Ukrainian Tights – a Gift from Julia

seamed hosiery

A few years back my friend Julia sent me a package from Ukraine. It contained many cool souvenirs and of course, knowing how much I’m into it, she sent 2 pairs of tights. 

In my opinion, both styles are quite rare. I’ve seen beige back seam tights before with a black seam and with a beige seam, but never a darker shade like this, especially with a reinforced toe. 

grey polka dot pantyhose from Ukraine on my legs - Ukrainian brand hosiery

Polka dots are common, but to find them in grey is not. To my surprise both styles turned out to be quite durable. 

If you are wondering when these photos were taken, I will surprise you – just about 2 days ago! Yes, Calgary still has snow falling from time to time. It is almost March and I still didn’t pack away my winter jackets. 

Here are photos of the packages. Giulia brand and Duve brand.

Duve, Giulia hosiery brands ukrainian pantyhose brands covers 1 Duve Giulia

Valentine’s Day Cake and Fancy Tights from Julia

Valentine's Cake I Love You home madeJulia, a Ukrainian lady who helps out with this blog, is getting ready for her Valentine’s Day way in advance.

She sent us a photo of the cake she made to surprise her husband. Can you imagine, this is a home made cake and it looks better than what can find in stores? I am sure that both of them will have a delicious time on Valentine’s.

Even though I am still waiting back from her to tell me what she s planning to wear on Valentine’s, I bet you that her outfit will include either some fancy tights or stockings.

She recently sent me a picture of her legs in the snow wearing Rosalia tights by Fiore and tall sexy boots.  Despite the harsh weather she just can’t stop wearing fashionable outfits.

Rosalia tights Julia legsOn behalf of this blog and its readers, I would like to say HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY to Julia and her sweetheart. If you would like to congratulate her personally, you can follow her on Twitter – @LingerieSpirit . She has an interest in fashion lingerie and posts photos of fashion models daily.

This week 20% of Sales are Donated to Orphans in Ukraine

Dear friends,

I would like to say that starting Monday and ending Sunday I will keep track of all the sales and give 20% of them as a donation to orphans in Ukraine in need of chemotherapy.

There is a group of Ukrainian volunteers based out of Winnipeg who contribute to the cause.  Even though that country provides chemo, it is not reliable and not as efficient as it could be, so they need to raise money to acquire treatment from abroad.

If you require more information, ask me and I’ll send it to you.

Jessica

Story of a Pantyhose Entrepreneur in Ukraine

Written by Inna, Ukraine: 

There is no mystery in the fact that the most renowned fashion designers, stylists and hear-dressers are men. So, probably we wouldn’t raise our eyebrows at all to being told a happy ending story about a businessman who found his devotion to hosiery manufacturing, as the story of this lucky man falls seamlessly under man-in-fashion-and-beauty lore definition. Except for one thing: namely, that our Ukrainian culture has never bargained for it.

Maxim Kuzmenko, the owner and ardent ruler of OMAX International company, based in the Ukraine, was pondering over his own business since getting the last classes of his school education. His commercial streak was being honed during the early 90’s. At that time,  the future leg-wear factory mogul occupied himself with marketing consumer and industrial goods of different kinds into the country, largely importing (what at that time verged on smuggling) them from abroad.

I’m not going to relate the whole chronicle of the OMAX boss’s genesis, but it’s worth noting that his path into hose-knitting Heaven wasn’t so easy, due to the nature of the product he was dealing with. He faced ups and downs in his industrious efforts to cobble together the best experts, up-to-date equipment, novel technologies and reliable partners. A lot of changes had happened since the moment Maxim Kuzmenko tweaked and dyed first number of so-called “tubes” and wholesaled them to the local market retailers, but probably the most important change that occurred was in  his attitude to this women-aimed fancy item itself – pantyhose.

And now, years after hearing of a Russian luxury yacht owner who had made his fortune selling women’s hosiery, Maxim Kuzmenko, Head of Omax International has his own luxury yacht, except instead of being moored at Monte Carlo, it is moored at Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.

Omax International Stockings Advertisement

Ukrainian Show “Pay Attention” – Secrets of Pantyhose

TV host Tatiana Ramus:  “Greetings to all viewers of the TV program “Pay attention”.  What do men notice first, when they secretly look at a woman?  It is unlikely that some will say say that they stare at the face, but for sure at the legs, especially if at that time those legs are in beautiful pantyhose.

Today we are going to advice women how to choose this nylon accessory which allows to change your look throughout the day.  And, we are going to show the men that this wardrobe detail is as important to women as a tie for a man.”

 

Brunette TV host: “The women in trousers have occupied urban streets but the men still look for legs in pantyhose and stockings. What is more interesting to them, legs or pantyhose? It seems that such clothing magically influence men.”

