Tights Fashion

Fiore Nadine Microfibre Tights are fantastic for their price!

We haven’t commented on the quality of the packaging of many pairs of tights (after all, you wear the tights, not the packet!). But when you look at the price of these tights at £2.76 and then the quality of design, printing and manufacture of the packet you are left wondering if any money was left for the tights.

The detailed description on the back of the packet, cleverly shown in pictures to avoid translation into 10 languages, suggests very good quality design in the tights too.

The legs are made without any shaping but they run all the way to waist without any change in weight or denier (see below). The body seams are flat although not well finished at the waist. The pair we tested were size XL (note to the packaging designers when your size chart reads sizes 1 – 5 it would help to label the front of the packet the same way) and that meant a comfort rear panel rather than the cotton lined gusset of sizes 3 and 4.

The look on the leg is nice with good dense even colour and a matte finish. Once you have the tights on you can see a definite change in colour density about 5 cm below the gusset. Above the transition line, there seems to be far less stretch leading to a less good fit in the panty area.

Not the best tights we have seen from Fiore, but at £2.76 they are ideal for everyday wear in the colder months. But do avoid wearing them with very short skirts or very short shorts.

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Fiore Marisa Tights are dissatisfying.

Microfibre is something we are used to seeing in opaque winter tights, but this 20 denier offering from Fiore’s Elite range brings this soft fibre to sheer hosiery.

The feel in hand and the look straight from the packet are both exactly what we would have expected of an opaque; it is only when you consider how small they look that you realise how sheer they are made to look on the leg.

Construction is quite simple; straight legs finished with a light reinforced toe detail and then sheer all the way to the waist. The panty features fine cotton lined gusset (sizes 3 & 4 only) and flat seams. The waistband is a two-part affair with a deep finger band detail topped off with a right narrow waistband. Recent Fiore styles have featured a Fiore motif in the finger band, but on this style, the motif is in the sheer material of the leg placed on each hip.

As we said these tights looked small at first, but the 20% Lycra gives masses of stretch so that we can describe the sizing as accurate for hip sizing and potentially generous for leg length.

The fit is very close and comfortable with no bagging of sagging.

We had expected the look on the leg to be matt, but there was a definite sheen of the Lycra. Compared to regular 20 denier tights these look darker, more like 30 denier and we also had issues with banding in the colour of the black pair we tested. The banding may have been partly due to how much they were stretched on a long leg, but nothing we did could produce even colour over the whole leg.

A rare disappointment from Fiore, a pity as these is delightfully soft tights.

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Fiore Maggie Tights are great for a night out!

It is wrong to approach any review with preconceptions, yet we have seen so many styles from Fiore on the theme of sheer tights with an applied design that we almost feel we could write about these tights without opening the packet; but of course, we won’t!

That said there are no surprises. What we have here is typical Fiore, straight legged sheer to waist tights with very lightly reinforced sandal toes, T-band reinforcement, flat seams, and because our test pair is size four a cotton lined gusset. This, of course, is true of most Fiore sheer fashion tights, it is the design that matters.

Lurex thread is incorporated into the knitted in a pattern down the side of each leg, just enough to make it the absolute centre of attention. The pattern runs from just behind the toe to a few inches below gusset level, in the picture above you see the full extent. If we were to be picky, we would like to see it go a bit higher so that at an accidental rising of your skirt hem did not reveal the top and spoil the illusion of it being endless.

Sizing is defined regarding height, weight and hip size. We would typically recommend going by hip size and the height, but here we think you should pay heed to the weight guidance as the panty portion is not particularly generous. You can ignore the height guidance as the chart doesn’t differentiate very much and size four will fit way beyond 180cm.

The fit is excellent hip to toe, and the base sheer tight has a very good, even colour showing off the design perfectly.

Fun tights for a party or night out would also work as part of a more sophisticated outfit built around a little black dress and silver accessories too.

As ever the price is right, Fiore still offers some of the best value to be found in fashion hosiery.

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Fiore Lorena Leggings are amazing!

