Our Review

Keen followers of fashion, or even just readers of our regular newsletter, will know that at long last sheer hosiery, particularly natural shades are very much in fashion.  It seems the penny has finally dropped that real women without the assistance of photo retouching need a little help to show their legs off to the best and a real shock to the fashion establishment is that many high profile women have been wearing tights and passing the look off as perfect skin... the very idea!

This particular style from Max Mara also picks up on a less widely publicised trend in sheer hosiery, the use of microfibre yarns that have until now been reserved largely for soft winter opaques.  

Two things you notice at once about such sheer microfibre tights, they feel ever so light and soft and they look tiny even in the XL size.   Of course there is 44% Lycra in the mix to we know that the apparent small size will be offset by massive stretch.

A sandal toe is a necessity for a summer weight tights and Max Mara have not let us down; they have then gone that little bit further and added a little shaping at the heel.  Sheer to waist of course with just a narrow reinforced transition to the flat seams and around the cotton lined gusset. Note that the XL size has the triangular real comfort panel rather than the cotton gusset. A narrow finger band provides transition to the plain 3 cm deep waistband.

Sizing is accurate and the fit is very good from hip to toe, even the comfort gusset in the XL size works without that slightly “saggy” feeling this detail usually gives in the seat.

We have found it difficult to get even colour with sheer microfibre tights in the past and although these are among the best of the bunch you may want to stay with the natural shades unless you are patient enough to get the black smoothed evenly.

The finish on the leg has a slight sheen from all the Lycra in the fibre but out of direct light it is entirely matt.

The main competitor to these tights will be the Wolford Individual 10 that we looked at last week.  Nothing really to choose between them for look, feel and quality but these are significantly cheaper.

3 August 2010

see our sister sites at www.stockingsfashion.co.uk and www.hosieryuk.info