Cecil the lion

 

Lots of upset in the press yesterday about Cecil the Lion.  But, I as far as I am concerned, the good thing about endangered species is that they are well, endangered.  Imagine never being able to wear heels because you never know when you have to run from a killer beast.

You could always take your shoes off if you think you'll need to run, but you could ruin your tights.  (Better wear opaques).

Pantyhose for all

Here  at Joy of Tights we are always looking for reports of a tights renaisance.

Speaking for myself, that's not because I love tights, I have a love/hate relationship with tights, or more accurately a love/hate/hate/love/hate/hate/hate relationship.  "Joy of Tights" its ironic see, oh never mind.  Its a bit like atheists.  If the gods didn't exist what would atheists do?  No one to rage against.  More to the point if athesits didn't exist what would the gods do?  No one to roast in hell.  Its like that with tights, I have to encourage you to wear them so I rage against their oppression of womankind.

A joy to wear or oppression of womankind, I just can't make up my mind

Tights in church.  Conversion from god and tights needed?

Well the latest argument for the resurrection of pantyhose is Hamilton Spectator no less.

First line of argument.  The models at Hedi Slimane's spring/summer 2015 runway show last fall: they were wearing, gasp, pantyhose!

Not only pantyhose, but she's wearing them with open toed shoes and shorts too!

Second line of argument.  Celebs are wearing hose.  Cases in point: Rhianna, Taylor Swift and the Duchess of Cambridge.  Queue celebs in sheer tights pics:

Rihanna, nice shoes

Taylor Swift, sheers with funking "stripes" and boots

Royal stocking feet: Duchess of Cambridge

Just to show you don't need to be real royal to go stocking foot, here are Rhianna's tootsies in tights

Third (and main) line of argument, lots of fashionistas saying tights are hot.  (That's right the ones that told us pantyhose were the work of Satan - not that I have anything against he works od Satan personally.)

First up Toronto stylist Susie Sheffman:

"For more than 15 years, we told people to wear bare legs, but that feels wrong now. The new look is polished, but edgy.  That tension is what shocks the eye, and it is how major shifts in fashion come about. What was the most 'out' becomes the most hot"

And apparently, what is new again is sheer black pantyhose.  "Black opaque hose sometimes turned up, but that looks too heavy now".  (Actually quite a lot of black opaque turned up, and who is to say that they look too heavy, especially when modelled by stars line Nicole Kidman and Elle MacPherson - see my previous posst).

New in thing?  Beatiful in (sheer) black

But are opaques really out?

Especially when Taylor Swift, one of the leaders of the pantyhose revolution, is wearing them?

What is more we are in a classic trend loop, wherein the young people new to pantyhose are wearing the same thing as the professional women who never gave them up.

Bright young thing in pantyhose

Architypical Business woman in hose-  Marisa Meyer of Yahoo

Now we come to Nicholas Mellamphy, vice-president and buying director at The Room, who is excited about the sheer possibilities.

"It is about juxtaposition: lady meets rock chick: The lady is a tramp. Slimane took the YSL design studio to Los Angeles, and this has a Paris-via-L. A. vibe to it," (No, I don't understand him either)

Rock chick, Jeanette Biedermann, but is it rock chic?

Next up we hane Mosha Lundstrom Halbert,  editorial director for Footwear News, an industry publication in New York, who says she is a self-professed "complete hosiery fiend."  According to Ms Halbert:

" ....legwear is a major accessory. It is an inexpensive way to change up your look. I loved the granny chic (sheer nude) at Gucci resort. And I loved the extreme (oversized black fishnet) hose at Proenza Schouler.  The market is moving past sheers and fishnets even to some exciting textures. It all feels very Paris in the '70s disco chic to me. My sock drawer is now overflowing."

Granny chic?

Fishnets - but not oversized

Disco, but chic?

There  does seem to be a lot of chic in these discussions of pantyhose.

Rough texture

Finally there is  Kim Black, vice-president of marketing and sales for Gildan Canada, which produces Secret and Silks and Jockey.

"The pantyhose industry took a big hit when everyone said it was cool to wear bare legs.  It is a fun time in the business again now.  "This is a delicate product. But the yarns we use, and the stretch technology and new knitting machines, are fantastic. We have increased durability.  The key component is fit: better fit means longer lasting. So you really should know your size." 

Even with the increased durabitily the run, hole and ladder have not been absolished.  Nevertheless according to Ms Black

"Customization is next," says Black. "Consumers are getting really creative with deliberate holes."

Custom holes?

 So are sheer tights now being warn by younger....

and older alike .....

Answer my latest pole and tell me what you think

More on Sheer Madness

In yesterday's post I commented on J-Lo's sheer birthday suit - sheer everywhere but on the legs that is.

Well here is a girl in a fully sheer outfit.  More of a bodystocking than a sheer dress.  IMHO I think an all sheer look is better than J-Lo's some and some approach - a more consistent matching look.  Still I think sheer material is best kept to tights.