 

Opinion Poll on the street

Male Passerby 1: “I think the more transparent are the tights, the more decent the lady looks.”

 

Male Passer-by 2: “Pantyhose turn me on.”

 

zverni uvagu show putting on pantyhose

TV host putting on pantyhose

Brunette TV host: These 100 grams of nylon make your legs look perfect!

 

Psychologist Oksana Nikitina: “The woman wearing pantyhose has a closed personality, it is like so called chastity belt. The woman wearing stockings has an open personality. Men react not only to pantyhose and stockings but how the woman carries herself”.

 

Brunette TV host: “A woman uses more than 240 pairs of pantyhose during the year and to save them you should know more about this nylon miracle.” [Even though this is said in the show, it doesn’t seem to be true.]

 

Director of hosiery factory Maxim Kuzmenko: “Here we have very big range of pantyhose and they all consist of polyamide and elasthane threads. The comfort, price and so on depend on the quantitative composition of these two these yarns.”

 

zverni uvagu show pantyhose legs at a store

Hosiery Selection at a Store

Brunette TV host: “6 km of thread and 3 million of stitches are used to manufacture a pair of tights. There are thick or thin tights the, difference is only in deniers. So what is it and how to find out what deniers are?”

 

Director of hosiery factory Maxim Kuzmenko: “The thicker thread that is delivered, the thicker the manufactured product.”

 

Brunette TV host: “The price depends on the denier and whether the product is produced by a foreign or by a Ukrainian (local) factory.”

 

Sales Assistant Svetlana Pavlenko “Here we have Ukrainian tights produced by Nika – Nikopol Factory”

 

Brunette TV host: “There is plenty of variety in stores in our capital.”

 

zverni uvagu show pantyhose low rise

Low Rise Styles

Sales Assistant Svetlana Pavlenko “Young people prefer pantyhose with low waistline and there is also Brazilian type of pantyhose that make your tummy flatter and lifts your buttocks.”

 

Brunette TV host: “Wow, how does it work? Do you put on your tights and look 5 kg slimmer?”

 

Marketing Director Nataliya Esliuk: “Pantyhose are an accessory that can change your look. If you put on tights with vertical line pattern, you look slimmer. If you put on tights with horizontal line, then the legs look wider. If you take tights with dots or some other shapes they will hide all of your weak points and present your legs from the best side.”

 

Brunette TV host: “Wow, pantyhose are one of the fantastic things of 20th century. They make you slimmer and have no disadvantages.”

 

zverni uvagu show pantyhose low rise 2

Colour can cause skin allergies

Dermatologist Yury Opanasenko: “It is advisable not to wear pantyhose during the warm days of the year because they increase moisture content of the skin and this can lead to frequent infections for women, known as yeast. Colorful tights cause allergies and can provoke eczema and some other dermatitis.”

 

Brunette TV host: “Ok, I won’t wear them very often. But any way tights often rip and tear.”

 

Marketing Director Nataliya Yesliuk: “Pantyhose are a very delicate item, so it means they need special treatment. Usually, all manufacturers indicate laundry instructions on the packing. Generally, the washing temperature should not be more than 30 degrees and also there are many washing detergents for hosiery such as special shampoos and many others.”

 

zverni uvagu show pantyhose washing instructions

Washing Instructions

Brunette TV host: “But don’t hurry to throw your torn pantyhose, they may be still useful for you. For example, you can use them as decoration for a hat or as a base material for such bead necklace. Well, girls, let’s put on your pantyhose and let’s go hunting right away!”

 

TV host Tatiana Ramus: “Pantyhose help every woman to look slim and attractive. This accessory is less than 100 grams and can easily fit in your purse and totally change your look. In our show every day we talk about such things that can help you to look better.”

zverni uvagu show pantyhose recycling necklace

Pom-pom beads made from old pantyhose

 

 

Source: Zverni Uvagu Show

http://youtu.be/j8VF2ctgjHw

 

*Dear friends, please keep in mind that the funding for this blog comes from the shop section. Please have a look at it.*

Elka accused of plagiarism of Hot Hot Heat song “Shame On You”

elka singer in a pink dressRecently I’ve been visiting Victoria, BC for the weekend.  It’s a city on Vancouver island, full of local artists.  Maybe I would not even mention this fact, but coincidentally I was just reading about how their local band called Hot Hot Heat got one of their songs copied by a famous European singer.

Russian/Ukrainian singer, who goes under the name of Elka (pronounced Yolka), for the past two years gained enormous popularity in former USSR for her song called “Provence”.  But she is now accused of plagiarism, the chorus of her song is almost identical to the tune from the Hot Hot Heat song called “Shame On You”.

