Pantyhose and Open Toe Shoes Debate

pantyhose and sandals 1Can pantyhose be worn with sandals?  Some fashion experts say yes, some say no. Whoever says “yes” from the fashion world states that such pantyhose should be maximum 10 den for such a summer look.

In the photo here we see the feet of Alexandra Savelyeva, a Russian singer, who participated in a fashion TV program and addressed the subject.

In that show, together with the host, Max Chernitsov (fashion designer), they came to a conclusion that in the summer pantyhose and sandals are fine as long as there are no seams showing and they match closely to the skin tone of the wearer.

КонцÐµР“‘€Ñ‚ «Fresh-2012. 100% свÐµР“С’¶Р“ђВёГђВ№ хит!». Крокус Сити ГђВҐГђВѕГђ»Р“С’», Москва

Another popular Russian stylist said that pantyhose with open toe shoes is OK as long as it is ultra sheer, 5 – 8 den, so it doesn’t look  heavy.  However, on the runway from time to time we see women in opaques marching with open-toe shoes.

I guess that Alexandra (Sasha) Savelyeva followed such advice and actually wore barely there skin tone pantyhose with a mini dress to an event.  The photo displayed here of her wearing a dress and peep toe shoes is from there.

But she got criticized beyond belief by other people who said that if she dared to wear a mini, she should also dare to go with bare legs.  Perhaps they didn’t watch that show! I’d rather focus on the fact that her shoes and her dress don’t go so well together.

What is your opinion on sandals worn with pantyhose?

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Azerbaijan: ban on sheer pantyhose

legs in pantyhoseIn the city of Nakhchivan, located in Azerbaijan, local government has banned women who have government funded jobs to wear nylon pantyhose. Their government consistently keeps on surprising the public with new bans – internet clubs, social media, and even Playstation salons.  Cafes and hair salons also got closed down.

School teachers are not allowed to wear high heels, short skirts, low cut tops.  They are also banned from wearing nail polish and from coloring their hair.  If a teacher would be dressed like that, she would not be able to enter the school. For civilians there are bans on walking in groups, hanging laundry on balconies, baking bread in certain ovens, and even performing some foreign-acquired funeral customs.

It is hard to say what causes this Muslim region to pass such laws, maybe an attempt to recover from the fashions and habits that remained from formal USSR.  I am surprised how a woman from this country even managed to win Eurovision song contest at some point. It could be that laws vary from region to region, for example Baku doesn’t have such laws.

So ladies, if you ever end up in that area for a business meeting, keep in mind that wearing sheer pantyhose is a bad idea!  In general, if you are going to such a country for business meeting, be aware that their standards may differ from ours.  As rough as it may sound, it may be even better not to go and send your male substitute instead.

 

Comment from Twitter:

“I’ve actually been to Azerbaijan. Nakhchivan is an autonomous area, geographically and politically separate from the rest.”

Advantages of Sheer to Waist Pantyhose

sheer to waist pantyhose

Sheer to Waist

I find that if pantyhose are of good quality, it really doesn’t matter if they have a control top or not – they’ll stay up properly without sagging.  I started having a preference for sheer to waist pantyhose just because they look so much better with high cut outfits.

Non-compressive and easy to put on, without the control top struggle, is actually the main benefit for me.  I’ve met women who would say that they are squashed by their pantyhose.

T-tops are also really nice, but the only thing for me is that they would show up at the inner leg if worn with a bodysuit, like let’s say a dance leotard.

If someone does need shapewear, I’d suggest to buy a bodysuit or shorts with a shaping element for that purpose that can be worn over and over again.  Pantyhose are best when they are simply sheer!

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sheer to waist hosiery

sheer to waist run resistant pantyhose by Fiore, made in Europe

 

Fortissima, Run Resistant by Gatta

This video shows off Fortissima pantyhose by Gatta.  Amazing quality!  Available at the shop section.  Fortissima pantyhose is the softest and strongest from Gatta line.  If you’d be to choose only one style to try, that would be it.

Gatta Brand


The company that owns the brand is called Ferax and it is located in a small Polish city called Zdunska Wola. Perhaps there is not much in that city except for that factory.  That district in general has very well established textile industries.
This beautiful and seductive video is an advertisement for a Polish brand called Gatta and for their run resistant Fortissima pantyhose.  This brand dominates Russian and Polish market and is considered to be one of the most well-launched brands in Poland.

Wearing Fortissima Pantyhose

run proof, non run, tights, Pantyhose advertised here is Fortissima, but probably more like in 30 den.  I only so far tried 15 den and 20 den in Fortissima style.  It came out around 2010 and I got my hands on it right away during my visit to Europe.  Amazed by the quality, I kept on buying more and more of it for daily wear.

