Love for shoe shopping – online & offline

Somehow every time I go on vacation, I seem to stock up on shoes. With all the great deals that I see in American malls, I just can’t resist. On my recent trip I acquired four new pairs. I got two new pairs of flats and two pairs of heels. In Canada our prices are not nearly as attractive.

Recently I’ve been considering to buy shoes online. If it’s a sexy type of shoe that I use for mostly photoshoots, then I am willing to take the risk if it’s not a perfect fit. One of my friends actually signs up to all the newsletters that send out deals on online shopping.

To my surprise I see that some sales online are actually better than what I can get in stores. Perhaps one big advantage to shop online is that items are quick to find. On my trip I stopped at Ross to look at some deals and I found the shoe I wanted, but only one shoe! Even after I asked for help to find the second one, nobody could figure out where it was. I walked out empty-handed.

Another advantage is that people who wear larger sizes like 9, 10, and 11 get amazing deals online since these sizes are usually left over. Crossdressers, for example, are often shy to buy shoes for themselves in public. Claiming that their wife has size 11 feet would probably get the sales person suspicious, even though in theory they actually don’t care since they just want to make that sale.

Just recently I also discovered a helpful way to make a decision on which shoe to buy. Since online you always have a photo available, putting it up on social media and asking people to vote / comment may reveal some points that you haven’t considered. These cork shoes, for example, were bought after I did a bit of a survey on social media and saw that lots of people voted for these.

my new cork shoes and wolford pantyhose

Wolford pantyhose and my new shoes!

My Holiday Shopping Frenzie Has Begun

Just a few hours ago I returned from United States.  Maybe it sounds far, but it’s only about 45 minutes away from Vancouver.  Partially the purpose of my trip was to send some packages that were ordered over the weekend sale though this blog, and partially to have a look at some nice outfits that I could wear for New Year’s and Christmas holidays.

pink dress and black stockingsShopping for that perfect party dress is just overwhelming in my opinion. There are thousands of brands and models to choose from and so many different stores full of noisy shoppers.  I was so confused that I just left empty-handed, declaring only $60 worth of chocolates at the border crossing, thus totally surprising the guard who somehow expected a woman like me to buy much more than that.

Sometimes I even think that instead of going from one store to another, I could buy a dress online in the comfort of my home to save time and money travelling back and forth. These days online fashion stores offer a huge selection of summer dresses, black evening dresses, prom dresses, casual dresses, sparkling dresses, and there is really no end to it.

I think that most people who are afraid of shopping online do so because they are not sure about their dress size.  One of my good friends even once bought me a beautiful sequin dress that you see here on the photo from an online store.  They had a detailed size chart with body measurements that made it easy for me to choose.

I think that the key to choosing the right dress is knowing your body type and what looks good with it.  In addition to that I choose my hosiery as carefully as I choose my dress.  Perfect nylon shade and proper shoes can add class and elegance to a simple style.

Here are some tips from stylists on choosing a nice dress that I found:

  • If you’re attending a formal event, stick with a more conventional cut.
  • For a night out or a birthday party, choose a cocktail dress.
  • Highlight your small waist with a thin belt.
  • Women with curves should avoid pleats and gathers. A knee-length dress will outline their figure and make them look slimmer.
  • Petite ladies can highlight their small frame with slim fitting dress.
  • Athletic women will look amazing in tight dresses with fun prints.
  • If you have dark skin, look for party dresses in light colors such as yellow, green, white, and pink.
  • Those with medium skin may wear gray, brown, or black.
  • Red and green will look wonderful on dark-haired ladies with pale skin.
  • The right accessories can set apart even the simplest dress.  

OK, so with my head spinning from all different styles, and especially after I looked at the photo of me in that sequin pink dress, I am determined that if I fail to find a new outfit,  at least have a perfect option already present in my closet.

Gigi’s Intimates is Up for a Makover

They are still under construction.  Stay tuned.

UPDATE: they are still not up, but promising amazing deals to their first customers for the grand opening, so stay tuned on twitter.

An online store, Gigi’s Intimates, is temporary down for an upgrade and they will be back strong on Monday with better than ever deals.

 

They have a selection of fully fashioned stockings and 100% nylon pantyhose from Cervin and Gio.  Stay tuned and follow them on twitter.

Where to Buy Vintage Stockings and Pantyhose in Vancouver?

vintage 100 nylon pantyhose by miss canada brand

My vintage pantyhose – Miss Canada brand, 100% nylon

I know where!  I am so excited, just now I was walking along Main Street and noticed a vintage store called Woo Vintage.  I rarely check vintage stores, but I absolutely had to go there because on their sign they had a pair of legs in stockings.  So I was hoping that if they carry it, I could buy some vintage stockings or pantyhose for myself.

