We usually start our reviews by looking at how a pair of tights is made and then go on to the sizing, fit and overall look. This time for reasons that will become obvious, we are turning the whole process on its head. Jonathan Aston has been one of our favourite makers of late. Jonathan Aston has been producing some really stunning designs and coming up with exciting new ideas.
The concept here is graduated colour, a smooth transition from dark at the toe to pale at the waistband. There is a choice of colours, but our test pair came in grey which we love; thank you Essex’s Legs.
Most of the colour transition is between ankle and knee, and the effect is visually stunning, there is no other hosiery like it. Add accurate sizing, comfortable fit, and a smooth, soft matt finish and all is well in our world. Look and feel is far lighter than the 50 denier weight suggests incidentally.
Which brings us to how they are made and why things are not quite perfect. Jonathan Aston creates the pattern by printing it on in much the same way as Celeste Stein produce their huge range of designs; this means making sheer to waist tights with unshaped legs that can be flattened for printing. (Not actually sheer to the waist, but the transition from leg to panty is hard to spot).
In the panty, there is a gusset but not flat seams which are unusual for Jonathan Aston these days. The only real negative is the same one that plagued all the Celeste Stein designs. No matter how flat you iron a pair of tights before printing each side you will always get a line down the inside and outside of each leg where there is no printing. The line is only visible close to, but it does distract from an otherwise gorgeous design.
Not a style you would wear with open-toe shoes. Why? Because there is evidence of the basic pale grey/white of the tights showing at the seam where the print has not reached. So not perfect, but we will be wearing our test pair to destruction!
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