would work nicely with hosiery for a man?
Hosiery for Men by Gerbe
Hosiery for Men is a blog from England that widens acceptance of hosiery for men. The founder of this blog is a straight man who simply likes wearing hosiery for leg support, warmth and comfort.
I know a lot of men who wear pantyhose, most often secretly, but most of them don’t go as far as starting their own blog. How did you decide to blog about your hosiery interest?
I was aware of a few other blogs focused on tights/pantyhose and men but some of them didn’t seem to last for very long or have much regular content. I guess that I wanted to write a blog that I myself would like to read. I also wanted to have an opportunity to write more about my interest and try a wider range of hosiery products.
Since I started the blog almost a year ago, it has really taken off. I have built up some great contacts with hosiery retailers and manufacturers, and been able to test a very wide range of samples.
The blog now gets between 400-500 page views a day from all over the world.
Ela hosiery designed for men
Well, some of the brands sold in department store are actually really very good indeed. I am speaking of some of the premium brands such as Wolford, Falke, Philippe Matignon etc. But also some of the more budget brands such as Gatta, from Poland, are also a good for men.
The main thing I look at is the sizing – will the tights fit taller sizes? Another key feature is the brief. Some tights/pantyhose are made with a low waist style that isn’t really suitable for most men. Lycra content is also important for stretch and a good fit.
Of course, one can also check out the wide selection of tights now made for men – brands such as Comfort4Men, Ela, Aries, Adrian, Activskin, Doyeah etc. There are some very good products that include features that ensure men get a good fit – longer length in the leg, generous brief and even a fly opening.
Comfort4Men are a remarkable brand – their tights, pantyhose and support hosiery are designed by a woman, but no effort has been spared in meeting the highest standards and specifications. Activskin also produce an impressive range of legwear for men and the quality is also very good.
I’ve heard someone say once that if a man would like to buy pantyhose designed for females, they should go one size larger than what the size chart says. Is there anything that men should know when purchasing women’s brands?
I am not so sure that is a good rule to follow in every case. Sometimes the sizing information isn’t that accurate.
With experience and a lot of testing (much more since starting the blog) I have got to know which brands have accurate sizing and will fit me well.
Tights for men by Knittex
Do you ever show off your hosiery by wearing it with shorts? If yes, how do people usually react when they see it and what how do you explain to them such choice of wardrobe?
No, I have never worn tights with shorts. I know that is a style that some guys go and I have recently seen it as part of the collections of some prominent designers such as Givenchy.
However, I prefer to wear tights under trousers.
Since manufacturers continue to make hosiery for men; does it mean that there is a good market for it?
There seems to be a division of opinion on this issue. Some manufacturers, such as Gerbe, are sadly discontinuing their range of men’s tights. However, there always seem to be new styles appearing from others, such as Knittex from Poland.
I think that in general the marketing of men’s tights has been rather poor in general. Some brands don’t seem to market much at all and don’t seem to have made use of social media such as Twitter and Facebook.
It was interesting to see what happened recently with the launch of the Emilio Cavallini range of unisex tights. There was simple a huge amount of publicity everywhere and it raised the visibility of men wearing tights hugely. It seemed to me that this was an area of great interest to the media and those manufacturers making men’s tights should really be trying to take advantage of this.
Hosiery by Emilio Cavallini
Have you ever tried shaping pantyhose? Some women say it makes a great difference. I imagine that there are some men would like to have their waistline slimmer too.
I have tried compression/support tights and pantyhose. Some of these are marketed for the shaping capacity. My main aim in trying them is to check what benefits there are in terms of leg support. If you are working on your feet all day, or even sitting down for long periods, support hosiery can be very helpful. They keep your circulation going and lessen fatigue. I recently tried some Philippe Matignon Revitalise 70 tights – – they were excellent and provided a feeling of well being all day.
What is your opinion on patterned hosiery? I’ve seen some fun pictures of your blog of men wearing polka dot print pantyhose with shorts. How adventurous do you get with your own hosiery?
I am not that adventurous to be honest. I don’t think polka dot hosiery with shorts is really a good look for guys. That was one of the styles in the Emilio Cavallini unisex range, but I think most men will go for neutral sheer or opaque styles.
Do you have any advice or words of encouragement for other men who wear hosiery for comfort or medical reasons? Getting our society to show more open-minded is not an easy job.
I think people are much more open-minded than people realise. Firstly, almost all the hosiery retailers are open-minded about men wearing tights and pantyhose. Not only are we an important part of the customer base, in most cases they will also provide friendly advice and support.
When buying tights for myself in department stores, I have also found sales assistants to be completely supportive and helpful. The Falke store in Harrods of London, for example, were particularly helpful, talking me through their range and helping me to choose something suitable (that is also how I got to try the excellent Falke Pure Matt 100 denier tights.
I would encourage men to be happy with who they are and comfortable in their choice of legwear. I hope the Hosiery For Men blog can help widen acceptance.
Connect with Hosiery for Men:
Blog: http://hosieryformen.blogspot.ca/
Hosiery For Men Twitter account: @hosieryformen
*Friends, the only funding for this blog is from sponsor advertisement from Google. If you see advertisement on this blog, please remember this and what they have to offer.*
I went to a fashion event and they had an amazing dancer in white pantyhose. His dance moves were outstanding and I came at the end of the show to thank him. Of course, as you notice, he doesn’t mind wearing tights and he says that he buys a lot of it for dancing.
I have nothing against men wearing tights as you may know from my bio section. I enjoyed watching this dancer in white tights perform his ballet moves. Somehow before it never occurred to me that mantyhose can be sexy.
As I learned later on, there are a lot of men out there who are not even dancers and enjoy to wear hosiery because of the feeling. Beautiful dancer in these white tights made my heart race that cold Vancouver evening.
*Friends, the only funding for this blog is from the shop section. Please indulge your pantyhose obsession and show some support for my work! Your purchases make this blog possible.*
