We must start with the box. They say the tights are designed in Japan, and the box must be too, as it is miniaturised just 6x9x4.5 cm. What this means, of course, is that you can keep a spare pair in your handbag in case of emergencies.
When we first saw this on our list of samples, we thought that Pretty Polly had maybe reproduced their Metallic Tights from the late 1990s. But these are pretty different. Rather than being sheer tights with a metallic sheen, they are semi-opaques with a far more metal look to them.
Given that hosiery manufactures must have their teams of designers putting together collection after collection, season after season, you might wonder why they need to use celebrity designers to produce designs for them.
We have reviewed these tights twice in the past, once in the packaging below and once after the newer packaging above was introduced. The last time we looked, we said, “These tights are just a repackaging of the earlier design”.
We usually start our reviews with impressions of the tights as we remove them from the packet, but we are stepping back a bit. One size tights for £9.95?
We don’t usually review one style in two colours, but Pretty Polly market this style and the similar Superstar Gold separately because there are differences beyond the different colours.
It is tempting to dismiss these tights as yet another design trying to look like stockings and suspenders, an old idea that has been resurrected by many hosiery brands this season and last. however, the use of nude material on the upper thigh and the highly stylised opaque stocking design suggest
Whether it is Mark Fast for Jonathan Aston or Henry Holland for Pretty Polly, a lot of the hype around hosiery at present concerns everyday brands adding cachet by using celebrity designers.
We must confess to starting this review with a degree of prejudice… £12 for one size, Pretty Polly tights seems a bit much. On the upside, they are “Made in England”, not just designed here. One size incidentally means no more than a 42” hip and no taller than 5’10”.
The Pretty Polly House of Holland range of tights has been one of the fashion highlights of the last twelve months. Perhaps doing more through its use of celebrity placements to get young women into hosiery than any other range.