Month: March 2018

Falke Diamond 10 Tights are well worth the price!

Despite Falke being one of our favourite brands this sheerest of their sheer styles has been one we have not looked at before. At ten denier they are the same weight as the Fond de Poudre Tights, but they are made with an entirely different finish.

At £12.95 they are the most expensive of the Falke sheers. Perhaps rarity is the cause, as we struggled to obtain a pair to test and even then it had to be size 3 (M/L) rather than the size 4 (L) we normally test when looking at Falke tights.

First impressions are very favourable, sheer to waist construction with legs shaped at the heel. The toes are completely sheer and finished with a beautiful flat seam, a perfect example of sandal toe tights. The waistband is quite shallow, but the finger band is about 4cm which bodes well for durability. The finger band has a little surprise too, on the left hip there is a Falke motif, and at the start of it, a tiny diamond (crystal of course) is stuck to the material. Seams in the panty are flat, and unlike the Fond de Poudre Tights there is no reinforcement either side of the seam, the gusset is, of course, cotton lined.

In hand these tights feel light and soft, that impression is repeated on the legs where these tights feel sublime. The look on the leg is more an impression of perfect skin than visible hosiery in the natural shade that we tested.

Fine hosiery can often be fragile, these tights gave an impression of strength and we had no worries about stretching them. The sizing is perfectly in line with the size chart, we expect nothing less from Falke, but we had no problems stretching them to fit someone much taller than the 5’8” maximum height suggested for size 3.

So these tights look good, feel good and are beautifully made. Is there anything to criticise? No; at £12.95 they are good value too, equal to anything Wolford or Fogal produce.

Still, no size 4 (L) come our way, but the size 5 (XL) sample just arrived from UK Tights does give us an excuse to test the style again.

These are deliciously soft, smooth, sheer tights and we love the entirely shaped leg and sandal toe detail.

Being an XL size from Falke there is a V-shaped rear comfort gusset rather than the cotton lined gusset of the smaller sizes. Styling is unaltered since 2009.

The XL size is intended to cope with 4” more height, 75lbs more weight and 12” more on the hips than the size three we tested previously. The sizing is accurate with plenty of stretch and strength; we would suggest that unless you need the size in the hips, tall ladies should buy size four rather than size five as the length will be adequate with either, that way you get the cotton gusset. That said for once the comfort gusset is not ruining the fit and feel.

A little bit of luxury is well worth the asking price. If you see some, buy them.

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Falke Amelita Tights are sublime!

Love them or hate them open-ended tights are very much the fashion of the season. Whether it is merely an open toe detail or a Capri length, sheer or opaque, this type of hosiery is prevalent nowadays.

The 15 denier offering feels delightfully soft and light, as you take, is from the packet, altogether lighter than other 15 denier tights from Falke that we have seen.

The design is exactly what we would expect from Falke, flat seams in the panty, a ventilated cotton lined gusset and aside from a narrow strengthened strip either side of the seam sheer to waist. Being footless of course there is no toe detail; the legs are also finished with a very narrow hemmed cuff.

Sizing is on the generous side of accurate, and there is enough stretch for you to decide to wear the cuff at your ankle or in the middle of your foot as shown in the packet photo above. The fit is excellent and whichever way you choose to wear them these tights are comfortable.

The leaf motif at hip and ankle is attractive but in our opinion adds little to the overall effect. As soft sheer matt tights, these work very well indeed. The footless detailing and the gusset design mean you could wear them when regular tights would be too hot.

We did notice the odd caught thread in our test pair, most unusual for Falke tights which have perfectly even colour even if several cycles of wearing and washing. Incidentally, they are only available in black.

Very nice but given the choice of these or two pairs of Falke Shelina for summer wear (and £1 change!) we know which we would choose.

Or for a combination that looks and feels fantastic try these on top of a pair of Falke Shelina!

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Falke Allover Elements Tights are so nice and warm!

One little niggle to start with, why don’t Falke put the style name of the packets of their fashion tights? I guess all you care about is whether you like the picture and want the look, but it is a nightmare for the reviewer.

No packet notes either by the way, just a reminder that they are 20 denier appearance, the fibre mix and the size chart. The size chart is pretty standard for Falke with a selection of European sizes and height, weight and hip measurements for the UK and USA. Five sizes are defined S, S/M, M, M/L and L which is Falke sizes 0-4, there is no XL or size 5.

