Caroline's Guide to Tights

Continuing with the theme of warm Winter woolies, I’ve decided to dedicate today’s blog post to the topic of tights, as these are my number one wardrobe staple during the Winter months. Obviously I wear them under skirts and dresses, but I also wear them under jeans and trousers for extra warmth during the cold weather. As well as being cozy, a good pair of tights will also streamline a wobbly tummy and thighs – no mean feat eh!

There are a couple of common questions that I get asked about tights, which I’ll address here. If I haven’t answered your query, simply add your question to the comment box below.

“What does ‘dernier’ mean?” Dernier refers to the weight of the fabric. The higher the number, the heavier the material. Sheer stockings might be 15 for example, and heavy opaques can be 100 or more. Winter opaques generally start at dernier 40; however I prefer to purchase opaques with a dernier of 100 as a heavier weight will hold its shape better, and is less likely to ladder or ‘bobble’.

“I want to wear opaques but I don’t know what colour to choose?” Be very careful when choosing the colour of your tights. Remember the golden rule; dark colours are slimming. It doesn’t have to be black – grey, navy, purple etc. can all look great. Bright colours make your legs look bigger!

“What size should I go for?” In my experience, tights are generally quite small in size. Read the size guide on the label carefully before selecting your size. I generally prefer to go for a larger size, for comfort’s sake!

“How do I wash my tights?” Technically, you are supposed to wash your tights by hand; however, I certainly have no time or inclination to do so, so it would be very hypocritical of me to preach otherwise! I wash my tights in the washing machine at 30o on a low spin. Sometimes tights can get tangled up in a huge knot in the machine, so to avoid that, simply seal them in a pillowcase before putting them in the wash. Afterwards I let them dry naturally. I don’t tend to use a tumble dryer as I find that they can be very ‘staticy’ afterwards.

“Will expensive tights last longer?“ In my experience, no! I’ve bought €1 tights in Penneys that have outlived €25 from Brown Thomas. Generally, more expensive tights will have a nicer fabric/finish, but they’re not ladder-proof – more’s the pity. Marks and Spencer apparently has new ladder-proof tights but I’ve yet to try them myself. My favourite opaque tights are €3 in H&M and are of extremely good quality. For sheer tights, I generally head to Dunnes Stores.

“I can’t find tights to fit me?” Check out MyTights.com, which has tights for every shape and size, including; extra-long leg, maternity, plus size, bridal, support and more.

Yours in style,
Caroline

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