You can listen to the music in the video below where they alternate between the Canadian original and the song that is thought to be the knock off.  Obviously, Elka completely denies such accusations and says that the song came to her composer from outer space by SMS.

elka singer in white socksCopyright violations make many of us upset, but think of it this way, you’d probably would never find out about this Hot Hot Heat song if a popular singer wouldn’t snatch it, as they say.

But why is it that the same tune performed by Elka got so much attention and the original didn’t?  Perhaps because of her beautiful video clip, uplifting lyrics (her song is about her exciting anticipation of her trip tomorrow to the suburbs of Paris), and of course her large promotional budget.

Would you say that it is possible that Elka’s composer didn’t actually copy that song and simply came up with such a similar tune?  I’d love to hear your opinion.

 

elka under water

elka singer in Kazan in pantyhose

elka singer in Kazan

 

Happy Easter – Gucci Collection Inspired by Ukrainian Pysanka Art

pysanka gucci fall 2008 4

To all my friends who celebrate Easter, you may find it entertaining that in 2008 Gucci decided to run a series of pysanka-inspired designs.  Pysanka is the art of Ukrainian Easter egg decoration.  It’s quite a procedure!

With some precision wax application and alternating colouring solutions one can achieve incredibly detailed designs.  One time, a very long time ago, when I was a teen, I had the experience of making such a decorative egg at an ethnic event.

By the way, for those of you who are interested in recycling pantyhose, it is used to dye Easter eggs.  Pantyhose fabric plays the role of a casing that presses leaves or designs against the egg and thus leaving that shape uncoloured.

I am asking Julia from Ukraine to do a hosiery-inspired pysanka design for this blog.  Will she do it?  Your encouragement is greatly appreciated in both verbal and financial form.

pysanka gucci fall 2008 3

Eastern Europe: Pantyhose As a Sign of Financial Prosperity

As you can learn from the history of hosiery, it was always regarded as something of higher class because simple peasants in villages could not afford it and only the wealthy would wear it.

In Eastern Europe this still holds true.  Here are some references for your interest from a variety of Eastern-European sources where women equate pantyhose with money.  Pantyhose as a sign of Financial Prosperity!

___________________________________

Russian Deputy, Nina Ostanina, as a response to accusations of blackmail, makes a statement to show that she has enough money in order not to engage in criminal activities:

“I have enough money to buy myself a skirt and a pair of pantyhose!” – Nina Ostanina, Russian Deputy

Nina Ostanina at a talent show and a nice blond host in pantyhose ГђВќГђВёГђВЅГђ° ОстÐ°Р“ђВЅГђВёГђВЅГђ°, ГђВєГђВѕГђ»Р“ђВіГђВѕГ‘‚ки

Nina Ostanina is a mature lady on the left in a black knee high dress. At this concert the blond host is wearing pantyhose, but Nina isn’t from what it looks. Could it be in fact true that this poor deputy engages in blackmail because she doesn’t have enough money for pantyhose and a skirt?

___________________________________

Svetlana Hodchenkova, a Russian actress, came to a fashion show in a strange outfit, according to a Ukrainian 7 Day Newspaper.  Despite the cold weather, she was wearing a fur coat and sandals worn on bare legs and the media was quick to issue a mocking headline to address such nonsense.

Is Svetlana Hodchenkova saving money on pantyhose? Newspaper Headline, mocking her bare leg appearance

Svetlana Hodchenkova in white pantyhose

But it looks like she changed her mind when it came to getting attention of the opposite sex.  Smart move, Svetlana!

 ___________________________________

Natalya Tolstaya, a Russian psychologist/sexologist/writer, gives as an example of a greedy husband, saying that a woman should not beg her husband for some money to buy pantyhose.  She mentions all sorts of pantyhose scenarios in her videos. If requests are received, I’d be glad to retrieve them for you.

According to Natalya Tolstaya, the ultimate example of having a greedy husband is having to beg him for some money to buy pantyhose. 

Natalya Tolstaya, in the middle, wearing pantyhose and 2 women in hosiery on the sides from her.

Natalya Tolstaya is the lady in the middle. Do you think that this hosiery clad trio has generous enough husbands who give them money for pantyhose?

 

Would you like to imagine what people would think if a woman would come with bare legs to a business meeting?  I hope you read this article with a sense of humour, but keep in mind that in every joke there is a part of truth.

 

*Thank you to my Ukrainian and Russian friends who helped me to put together this article – Pantyhose As a Sign of Financial Prosperity.*

Sources (in foreign language):

Deputy ArticleMocking Bare Legs ArticleNatalia Tolstaya YT Videos