As the weather finally starts to warm up in the UK, it is time to look at the alternatives to the opaque tights, so many ladies have been wearing since the end of last summer. There are a few ways to go:

• Stockings with suspenders, cool, sexy but rather a lot of effort in the morning if you are not well practised;
• Hold up stockings, which are great if they will hold up all day for you;
• Sheer summer weight tights, our personal favourite;
• This alternative from Fiore, footless tights. (Yes you could go bare legged, but if you think that is a good option you are on the wrong page!)

Notice we said footless tights, Fiore calls these leggings but that is just a linguistic anomaly, these are tights to wear with a skirt or shorts. 30 denier with a lace effect the intention is clearly to give maximum concealing effect with minimum weight; a smart choice!

Detailing is simple but well considered. Flat seams in the panty, plain cuff at the ankle and average weight and finish lace effect between. The packet says gusset in sizes 3 and 4 and our size 4 test pair does indeed have a cotton lined gusset to help with fit and freshness, but the packet also says boxer style reinforced panty which is incorrect; these are sheer to waist tights.

Sizing is spot on regarding hip sizing, we suggest you consider this rather than weight, and generous regarding length. Even if you are extremely leggy, you will be able to have the cuff at ankle level.

The 30 denier lace conceals skin imperfections as well as any opaque and if very much more stylish. Perfect for legs not quite ready yet to face the world after the winter.

Great fit, great style and a great price.

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Fiore Isabella Tights misses the mark.

The description of these tights did not prepare us for what we first saw on taking them from the packet, although close inspection of the picture would have given a clue; the ankle motif features five tiny crystals on each ankle. The crystal is perhaps intended to emphasise the rest of the ankle motif, but we found that the rest was so subtle, even with metallic yarn, that the sparkle of the crystal overwhelmed the motif.

The motif aside these are quite ordinary tights. Straight 40 denier microfibre legs attached to a reinforced panty that does not, in fact, have flat seams. The panty does, however, include the advertised cotton lined gusset.

Sizing is accurate, and the fit of the legs is very good. The legs have good even colour, and the soft matt finish looks as good as it feels. The ankle motif stands out better once the tights are at full stretch, but you need quite strong light to see it well.

A boxer style brief would not have been our choice for this design, it does not look very nice, and you will need to choose skirts and dresses that keep it well out of sight.

A crystal motif is quite a rare thing on what are very reasonably priced fashion tights, but we would have preferred Fiore to have spent just a little more making the basic tights up to a better standard.

A nice idea at a reasonable price but just not well enough delivered.

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Fiore Idalia Tights is so worth the low price!

We usually talk about value for money at the end of our review, but the £2.40 price tag on these tights seems entirely out of step with the quality of the packaging and the artwork. The packet design is not only classy and attractive from the front but full of information on the back too.

The impression of quality continues when you get to the tights themselves. The legs have the same sort of look and feel as quality tights such a Charnos Sheer Lustre and Falke Seidenglatt. The straight legs are finished with a reinforced toe detail that is almost invisible and incorporated a run stop detail to stop holes in the toe becoming ladders in the leg. Sheer to waist with the T detail of seam reinforcement and finger band that is common on Fiore tights. The shallow finger band carries a Fiore motif on each hip, a nice touch at any price, marvellous at £2.49. The waistband is a two-stage affair with a more full lower part and a narrow heavier top. The two-part waistband and finger band together are some 6 cm deep.

The sizing is accurate with enough stretch to cope with a longer leg if you are a little taller. The fit is excellent, but it must be said it does not quite have the luxury feel of the Falke. The finish is fantastic, perfect even colour and ever so glossy; if you like a gloss look that borders on liquid, then these are the tights for you.

There are four colours to choose from; white, black, cappuccino and a gorgeous grey that we tested.

Great quality and superb value for money.

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Fiore Graciana Tights provides another high-quality product!

Ever since we first saw Fiore tights, they have offered high quality at very reasonable prices, as time has gone by they have added some great designs to their range without following the general upward trend of hosiery prices.  So what about Graciana?

