Month: May 2018

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All Reviews Fogal

Fogal Annabelle Dots Tights

Fogal-Annabelle-Dots-Tights

Fogal Annabelle Dots Tights are a great bargain!

It is easy to spend hours of time and vast reserves of energy trying to come up with a new design, still longer to come up with a new design that works, but sometimes the answer is to revisit an old design. Here the designer quotes 1920s stockings as inspiration.

Tights with a regular pattern of spots is a design as old as modern sheer hosiery; I would not be surprised to hear that Mary Quant came up with tights styled this way in the 1960s.

Of course, way back tights were not made this way, with Lycra for fit, a broad range of sizes, flat seams, cotton lined gusset etc. And what makes this design work is Fogal’s attention to detail (even the T-band reinforcement around the panty seams carries the spot design) and their excellent quality of manufacture.

When a lot of winter season hosiery is opaque, it is nice to see a sheer style, only the colour palette hinting at the time of year. Our test pair in ‘cypres’ (which is a shade of green) seems to blend with all other natural shades of green and brown without flaunting its ‘green-ness’.

So we love the design, and we love the quality; so what about fit and feel?

Well, sizing is accurate and thanks to the Lycra and quality fibre you can stretch up a longer leg if required. The fit is great thanks again to the Lycra and the shaping provided at the heel.

Lovely to wear, but not to the same level as Fogal sheers…simply good rather than sublime. We have a sneaking suspicion that this design is manufactured in Italy rather than Switzerland.

In an era when high street brands are charging £12-15 for fashion tights, £21 for Fogal is almost a bargain.

For more tremendous Fogal products, click here. For more pleasant reviews, click here.

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All Reviews Fogal

Fogal All Nude Tights

Fogal_All_Nude_Photo

Fogal All Nude Tights have the potential for greatness!

We feel that we should start all reviews of Fogal tights with a financial health warning. They are far from cheap but past our experience is that hosiery of this quality can be addictive.

All Nude is one of several sheer and ultra sheer styles made by Fogal; their definition of ultra sheer being under ten denier. Each style has particular design features for specific circumstances so you should read the reviews of the other styles too.

All Nude is a sheer to waist style with T-band detailing, that is to say, there is a narrow reinforced area either side of the flat seams in the panty that extends to become a finger band to give a strong transition to the waistband. The panty also features a cotton lined gusset.

The legs have some shaping at the heel, and the toes are genuine un-reinforced sandal toes. The unique feature of this style within the Fogal range of sheers is that the area under the ball of your foot is lightly reinforced and has discrete silicone lines to grip your footwear. If you are looking for sheer tights to wear with mules or light sandals this style is designed with you in mind.

If you are after the classic “is she? Isn’t she?” bare legged look All Nude from Fogal lives up to its name, you can feel you are wearing tights, but it would take a keen eye to see. The fit is like a second skin, and the high Lycra content in the yarn makes for generous sizing too. Fogal size by a combination of height and weight like most manufacturers but unusually they offer two hip sizes for a single height range, e.g. L for 5’6”-5’11” with 40”-46” hips and XL for the same height range but with 45”-54” hips. Certainly, our test pair easily accommodated the hip combined with what are long legs for someone of 5’11”. For taller girls for whom Fogal are sometimes a little short, this would be the first size to try.

The silicone under the foot works and unlike with similar ideas from other makers you are not aware of the silicone under your foot.

Very good but are they worth £24.50? I think we have to say no unless they prove to be ultra-durable. The look and feel on are great, but there is nothing about this design that shouts that they are expensive tights from Switzerland, perhaps because they are made in Italy.

Buy then if you can afford them, but you can get the same look for less.

For more classic Fogal products, click here. For more remarkable reviews, click here.

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All Reviews Fiore

Fiore Valeria Tights

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Fiore Valeria Tights are delicious!

Fiore is continually coming up with new and exciting designs; here they have produced a new slant on the concept of back seamed hosiery by adding a rope-inspired design down the back of a 20 denier sheer tight. As part of the design, they have incorporated metallic yarn (Lurex to give the more familiar brand name).

The size chart suggests there are five sizes but the detailing description only covers sizes 2, 3 & 4. Size 2 has a simple seam in the panty, sizes 3 & 4 have a gusset. There is a T-band detailing in all the sizes.

Seam detail aside these are basic sheer to waist tights knitted with a lightly reinforced toe, straight legs and flat seams in the panty. As sheer tights, they work well with even colour density and a subtle sheen on the finish. Smooth to the touch but not soft.

Our test pair came in size 3, slightly small for our model, but there was plenty of stretch and strength to tease out extra length. Fiore provides sizing based on height, weight and hip measurement…as with other Polish brands we recommend using hip size first and then height when choosing a size. Use weight only if you have very heavy legs.

So what of the design? Well, it runs from toe to the top of the leg, and it ran straight as soon the tights were put on. The contrast and black and silver are very eye-catching and cool. It’s also slimming too.

Altogether great tights that look expensive on your legs. Whether they are costly depends on where you live; in Europe they are cheap, but if you are in the USA or Canada you might find taxes and transport costs make them pricier… still worth a try.

For more awesome Fiore products, click here. For more pleasant reviews, click here.