Sarah...thank you SO MUCH for asking this question as I, too, have been searching forevah. Can't wait to hear some responses, Ladies!
sarah...try new look for 120 denier tights (though please try to see past the horrific 80s neon first)...and h&m have some cool cable knit ones...oasis sometimes have cool stuff but are a wee bit more expensive.
have you been to topshop oxford street yet?
You probably already know this, but M&S are the business for tights. They last for a ridiculously long time.
(Do not get me started on footless tights, though. WTF.)
Oh my gosh, Sarah Brown of the internet! I have these tights and I know exaaaactly what you mean. First of all, I originally bought them in a size small, thinking that the size of tights are fairly arbitrary. They should be pretty forgiving and stretch to my liking, I assumed.
But no, sadly no. A size small, the package tells me, fits a person with the dimensions of a fifth grader. Are they even allowed to shop at the Gap?
Anyway, even with the correct size, they are indeed hipster tights that won't come up over my stomach. What a huge mess, Gap.
Hi Sarah! I quite like Tights Please (http://www.tightsplease.co.uk) which have great brands like Falke or sometimes good old Marks & Spencer have a decent range.
welovecolors.com
I've also had good success with DKNY tights. Really long-lasting.
i rely on h&m for tights and socks. good quality, good prices. however, they don't always have the same selection in all stores.
M&S , John Lewis, Debenhams, maybe not considered the most fashionable shops these days but they would probably have a very good selection of tights..
John Lewis do nice acrylics and on occasion have some lovely patterned fishnets.
We Love Colour is apparently very good for tights.
This fall I have had success at H&M for both colour and size collection.
If you're ever in Canada try to get to a Real Canadian Superstore (or Loblaws in the eastern provinces) and head to the Joe Fresh section. They have great, long-lasting and cheap-costing tights.
www.essentialapparel.com - the berkshire brand. good for standard ol' plan colored tights that aren't neon colors/make you appear to be sexy smurf.
I also have a pair from garnet hill that aren't bad. honestly, in all my tights searching and buying, i've had the best luck with whatever's been on sale at the local department stores.
and I second We Love Colors, but they dont have the cable-knit style you crave (DKNY used to make decent sweater tights - I don't know if they still do?)
Http:// www.welovecolors.com has pretty much every size and color you can think of.
this is so crazy- but i just went shopping for tights last night. so glad you sounded the alarm because target's selection sux. also, what's up with the foot-less tights? am i just out of the loop on this or what?
amanda
Do they have the old lady store Talbot's over there? I bought two pairs of lovely cable knit tights last year -- not woolen, but thick and stretchy. And as your grandma knows, Talbot's ain't no hipster.
i rely on h&m for tights (and socks). very good quality, very good prices. however, they don't always have the same selection in all stores.
I've been buying up Target's stock of thigh high socks. But those are hit and miss because a couple of pairs are too thin. I'm glad you asked this question. But some people have left some yummy links.
I love, love, love my tights from American Apparel. For the price they are surprisingly high quality and awesome colour selection.
My favourite pair of tights are from Gap. I'm surprised you didn't like yours!
Oh, you guys are awesome at this! I bought some tights in the exact shade of grayish-greenish-blue I've been looking for today at Boots of all places, so I'll let you know how those work out.
For knee socks, I always liked Hue brand. Nick bought me some American Apparel over-the-knee socks recently but they were flimsy and crap, kind of like their shirts.
Marks and Sparks for the tights, defo. They have loads of great coloured opaques at the mo, as well as some nice cable knits and some more interesting 'fashion tights'. Last week I got some silvery ones and also some really thick grey and black argyle patterned ones. They also had some with rose patterns and leopard prints, if that floats your boat.
I also have some great coloured ones from Accessorise, I've got purple, teal, plum and red.
Wolford are the best for quality and opacity, but a bit on the chingy side.
Is there Target in England? That's probably a stupid question. But if you can order them online, they have a great selection of cheap, fun tights in lots of styles - I've even gotten some thick cable-knit ones there before (not sure the selection this year).
And of course welovecolors.com is great!
I have these knee-highs, and they are awesome:
http://www.sahalie.com/jump.jsp?itemID=13996&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C6%2C510&iProductID=13996. Sahalie also has a bunch of other styles, from stripes to different patterns. The wool is warm but not itchy.
Ooh, Michelle, I LOVE Smart Wool socks.
Can't vouch for how these fit or the quality (it is Old Navy mind you) but are these what you are looking for?
http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=14675&vid=1&pid=699066&scid=699066002
Allas, I don't think they have stores over in England. Unless of course they rebranded it Olde Navy :D
Claire, I'm ignorant: what does "chingy" mean, if not the rapper?
Pricey? Yes. BUT...I haven't worked in over 13 months (i.e. I am cheap these days) and plan to invest in one pair of Wolford's Merino or Polar tights. They make dresses and skirts wearable in the middle of winter. It's like buying a soft sweater for your legs - that's how warm they are. (For the record, I live in Boston. I know cold.)