It is run resistant, not to say completely run-free, but the quality is really good for the price, that’s for sure.  Such properties are achieved by Lycra Fusion mechanism.  A friend of mine told me that she ripped hers with the zipper from her boot by accident, but it didn’t run all over the place, so she returned home and stitched it.  Still wears it, with boots of course.

Another friend of mine, Michelle, likes this style because she finds that it fits comfortably around her hips. She’s got a bit of a fuller figure.

Have you tried it? I’d love to hear your comments!

Trying on a Russian Pantyhose Brand Gracia

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.

pantyhose by Gracia Russian brand with reinforced toesLuckily, 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?

pantyhose by Gracia Russian brand with reinforced toes close up 2Reinforced 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?

 

 

Monica Bellucci and Her Story

by David, United States 

Monica Bellucci in black pantyhose in a sexy pose with a cleavage“After love, the man sleeps, while the woman reflects”

This is one of several insightful quotations attributed to Italian actress and model Monica Bellucci. Monica was born in 1964 in Citta di Castello, Umbria, right in the center of Italy. While attending the University of Perugia, located in the capital of Umbria, Monica began taking on modeling assignments to help pay for her schooling.

Soon her side job began to accelerate faster than her studies; she left college and moved to Milan in 1988 and signed with her first and current agency Elite model management. Monica started getting attention for her work on both sides of the Atlantic, her images were featured in Dolce & Gabbana, Men’s health, Maxim and French Elle.

Then, with some minor television roles in 1990, her modeling career transitioned into a more successful one in acting. “In 10 years I’ve done so many things. In the beginning I didn’t know if I was still a model, if I was an actress. I knew I wanted to be an actress, but it was so difficult to be believed. Now things are going better and better and the proposals I have are much more interesting than five years ago. It’s like getting older is getting better”, she told one interviewer. Movie credits include L’Appartement, Malena, Brotherhood of the Wolf, Irreversible, Tears of the Sun, The Matrix Reloaded, The Passion of the Christ, The Brothers Grimm, Don’t Look Back, and the Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

Monica Bellucci in pantyhoseUpon mentioning Monica to an associate, he gasped. After calming my friend down I asked him what was the cause of his strong reaction to my mention of such a beautiful woman. “It is because of Irreversible. I sat in the theater and watched her in a horrible, graphic rape scene that lasted eleven minutes….”  Indeed, “Irreversible” is a film so violent and cruel that most have found it unwatchable. It won the Stockholm International Film Festival award for best picture.” The final scene is presented in the beginning, and is an eleven minute long torturous public park rape scene…

Monica made this comment about the film to another reporter: “I’m not scared by nudity, because for me, nothing is more beautiful than a body. You can have such an amazing emotion from a body. In Irreversible (2002), I treated my body like it was an object and it’s great when you can have this kind of relation with your body, it’s a part of your job, an object you can work with. When you can have this kind of freedom it’s the moment where you can give your best as an actress”.

Monica Bellucci in pantyhose and leopard print shoes Monica Bellucci wearing a large hat and pantyhose

Aurora doing a photoshoot in Sheer Black Pantyhose

This is Aurora – she is a local Vancouver girl and my guy did this photoshoot with her in pantyhose.  She is a friendly girl and she obviously looks great in pantyhose!

Friends, please note, these pictures are COPYRIGHTED – do not post them elsewhere.

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Nicole’s Love for Ultra Sheer Pantyhose


Nicole is a stylish cross dresser from London and she has a rare preference for ultra sheer pantyhose, like 8 den or less.  I am very impressed and curious to find out why she likes it so much.

 


Q:  What’s the advantage of 8 den over 15 den? Both are sheer to me.

I have always like nude or natural shades, rather than darker sheer tights (pantyhose across the pond).

The look I try and achieve with my sheers is for a perfect skin tone match so it looks like I have only got ‘make-up’ for the legs.

Depending on how much sun or if I have been using a bronzing moisturiser, my skintone fluctuates a little. Sometimes it’s never quite a good match.

I find that 15-20 Denier whilst quite sheer do give quite a good leg / imperfection coverage. However, the challenge is always in finding ‘just right’ nude / natural shades. If my skin colouring has got a perfect match then 15s or so will be invisible.

Too dark and it can look either a bit orange – or too ‘American Tan’. Too pale, and it looks powdery.

With tights 10 denier or less, because they are so light and translucent, if I’m not a perfect skintone match for any of my varying (and embarrassingly large collection of sheers in slightly varying natural shades) then 7 or 8 denier will still work,

Additionally, as I am sure you know even sheers give you a layer. In the warmer months, some manufacturers make ‘cooling’ tights. Again – they are ultra sheer – and now they are all run resistant.