From the picture we expected these to be net tights, but they are in fact a net pattern on a sheer base. There a plain reinforced toe detail then the material is uniform all the way to the waistband. The panty features flat seams and a lined gusset. The legs are unshaped.

Our test pair came in Size 3, M/L intended to fit up to a height of 5’8”, a weight of 150lbs and 42” hips. Apologies if you are used to metric units, even though Falke are German they did not provide a conversion. OK, we can do the sums for you: heights to 173cm, weight to 68kg, hips to 107cm. Our model usually wears size 4 in Falke so the 18% Lycra may be needed.

You can trust Falke to deliver quality, and they have done it again. The toes are finished with a smooth, soft toe seam for optimum comfort, and that comfort carries on all the way to the waist.   Stableetching to get extra height was no problem at all; there were stretch and strength to spare, 34” or 86cm inside leg no problem; using all the stretch produced a fantastic close fit. Hip sizing is pretty much spot on so don’t try to steal any inches there.

Of course, fashion tights are mainly about the look, and here Falke has delivered again; the design is eye-catching and, despite being entirely regular, the pattern manages to be visually slimming. The purple/red shade called Barolo is perfect for the season too. (Barolo is a particularly dark red wine from northern Italy by the way).

£20 is not cheap, but these are great looking tights that are a delight to wear and made well enough to last you through the colder months.

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Falke Aliya Tights are as amazing as usual!

Falke managed to set new levels for minimalism with the information on the packaging of these tights; there isn’t even any mention of the style name come to think of it this has been something they have done before with their fashion tights. Anyway, other than the picture on the front there is a note on the back to say these are fashion tights of 20 denier appearance.

There is a size chart which details five sizes from Small to Large with intermediate sizes Small/Medium and Medium/Large. Unfortunately, Falke is only making this style in those two intermediate sizes, a trend that has come from lesser brands which we see as a very backward step. There are at least three colours to choose from, black, platinum and rosemary.

You can’t call these tights 20 denier or sheer to the waist as they are tulle with a lace pattern, they are indeed of even texture and design from hip to toe but not sheer. The legs are shaped at the heel and seamed without reinforcement at the toe; the panty has a cotton lined gusset and flat seams with just a narrow reinforced transition to the lace tulle.

We can forgive Falke for the limited choice of size because there is plenty of stretches, the M/L size fitted a model who would typically wear size L. There is far more length then the heights in the size chart would suggest. The fit is perfect too.

As well as not looking anything like 20 denier tights these don’t feel like them either; they feel both heavier and warmer.

Lace patterns can sometimes be unflattering, but the strong vertical elements in design mean that the effect here is to make your legs look both longer and slimmer while at the same time enhancing the curves.

A well-considered design executed to Falke’s usual high standard. Classy enough for the evening but practical for regular daytime wear too.

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Falke Active Support Tights provide so much support!

We don’t get to see a lot of support hosiery which is a pity as a lot of people find it to be a vital part of their everyday wardrobe either because of an occupation that that sees them sitting or standing most of the day or because of a medical condition. This type of hosiery is also ideal for long-haul air passenger to help prevent DVT. We can’t comment on the medical aspects; this review will focus as ever on the look and feel of the tights, quality and value for money.

First off these tights feel entirely different from 20 denier fashion tights, they are altogether more robust with an almost rubber-like feel in hand. Construction differs too with a fully fashioned heel to help with fit.

All sizes of these tights have a sandal toe detail and flat seams in the panty, sizes 0-4 have a cotton lined gusset while size 5 has a comfort gusset in a boxer style panty.

You notice the compression as you bunch up the legs in preparation for putting the tights on, they are so tight it is quite a trick to put your foot in and get your hands out. Once you have the feet in and the heel correctly positioned it is just a matter of gradually stretching the material up your legs.

Not the easiest tights to put on but well worth the effort. The compression is hardly noticeable your lower legs simply seem lighter. The look on the leg is fantastic; the colour density is greater than for regular 20 denier tights, so minor skin blemishes are well hidden, the finish is perfectly even and has a delightful shine to it.

Not only will these tights make your legs feel fresh and rested on a long day they will show them off to best effect too. There is a choice of 6 colours including two pale skin tones, black and navy blue.

Fantastic quality tights that feel like they will last and last, well worth the price.

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