The models on Wolford's online boutique look ridiculous with their giraffe-like legs and such. Don't let that deter you.
Love Colours-Love Tights and We Love Colors.
Also: Goodwill.
oh my goodness,
hanna andersson hanna andersson. i learned this when i was nannying for the bourgeosie, and they ordered their soft stripey kids' clothes (that is, the clothes were soft and stripey, not the kids) from here. so when you go to the website it's all like SOFT STRIPEY KIDS' CLOTHES. don't let that fool you.
the tights that i got from here were my absolute most favorite clothing staple ever for approximately four years, until they got lost in a laundromat. they were still in perfect condition, though. and i'd worn them like every day. they're thick like cotton pants, really, but in the shape and stretchiness of tights. SO SO WELL-MADE! the catalogue used to say something about the tights being passed down from one kid to the next, and i don't think that's an exaggeration. and they're supposedly made on real models of legs, so they are the shape of a leg, not a tube - that sounds cheesy and like i've totally sold out, but really, they're just that awesome.
the only downside is that apparently they are now only selling the women's sizes in blue, ivory, black, and grey. they used to have colorful stripey ones that i should have bought thousands of. and also, i just checked the website and they do indeed ship internationally but the shipping charge is kind of hefty and along with the tights (they're like $20) it is rather Oh My. but for reals. so worth it. so, so, so worth it.
lacey
p.s. and, um, yeah, "chingy?"
The quality is sometimes hit or miss, but Forever 21 has a varied selection and is super-cheap. I'm trying to decide whether I can pull off the black and grey argyle ones.
Seconding Hanna Andersen. Also, the Vermont Country Store has old-school tights and knee socks. Not sure about their shipping.
WeLoveColors.com Awesome selection!
I'm seconding all the recommendations for dear old M&S but you have to check out the hosiery section in Fenwicks on Bond Street. Some of the tights are ridiculously overpriced but the range is amazing and if there's anywhere that will stock the longed for thick woolen cable knit navy tights of your dreams then it may well be the place.
This is kind of boring and maybe someone already said it but I got a few pairs of tights online from Old Navy and I really like them. They fit well, they don't fall down, they have a lot of colors. Etc!
RE: American Apparel
http://toughpigs.com/2009/10/american-apparel-ruins-sesame-streets.html
I was in Nordstrom Rack yesterday and they were FLOOR TO CEILING with sweater tights (just sounds so cozy!), most of them cable-knit, all of them $9.97 and made by Hue. Want me to send you some? I'm not even joking. They didn't have navy blue, sadly, but they did have black and grey. AND BLACK AND GREY STRIPES.
Also, I second (fifth?) the Marks & Spencers suggestion, which is where I used to buy all my school tights. I would also add Boots and (ssshh, these are dorky) BHS and Dorothy Perkins.
There's also: http://www.happysocks.com/ Although I guess it's more socks than tights.
not inexpensive, but i love these wool tights & if four year old you had the same kind as four year old me, then these are what you are looking for:
http://www.warmlegwear.com/merino-wool-cable-knit-tights/prod_2.html
I think it's already been mentioned, but HUE tights are the very best. I have a pair of cable knit navy HUE tights that would come up to my rib-cage if I pulled them up all the way.
I know they sell them at Anthropologie and nicer-type department stores.
Good luck!
Tight stretchiness is so important. I think this is missed out because men design tights, and they don't understand. Tabio is good for tights - they have a shop on King's Road and another on High St Kensington. Uniqlo are also good for very reliable, stretchy tights in nice colours. Happy tighting! x
I know of the tights of which you speak. Wore them for a year in conjunction with the private school uniform...and I still have and wear them! Blue cable knit wool. (23 years ago...they rock). In London go to a uniform shop that services public schools...they will have them.
The original spanks...I kid you not!
Happy hunting
I have no recommendations, but can answer the questions regarding the footless tights-wtf? I wear them with knee boots, with regular socks on my feet! That way, my toes are extra warm and the balls of my feet don't get all irritated from the tights rubbing on them all day as I walk.
I have been wearing the same 3 pairs of Forever 21 knit tights for two winters. The only thing is that if you get the pointelle ones, on extremely windy days, you might want to wear a pair of microfiber tights under them. I literally do not own a single pair of pants and wear skirts and dresses all winter long. I also happen to live in Chicago. So, you know.
Did someone mention StockinGirl. They're kind of expensive but it might the one you are looking for
http://stockingirl.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=miccina&Product_Code=cab10
Tabio (can be found in Selfridges and I think there's still a store on Neal Street up at the top) for socks and good quality coloured / patterned tights
Topshop (but you must know this, right?) for tights in many many different colours. If you can face the Oxford Circus Topshop, there are all sorts of other brands there - like Jonathan Aston.
These are amazing: http://www.bebaroque.co.uk/ I love the white / blue tattoos.
Mx