Stocking shocker – three things you need to know now about wearing stockings.

Sisterhood babes, let’s chat about stockings, tights, hosiery, nylons, those things that have the potential to really piss us all off, but are necessary if you want to wear a skirt in winter. I want to help clear up some of the mystery about them and make you feel less alone in the stocking shocker, the tights terror.

A dear client messaged me over the weekend asking me about what stockings to wear with what and when. She bemoaned the fact that she never learnt it as a younger woman and now feels overwhelmed and confused by the choice and options. She wondered if she was the only one who didn’t know how to wear them.

You are not alone.

Firstly, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I don’t want my clients, let alone anyone else walking around thinking they are the only one who finds stockings a mystery, their tights-terror is everyone else’s too. I promise.

You are part of a sisterhood who puts ladders in their tights as soon as you look at them, who wears them swinging low in the crotch and walks around awkwardly because the tops rolled down and you’ve been graced with an extra roll around your middle.

Why I wear stockings

Because I like skirts, I have to wear stockings.  But they are a utility item for me, function over form. I don’t lust after colours or types, I have simple needs.  They should stay up, stay on and not ladder.  I try and keep my interactions with them to a minimum and  only tend to refresh them once they have worn out and that’s not that often (because of the type I wear).  Then I tend to use them to tie up errant plants in the garden.  My sister-in-law is so clever at crafts she recycles them to be sock puppets.  But I digress.

My thoughts on stockings are pretty straight forward and probably not unique. But I do know I am now at peace with wearing them.  Here’s my top three tips and a few expert opinions thrown in for good measure.  I hope you find this useful.

My top three tips

1.Double undies.

It’s not a great look babes, but you’ll be thanking me later. I know a lot of the sisterhood already do wear a double layer, but for those new to the idea, here’s how. Put your undies on (panties if you care). Then put your tights on. Then, add another pair of underwear. This helps to secure the suckers in place and prevent roll down.  It also has the added bonus of keeping them up, preventing the unintended drop crotch.  Who can relate to that scenario?  I’ve worn a pair of tights that were possibly a little too small, so didn’t sit well over the hips, then rolled down, causing the drop crotch.  Not only is this annoying, but painful, when you’re wearing a pair that are slightly too small.  May you never repeat my mistake! Remember too that double undies is a surprisingly comfortable scenario – almost like a homemade sucky in garment kind of vibe. For more advice on preventing roll down, check out this Cosmo article.

2. Wear the same colour tights as your shoes

I’m not one for having too many style rules, but this one is worth knowing. I don’t follow it 100% of the time because sometimes I am a rule breaker or my outfit looks better with contrast.  However, in general, I will wear like for like boots and stockings.  So when I wear navy boots, I wear navy stockings, likewise black tights with black boots or shoes.  Sometimes navy tights look great with a tan boot, so use this rule with caution.  But it works, it helps elongate your legs if you wear all one colour and helps you decide what to wear more easily too!  I tend not to wear dark tights with light coloured trainers or shoes.  This tends to cut your legs off at your feet (visually speaking) and is not always flattering.  But go bananas with black or navy trainers and their matching tights.  Of course if you love contrast or bright stockings, patterned stockings, fun stockings, then get stuck in and match with what you love.  I once worked with a woman who wore a different patterned stocking on the daily in the winter – they were her signature and they were fabulous.  She would tend to wear a matching shoe with one of the the colours in the stocking.

3. Wear Opaques (what I wear)

Having worn woollen tights at school for 6 years and then being allowed to wear a sheerer stocking in my last year of school made me  aware of denier differences at an early age.  Sadly for the 10 denier stocking, it welcomed me to a lifetime of hate toward sheer stockings.  The laddering drover me nuts. Therefore, my personal choice on denier is a simple one.  I wear opaque tights in winter, full stop.  I don’t bother with sheerer denier stockings, simply because I would put a hole in them.  I seem to only have to look at  sheer tight and it ladders. So my choice on the regular is good old Columbine.  I buy them in black and navy.  I did wear hot pink ones on the day of my 40th as wee FU to getting older.  But otherwise, my choice is very conservative.  They work, especially when I double up my undies.  I don’t always have to replace annually and they wash and wear really well.  Let it be know I resent having to buy tights usually, so investing in tights is not where I want to spend money.  Having said that, you do get what you pay for, buy cheap – expect laddering.  But for those of you who do like a tight investment, I have heard amazing things about Heist Tights. They make bold claims about staying up and staying on!

Have you got any tips?

So that’s it babes, I hope it was useful for you.  I don’t promise to be a tights expert, a stocking superstar.  But I wear them and I want to be comfy.  So my tips are all ones I live and breathe. I’d love to hear what tips and tricks you have though!  Share with us in the comments below and help the sisterhood out!  I am sure there is more to say on this subject!

Mmmwah, Love EJ

The Mother of the Sisterhood  x

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Have a great week.  If you’d like to learn more about my styling packages, take a wander over here. x