Month: November 2019

Coming back to a style of tights that we have reviewed in the past is always exciting. And if it is a style that we liked then there is both anticipation and concern; are they as good as we remember? Has someone updated and ruined them?

On our first impression, Kunert has not let us down. These soft and light tights flowed off the card and into our hands. Although soft and light, there was the impression of quality and strength. The change from 15 denier to 10 denier has been entirely positive.

Sometimes the key to great design is simplicity. Sheer to waist, sandal toe, flat seams and a cotton-lined gusset; add a finger band and narrow strips of stronger material either side of the seam to improve durability and there you are. Kunert helpfully includes a label, so you know which side is the back, although the fully boarded shaped legs also provide a clue.

The sizing is spot on with stretch and strength to cope if you are slightly longer in the leg, tall girls take note. Size 4 is designed for up to 6’1”.

Tights like these are so easy to put on. They seem to stroke your legs as you smooth them up. The finish is perfect and blemish-free. Choose the right shade, and you get that ‘barely-there’ look of summer tights. Perfect for summer but classy enough for any event at any time of year.

Kunert claims to have made their tights with an antibacterial odour neutralising treatment. A great idea on tights made for the summer, but does it work? Well to test we did a terrible thing and hid them under trousers, wore them next to the skin throughout and added shoes and socks for a busy day in the office. At the end of 10 hours, they not only looked as good as at the beginning of the day they smelled as sweet too.

If you a seeking great looking, comfortable sheer tights to be your standard year-round legwear, you can’t do better.

Perhaps the best change is the price. In an era when some hosiery prices have doubled or even tripled in just a couple of years and increase of only £1 in 6 years means that what was a premium-priced style in 2006 is now very much mid-market.

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Support tights come in two types, medical-grade for people with circulatory problems (e.g. Sigvaris or Solidea), and “fashion” grade, which is meant for people who are on their feet all day. You could say that the latter is for people trying to avoid the need of the former.

Kunert Forming Effect is undoubtedly in the fashion category. First impressions on taking them from the packet are that they look small and feel heavier than 20 denier. Only when you stretch them do they take on a 20 denier look.

Details are very much along the lines of sheer tights, sheer to waist, reinforced toes, flat seams and a cotton gusset and T-band reinforcement for durability. An unusual feature is the shaped and reinforced heel designed to improve fit and comfort. The heel is reinforced as in thicker rather than being a fully fashioned heel as we have seen on some support tights from Falke among others.

One problem with heavy support hosiery is that you need to have a steady finger to put them on. No such issues here! These tights stretch readily, and the heel detail ensures you get them sat correctly straight away. Don’t worry if you have big feet. The heel will still sit in the right place.

You do need to take some care putting these tights on but only to get even colour, they will take rough handling. Take enough care and you are rewarded with good even matt colour, rush, and you may get visible banding and need to start over.

Once on you feel your legs embraced rather than squeezed. The fit is excellent, and the graduated compression helps to give a comfortable fit. Sizing is accurate, and there is stretch enough to take a few liberties, be aware though that if you take advantage of all that stretch to cope with long legs, you could find as we did that these tights tended to head south during the day giving us a bit of gusset sag.

All in all, these are excellent tights that look good and do all that is asked of them.

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Even before you open the packet, these tights stand out from the crowd. Firstly because of the pink seam and partly because of the inclusion of polypropylene in the fibre.

Visually first impressions are not great, unlike other Kunert tights they do not exude quality on the card. The feel though is impressive, very smooth and quite soft.

The construction of these tights is impressive, the legs are straight and finished with a reinforced toe, the panty has a gusset, but not flat seams. Either side of the central seam there is a narrow reinforced area of the same colour as the back seam. The tights are finished off with a 2.5cm deep waistband.

All our reservations about quality were dispelled as we started to put these tights on. They slide beautifully over your legs, and the seam runs straight without any messing about and twisting of the legs. This may be because although the seam goes to the waist, it curves outwards towards the waistband. Fit is excellent from hip to toe. The lack of a shaped heel means these tights will suit any foot size.

The finish on the leg is quite unusual. We would have to call it matt, but just when you are sure that is what it is, the fabric catches the light and gives a little sparkle.

The feel on the leg is smooth and soft, very lovely tights to wear and dare we say very nice to be touched wearing.

The back seam, whatever colour is something you will love or hate. At first, we were not sure, but the contrasting stitching has grown on us. Certainly for a smart evening event though, not for every day. These tights cry out to be worn with high heels, and the reinforced toe means no sandals. If you want your legs to get noticed at a party, treat yourself

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That knot on the packet isn’t an initiation test for the Scouts, nor is it an extract from a training manual for sailors. It is an enlarged detail of the way these tights are knitted. It’s Kunert’s answer to the problem of runs in tights.

We have seen this sort of idea before. The theory is that if the fibres are knotted, then if one breaks the damage is limited to a small area before the broken thread is caught by a knot. Run resisting tights have never really set the world on fire though, they tend to cost more, they tend to compromise on look, fit and feel and frequently they don’t work. Our experience has been that the best way to avoid runs is to use top quality yarn that is less prone to breaking in the first place. This is why this style caught our eye because Kunert tights are usually great looking, well-fitting and made with top quality yarns.

So, first impressions. Well, these tights certainly feel nice in the hand, light and soft and sheerer than we expected. The detailing is excellent with a flat toe seam and a sandal toe, the heel is shaped, and the overall design is sheer to waist. The panty has a cotton-lined gusset and high-quality flat seams. The 4 cm deep waistband is entirely plain. But the 3 cm deep finger band carries a “Chinchilla” motif on each hip.

Fit is good, and sizing is accurate but not generous. The finish is as described, matt but with a slight shimmer in the right light. The silky soft feeling on the legs is a delight.

So have Kunert cracked the problem of runs in tights? Well no, unfortunately not. Our test pair failed along the seam at the edge of the gusset as they were being put on. For some reason, Kunert decided not to put a transitional strengthened strip between the seams and the sheer material. On the positive side, this catastrophe didn’t cause any runs into the legs! The knot did eventually catch the hole, but not before it was big enough to put your hand through!

It may just be bad luck, but in over 400 tests of tights, we have never had a pair fail in this way. Ironically, we love the look and feel of these tights. But that they failed on the one thing they should have excelled at; durability.

We will see about getting another pair from Kunert for a full round of testing.

For more Kunert, click here. For more reviews, click here.