Sheer to waist tights with flat seams in the panty and T-band reinforcement, precisely what we expect from Fiore, much more than others offer at the same price. Cotton lined gusset too in the larger sizes for hygiene and comfort.

There is no shaping to the legs, but for once this is a positive thing. The ankle motif is on one ankle only, and the straight legs mean you get to choose which ankle to have the motif on. The motif is in the form of a delicate ankle bracelet with a drop pendant, simply knitted in and highlighted with Lurex. The motif won’t stand up to close inspection, but it catches the light nicely and will draw attention to your ankle.

Fiore says “invisibly reinforced toe”, and they are correct these tights have a good sandal toe with no sign of reinforcement. Perfect for strappy shoes.

Sizing is spot on as far as weight, and hip sizing is concerned, but the length is quite generous, plenty of stretches. The fit is good throughout.

Our one tiny gripe is that there were a couple of knitting faults in our test pair that appears as small darker horizontal lines; about forgivable on tights that otherwise offer so much for such a reasonable price.

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Fiore Forte Tights are something everyone should own!

We approach this review with some trepidation, as our past experiences with run resisting tights has been mixed. They either feel awful to wear or fail entirely at one of the seams when ordinary tights would have got a salvageable run.

This 20 denier style from Fiore passes the first test very well, these are beautifully soft tights. Sheer to waist aside from a deep finger band they have a genuinely invisible reinforced sandal toe detail, flat seams in the panty and a cotton lined gusset (sizes 3 & 4).

There are 5 sizes to choose from covering heights on 152 cm to 176 cm which is quite a narrow range (5’0” – 5’9”). Hip sizing is up to 128 cm (50”), weight up to 95 kg (210 lbs).

Our test pair came in size 4 and to test the resilience when stretched to the limit we chose a model who matched the hip sizing but was well over 5’9” tall. Much to our surprise, it was the hip sizing that was the biggest challenge, so much so that we would recommend you go up a size if you are in the upper half of the suggested size band. The length was fine, with more than enough stretch for an athletic 34” leg.

Even stretched to the limit we were spared the sound of a ripping seam. Full marks to Fiore.

Leaving aside their run resist properties, these are great sheer tights. The look and feel are lighter than 20 denier, and the fit is like a second skin. Colour is perfectly even.

At last, run resist tights that we can strongly recommend. I think we may be stocking up on a few extra pairs ourselves, if only they were available in other colours other than tan.

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Fiore Activa 20 Tights are phenomenal, even at the lower price!

This is the first product from Fiore that we have reviewed. The packaging in encouraging, a good quality nicely printed cardboard outer with the tights in a bag on a card inside.

The good impressions continue when you take the tights out, they look to have a good smooth finish, and they feel delightfully soft in hand. A close visual inspection revealed two minor flaws in our test sample, quite acceptable in tights at this price. The construction of these tights is quite unusual. There is a 3.5cm deep waistband, and then a 9 cm deep finger band, aside from some reinforcement either side of the central seam the tights are them sheer to the toes. The body seams are flat, and there is a cotton lined gusset, high quality features seldom seen on less expensive hosiery.

The legs are unshaped and look to have good length. A feature that we have never seen before on any tights is an extension of the reinforcement in the toe to provide a reinforced sole with unique detailing under the arch. An excellent idea that should improve comfort and greatly improve durability. (Helen is particularly prone to small holes in her tights under the soles of her feet, this could be the answer.)

Sizing is not generous, but the sizing chart is accurate. The reinforced toe, sole and heel is right and improves comfort. The fit on the legs is excellent, and the finish is smooth, soft and even, the manufacturing flaws we noticed earlier not evident on the leg.

The panty is comfortable and stays in place well, sitting quite low on the waist. The Fiore motif woven into the finger band is a nice classy detail.

Excellent tights that we have no hesitation in recommending both for how they look and how they feel. At £1.75 they are the bargain of the year.

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