I walked in and asked for vintage stockings.  To my surprise they had a whole basket full of all sorts of different brands!  Still unopened, both pantyhose and stockings from decades ago.  It’s  like a chance to travel back in time and feel what it was like for people back then.  What a treasure!  I am tempted to go buy the whole basket actually.  Here is an example from their online store – vintage Hudson stockings.  They also have an account on etsy.

I just couldn’t leave the store without a pair of Miss Canada pantyhose in my hand, a Canadian brand that probably no longer exists.  It claimed to be one size fits all.  Obviously, the same day I put on that 100% nylon vintage pantyhose. Relatively stretchy, sheer to waist, no gusset, chocolate brown.  Yes, for me it fits, but let’s just say I wouldn’t recommended for a lady either taller or heavier than me.

Miss Canada brand vintage 100 nylon sheer pantyhose package

Vintage packaging of Miss Canada brand pantyhose states that the composition of the hosiery is 100% nylon in both English and French. It probably used to be a brand that would sell in department stores, according to the shop owner.  One size fits all perhaps would be true a few decades go, but sure not for the modern North American size.  The range of 100 – 150 lbs would perhaps be about size Medium.

Miss Canada brand vintage 100 nylon sheer pantyhose packaging

I did spot a few special brands, like Alferd Sung, for example.  I recommend this location if you want to buy vintage stockings or vintage clothing and jewelry in general. Another item that I finally found there that I couldn’t find anywhere else was a pair of oversized vintage clip earrings.

 

Woo Vintage

4393 Main St.

Vancouver, BC

604 687 8200

 

If you are in Vancouver, come and indulge.  if you are not, they have a Facebook page and an Etsy store where you can purchase items.  Perhaps you may need to check directly about pantyhose though, since it is really one of a kind thing.  Once they are gone, they are gone.

https://woovintage.com/

https://www.facebook.com/WooVintageClothing

https://twitter.com/WooVintage

http://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/WooVintageClothing

vintage pantyhose packaging - Hudson Wonderfit Phantom Fitlon

Vintage packaging for Hudson, Wonderfit, Phantom, and Fitlon pantyhose.

vintage pantyhose and stockings selection

The treasure basket!  An opportunity to buy vintage stockings while they are still around.

 

No More Google Ads on Fantasy Stockings

Dear friends, I would like to give you an update about Fantasy Stockings.  As you may notice, there are some changes taking place on this website and you may be curious to know about it.

Fantasy Stockings no longer runs Google Adsense advertisement (or ads generated by any other pay per click network) on the blog posts.  In general that means that user experience will be greatly improved.

Perhaps this was not really the way it was planned by me.  I was hoping that by having Google Adsense on my blog I would be able to generate some funds in order to maintain this blog.  Just a few days ago Google Adsense disqualified Fantasy Stocking due to an article published about a male fashion model wearing hosiery.

As I obviously would not want to limit myself with the content published on my blog, I am transferring to another way of operating without being limited with what topics I can publicly discuss here.  I knew this would happen some day, so I had a back up option ready to launch waiting, as a source of funding instead of Google ads.

For this reason this website is taking a dual form.  It is partially a blog, partially an online shop for popular Polish brands like Gatta, Gabriella, Fiore, and perhaps soon I can introduce some like Sesto Senso, Ballerina, Intrigo, and Mona (Tespol).

You are welcome to browse my initial selection at the Shop Section.

Romina stay up stockings displayed out of package

Romina stockings, available at the shop, with golden pattern in the welt.

 

Sparkly Pantyhose for New Year’s Eve

Enjoy!  This is me and my relative posing in sparkly pantyhose for the holiday season.  She came over for a visit a few months ago and I asked her to take some photos with me with the upcoming holidays in mind.

Happy New Year!

legs, models, photoshoot, heels, black, 40 den, hosiery, tights legs, models, photoshoot, heels, black, 40 den, hosiery, tights legs, models, photoshoot, heels, black, 40 den, hosiery, tights

My pantyhose has metallic fibre pattern on it and her pantyhose has diamond look crystals attached to it.  Both are 40 den, seasonal collection by Fiore.  To make us matching, we both wore black suede shoes.  Felt good to celebrate in Lurex!

I just can’t do it on New Year’s without a beautiful pair of pantyhose.

*Friends, please keep in mind that it is your occasional purchases from the shop section that keep this blog running.  Please, if you are into this kind of stuff, consider to buy stockings and pantyhose here.*

 

Does more Lycra make pantyhose shinier?

Matte pantyhose with high lycra content by Platino.

I had some information up earlier that I got from an Asian online newspaper, but some of it was not accurate regarding shine and here is an update from Shapings.com.  Here is the correction by Robert.

 

Does lycra make pantyhose shiny?  

Lycra does not make it shine, you can still have a matte pantyhose with tons of lycra and it does not shine. Here is an example – Total Comfort 10 by Platino.

The shine actually comes from the shape of the nylon fibre. If the cross section is triangular then it shines, if it’s circular then it is mat as the light refraction is the key to the shine.

 

Thank you, Robert, for keeping an eye on my content and submitting a correction!