Month: October 2021

I think we all know that specific patterns can change the way we perceive shape and size. For example, vertical stripes make you look taller, hoops make you look wider, and checks have an enlarging effect. All these tricks are deliberately used by fashion designers and advertisers daily.

Contrast colours are also used in sophisticated ways. Only recently, an already very curvaceous celebrity enhanced her curves further by having shaped black side panels on an otherwise white dress taking inches off the look of her waist. Pretty Polly has tried with these tights to vary the colour in a way that draws the eyes away from the edges of your legs. The same visual trick as used in that curve emphasising dress. So does it work?

At their heart, these are 40 denier matt finish one size tights. The tights are made in the lightest of the shades of grey, with the darker stripes printed on the inside and outside of each leg. For some reason, we had imagined it would be the other way about. The legs are unshaped and finished with an invisible reinforced toe detail. The panty is a boxer style with well-finished seams but no gusset. We would have hoped for a bit more in tights at £12.50. Take away the clever printed design, and you have a very ordinary pair of tights indeed.

Fortunately, the clever printed design does work up to a point. The constantly changing shade of grey makes it quite hard to focus on the outline of the leg at all, and the effect is slimming. We asked one of our ladies who have particularly shapely legs to test these tights out for us. As you can see from the picture, there is a slimming effect. But at the expense of all those lovely curves! One gripe with a test pair was a line about 2mm wide down the outside of the leg where the colour seemed to have been double printed on the overlap.

You should undoubtedly try these tights. But Pretty Polly really should use the idea again based on better quality tights. Preferably made in multiple sizes (ladies wanting a slimming effect may not be the average size), with a gusset for better fit and more attention to quality control on the printing. Excellent design concept, but the quality does not justify the price.

For more Pretty Polly products, click here. For more reviews, click here.

There are opaque tights, and then there are truly warm winter opaque tights. These are intended to be the latter. Pretty Polly describes the fibre as “a blend of premium natural fibres”. A slight stretching of the truth as in making viscose the natural material. Often bamboo or wood pulp is heavily processed to create the final fibre, said it does have a look and feel of cotton or fine wool.

As for the tights themselves, they are made in two sizes as is usual for Pretty Polly these days. But they do claim the larger size will fit up to a height of 5’10” (178 cm) and hips of 48” (122cm). Construction is simple but with good quality details. The legs are unshaped but uniform weight and finish to the toe seam. The panty is the same weight and finish as the legs and features flat seams and a gusset for optimum fit and comfort.

Sizing is more generous than Pretty Polly suggest. At least there is an excellent stretch to cope with an averagely proportioned 35” leg. Which is a lot of leg for someone of 5’10”. The Lycra that provides the stretch also ensures a perfect fit from hip to toe. The look on the leg is typical of natural fibre tights. But the heavy processing of the fibre, although not very “green”, does provide a far more even colour than wool or cotton manages. The styling means they are suitable to wear with any length of skirt/shorts combined with any footwear style.

Warm, comfortable, versatile, pleasant to look and quite sensibly priced, these are the everyday tights for autumn and winter.

For more Pretty Polly products, click here. For more reviews, click here.

With all the fancy expensive natural fibres like angora and cashmere being used to promote warm opaque hosiery this winter, it is quite a surprise to see tights made of synthetic polyester. But take a look at that fleece jacket you slip on on cold mornings and check out that it is made of 100% polyester. So here we potentially have a fleece for your legs with just a little Lycra for a snug fit.

Pretty Polly has not gone mad with the styling. The legs are just straight tubes, but they have kept weight and finish even from hip to toe. In both sizes, the panty is finished with flat seams and a gusset. From the outside, these tights have the same look and feel like most other heavy opaque tights. But on the inside, Pretty Polly have produced a very soft fleecy finish. Incredibly soft and instantly warming. Sizing is accurate. The 8% Lycra provides a good fit and enough extra stretch in length for girls significantly taller than 5’10” to wear the larger size.

It is best not to over-stretch for the best look on the leg and the maximum warmth from the fleece lining. Also, at full stretch, you can see a band around the legs. Just below the gusset that marks the transition from leg to panty; this matt band is annoying because the look and feel above and below is the same, and it means that you have to pair these tights with shorts or skirts long enough to cover it.

If you like very heavy opaque tights and feel the cold, these tights are perfect for you. We would even recommend them for outdoor pursuits as an alternative to thermal underwear. Aside from the one small niggle about styling, we wholeheartedly recommend these very sensible and durable tights from Pretty Polly.

For more Pretty Polly products, click here. For more reviews, click here.

Angora Tights from Pretty Polly of Derbyshire England. Luxurious hosiery with the most expensive natural fibres handcrafted in England. Read the back of the packet carefully, and you see first of all that these tights are made in Turkey. Nothing unusual in that, of course, lots of brands manufacture their tights in countries like Turkey or China where employment costs are lower. So why the outrage?

Well, if these tights were pies, they never could call them “Angora”. You see, with pies, you have to list the ingredients in order of composition. So a meat and potato pie is mostly meat, and a potato and meat pie is mostly potato. 13% Angora means 87% other stuff; these are “other stuff and angora tights” Rant over, what are the tights like?

Well, they have a soft woolly feel to them, precisely what we would expect from Viscose. Made with straight legs, they are entirely uniform in weight and finish from hip to toe. The panty has outstanding quality flat seams and a gusset to aid fit. As with other Pretty Polly styles, there are just two sizes, small/medium and medium/large, to cover the height range 5’0” to 5’10” (152-178cm), but there seems to be a good amount of stretch.

Indeed there is enough stretch for the larger size to cope with an athletic 34” leg, and the Lycra provides for a perfect fit and provides stretch. The look on the leg is just like quality woollen socks, and the feel is very soft. Lovely and warm for a winter’s day, these tights are perfect for wearing with the shortest fashions or paired with a knee-length skirt and boots for a more sophisticated look.

We can’t help but feel that the Angora was included in the fibre blend as much for the name as to the extra warmth and softness it brings. But these tights do perform as advertised. £12 is not a bad price in this market either. Particularly given that you should get plenty of wear out of this type of hosiery.

For more Pretty Polly products, click here. For more reviews, click here.

The feel in hand is undoubtedly that of “nylons”. The legs do not look over long, and the feet look very short. The seam is a woven-in pattern that stops short of the panty area. The panty is finished with flat seams and a cotton-lined gusset. The detailing on these tights both in terms of design and manufacture is very good.

On the leg, the fit is excellent. The look and feel do not quite capture the essence of vintage nylons. This is a result of the Lycra in the yarn. There is enough Lycra to allow the foot to stretch so that the heel detail is on the heel, even on larger feet. Length in the leg is in line with the size charts, and with careful stretching, our tallest model could get them up to her 34″ legs.

She commented that if you are that tall, you should wear panties on top to keep them up. On the “nude” pair tested, the seam was rather too pale to be seen. For this reason, we would suggest that you stay with classic black unless you are looking to make a very subtle fashion statement.

We had two fears with these tights: that being made in only two sizes, small/medium and medium/large, they were unlikely to be generous in size, and that the sole and heel detail on this sort of tights is usually sized for a size 4-5 foot so on a larger foot the Cuban heel detail is lost. We are pleased to report that, in this case, our fears were largely unfounded. If you stay within the published size chart sizes, you will find that these are the best fitting of the seamed tights tested and the most comfortable (except perhaps for the Wolford Individual 10 Seamed Tights). A very practical alternative to fully fashioned stockings. Beautifully smooth and sheer tights given that little extra something by being seamed.

For more Pretty Polly products, click here. For more reviews, click here.