 

Q:  Do you feel more feminine wearing 8 den rather than 20 den?

I guess so – I like my tights so sheer and tone matched that I’m practically challenging people to notice. Essentially, nylons are a very feminine statement no matter if they are invisible or not. I am a complete addict and I will wear them with my male clothes, for work, with jeans – and the ubiquitous lycra that i wear for pilates, dance etc. I wax, and as any lover of nylons will tell you – sheers + smooth skin is a fairly unique sensation – though you do get used to it.

I started my cross-dressing journey at 12, and the thing that first tempted me to it was curiosity regarding wanting to try sheers on. In that respect, they do make me feel more feminine, what ever I choose to be wearing – dressed fully as a woman, or even partly. I like to have a little bit of this side to me at all times – but when I am dressed male – they are more a little reminder to myself.

As for higher deniers, I wear upto 80 denier when its very cold, and my favourite opaques are my Wolford Satin 50s

 

Q:  This is such a delicate garment.  What do you do to avoid runs?

Runs tend to be caused either by catching them on your clothes, your shoes or just by having a sharp toe or rough heels, especially in the under 10 denier weights.

I don’t use hosiery gloves firstly, but I take my watch and any jewellery off first. We all know (or in my case learned by trial and error) how to put them on properly, and I careful with zips etc with skirts, pants and jeans.

As well as my regular waxing, my beautician gives an excellent pedicure. So my heels get carefully exfoliated and then moisturised. A gel pedicure stops snaggy nails too.

The rest is just ‘wear with care!’

 

Q:  I notice that on your blog you put a special emphasis on hosiery-related topics.  What is it about hosiery that you like so much?

I have always thought of hosiery as a fantastic treat and an amazing garment. Personally, I love the fabric, stretchiness, and the sensation of the fabric on my skin. I like the impression of hiding imperfections – or providing warmth or colour and expressing myself with some of the interesting patterns. They finish off an outfit and I wouldn’t feel properly dressed without them – especially when I’m in a skirt or heels! The fact that such a fantastic sensation and luxurious sensation is traditionally closed to guys is a terrible shame!

Finally – they are what attracted me to dressing, clothes and shoes – and along with my dancewear, lycra etc – they are and will be my first love!

 

Nicole’s Blog:  http://crossdresssecret.blogspot.com

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Lucy McRae, futuristic designer: pantyhose encased model mocks the use of fillers in plastic surgery

pantyhose encased model

What you are looking at is called “Voque” bodysuit.  The model is wearing pantyhose all over her body with clear balloons stuffed underneath to mock the use of fillers in plastic surgery.

The artist is Lucy McRae, a futuristic designer, who’s work has been displayed at Sao Paola Museum.

If you are interested to learn more about the designer, you can watch her presentation on TED talks here.

In the video at TED talks are a few more photos of this bizzare pantyhose encasement worn by the designer herself for testing this encasement idea.

This outfit was in Voque as a way to draw attention to plastic surgery.

I’d say that this design that you are seeing here is one of the mildest from her collection and ideas.  She even came up with a pill that makes person’s sweat smell like perfume.

 

*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.*

Low Rise Pantyhose – most long lasting pair ever for that kind of price!

Has anybody tried it?  I am about to!  Low rise pantyhose are very popular among teens.

OK, just put on a pair of low rise hipster tights by Gabriella brand.  They are in fact very cheap, so I’d like to put them to a test.

Material: The fabric is not soft, it’s sheer, but feels a little rough to touch.  Still seems very durable though, especially because of the reinforced toe.

In terms of low rise: I must admit that this is my first time trying this on.  It feels nice around the hips.  I don’t feel like it is too low.  I guess for those times when I used to wear pantyhose under pants, this would be perfect.

Yesterday I was talking to a woman who said that her mother brought her some warm pantyhose.  She pulled up her sweater and under her jeans she had very high rise control top, but her jeans were low cut.  It looked kind of strange, but I guess maybe she pulls up the pantyhose so high on purpose for extra warmth around the waist.

low rise pantyhose

Reinforced Toes

—–

Update from 3 months after opening that pair

– Still no runs!  I wore it probably at least 7-8 times.

– This pantyhose survived Velcro (a boy next to me on the plane landed his jacket’s sleeve on my leg)

– I notice irregularity in the weave (see defects section), but this as it turns out, doesn’t affect the durability

– I can’t really say that the fabric is soft, but it fits well and doesn’t slide off the hips.

____________________________________________________

Update 8  months after opening this pair

– Still good!  I wore it on my trip to Europe and even did a photoshoot in it.  No runs.  I love this low rise pantyhose!

low rise pantyhose

Low Rise Pantyhose

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