J-Lo's sheer madness

Packing out 1 Oak Southampton, a nightclub in the chi-chi New York holiday enclave that is the Hamptons, Jenny from the Block employed some masterful geometrics to ensure that all eyes were firmly centered on her, the birthday girl.

The singer and actress called upon costume designer Bao Tranchi for a hip-bearing, cut-out dress with sheer panelling. Half her famous rear and a whole lot of torso were show.

Myself I think black sheer is better with tights:

In the past, JLo, has been a supporter of tights, but more fishnet than sheer

Nicole Kidman has found joy of tights

NICOLE Kidman's favourite fashion item is "black tights".

(BTW: If you don't know who Nicole Kidman is, what planet are you from?  Just a few recent highlights: the British thriller film Before I Go To Sleep drew a positive critical response of Kidman's performance, as Christine Lucas, a car crash survivor with brain damage, and she also appeared in the family film Paddington (2014) as a villain.  [But fear not, she’s a fan of cuter characters and can spot-on impersonations of Tweety Bird and Little Quacker, and her favourite Sesame Street resident is Snuffleupagus.])

The 48-year-old actress has confessed her love for opaque stockings, [according to one source that may not know the difference between stockings and tights], insisting that she's over the moon they came into fashion, in a video interview of vogue.com. When asked what her favourite fashion trend of all time is, Nicole simply replied: "Black tights".

Now lets be clear here that Ms Kidman means.  I think she is referring to what we in the UK would call opaque tights (hence the reference to opaque stockings), not sheer tights or as our stateside sisters call them pantyhose

With opaques there is no hint of the leg below the tights other than its shape.  This is particularly clear when you look at the foot and cannot see the toes.  "Can't see no toes they ain't pantyhose". (See above)

But as we can see hoisery comes in lots of different thicknesses (deniers).  So the the line between opagues (tights) and sheers (pantyhose) is a little fuzzy.  Typically anything 40 denier and above is regarded as opaque.

But I stick to the rule that if you can see the toes they are pantyhose as shown above.  This even applies to tights with reinforced toes, your toes can usually be seen through the thicker  nylon at the end of the feet if the tights are actually pantyhose

You can see her toes through the reinfored toe of the tights

Can you see her toes, I think you can?

But I digress - enough of the definition of tights and pantyhose -  back to Nicole Kidman

Now Ms Kidman is usually seen in tights.  As shown in this photoshoot taken at the famouse Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York.  The Widorf describes its suites:

"Stay in an exquisite one bedroom suite and enjoy a spacious separate living area. Upgrade to a spectacular signature suite overlooking Park Avenue with a large boudoir with make-up and dressing areas, upscale furnishings and an array of state-of-the-art amenities. "

Just the place to kick your shoes off and wander round it your stocking feet.  You could even put your feet up on the furniture.  (Hope those tights aren't pongy Nicole).

And don't ask about the price - so I didn't - B&B and Brighton is about my limit.  But I guess it was OK for Ms Kidman who enjoys the country life in a 45 hectare New South Wales property she bought for $6.5m in 2008.

And of course  MS Kidman is often out in tights.

Which is not to say that Ms Kidman doen't sometimes wear pantyhose.

Ms Kidman has also warn pantyhose in a number of her movies.  In particular in Lee Daniels' adaptation of the Pete Dexter novel, The Paperboy. In the film, she portrayed death row groupie Charlotte Bless.

During a prison-visit scene, with several people in the room looking extremely uncomfortable, Kidman and John Cusack (playing convicted murderer Hillary Van Wetter) sit several feet away from each other and somehow have telepathic sex that makes both of them climax.  But as telepathic as the sex maybe Kidman's Charlotte Bless character still has to rip open her pantyhose.

The film also features the sence where Kidman pees on Zac Efron (who plays Matthew McConaughey who is trying to clear Van Wetter).   And no pervert reader of this blog you cannot see this scene, this is nice fetish blog.  Anyway no one is wearing pantyhose while peeing.  No, you can't see a random woman peeing in pantyhose either.

Nicole Kidman arriving at the paperboy set - without hose

Dispite the paperboy's wierdness, the film competed in the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, and Kidman's performance drew critical acclaim.

But to return the original point of this post, its great that Ms Kidman is giving the thumbs up to what so many of us wear inside work.

And some of us wear outside work.

So why not follow Nicole's example and try a nice pair of black tights?  If your feet get a bit hot in your tights just slip your shoes off - like Nicole did in her new York photoshoot.

PS
Nicole Kidman isn't the only tights loving celeb

There  is Elle Macpherson is an Australian businesswoman, television host, model, and actress. She is well known for her record five cover appearances for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue beginning in the 1980s, leading to her nickname "The Body". She is the founder, primary model, and creative director for a series of business ventures, including Elle Macpherson Intimates, a lingerie line, and The Body, a line of skin care products.  Another successful Aussie who likes tights

Not to mention Hilary Duff American actress and singer.

PSS

I haven't answered the question why Nicole Kidman loves tights.  Why not comment on this post and tell me why balck tights are so good?