Aristoc is one of the most well-known household names in the world of tights, hold-ups and stockings. Their name is instantly memorable and they are one of the most respected brands in the realm of legwear. This sounds like a very big claim, but they really were instrumental in beginning the legwear and hosiery industry in Great Britain. Aristoc launched its first range in 1924 and made use of some of the new innovations of the time. Nylon, for example, was being used as a less expensive alternative to silk. It is every bit as robust and durable and yet much cheaper to make and has tonnes of potential. Aristoc helped to make it easier to find a size of tights or stockings that fit you really well. And of course, they were among the first to make the best new innovation of the 1920s and the 1930s, which was the now ubiquitous tights. So now you know about their origins, why is Aristoc so special and relevant today?
By far the most popular range by this designer is Aristoc Ultra Shine. This is their single best selling range ever and has only grown over the past few years. So what makes Aristoc Ultra Shine so amazing? They are, on paper, one of the most straightforward and essential items of legwear in production. They are 15 denier in appearance and fabric, come in a variety of tan shades and nudes as well as the obligatory black, and have a comfy fit that Aristoc is famous for.
These tights create an excellent first impression; smooth and soft to the touch, fresh and glossy on the outside and warm and sweet on the inside. Well made with flat seams, in brief, a cotton lined gusset; sheer to the waist for wear with all lengths of skirts and shorts.
We found that for anyone with hips. And any waist definition at all, the bottom welt of the waist toner had a habit of rolling upwards and leaving a clear line under your clothes.
First impressions are excellent, as these tight feel ever so light and soft to the touch. Only when you open them out entirely, do you notice the control top, which is beautifully soft to the touch too?
The first thing you notice about these tights is the beautiful sheer legs with slight shaping at the heel, which look great and feel soft and silky too. The second thing is brief; it looks like a pair of shorts for a 7-year-old, it’s that tiny!
Aristoc Ultra Shine is a classic style with a long history. As you will see from the packets and review below, it has been through a variety of packet designs over the years, but the concept, denier and fibre mix have stayed pretty consistent.
The new Aristoc range has been an overall improvement on that it replaces. That in itself was nicely made and good value. These tights feel smooth and soft in hand and look more beautiful than their quote on quote “20 Denier”.
The years have seen a blurring of the line between the middle market and premium tights brands and nowhere is this more obvious than with Aristoc’s “Ultimate range which is now close in price to continental brands like Falke.
Aristoc has excelled themselves with this design, they feel sublime, and they look as good as they feel, perfect even colour from hip to toe. All in all, a very significant change from the past version and far better detailing.
Ultimate is something new from Aristoc, we have become accustomed to ‘Ultra’ as a name for their sheer tights. Ultimate Matt is pretty much as sheer as tights go these days at ten denier.
Seamless tights are something we always look forward to seeing, expensive to make they appear all too infrequently. For a significant UK manufacturer to introduce a seamless style and a ten denier seamless at that, has caused a lot of excitement. So much to that, they jumped straight to the front of the queue for a review.