There is an old joke that you can wait an hour for a bus and then two come along together. It seems the same is true of ultra-sheer pantyhose. The Wolford Individual 10 Tights were the first pair of 5 denier tights we had seen in years. Today we find a pair of 5 denier sheers from Levante.
The first things that we notice are that these are specially designed so as not to run. Whereas the Wolfords used quality to stop threads failing, and these are 75% cheaper! So the question is, are four pairs of Levante Resitanza 5 Tights better value than one pair of Wolford Individual 10?
First impressions are good. Sheer to waist with flat seams and a cotton-lined gusset. Lightly shaped at the heel and finished with an entirely sheer sandal toe. The panty has T-band detailing, that is reinforced material either side of the seams and then slightly heavier a finger band to give a strong transition to the waistband.
You have a choice of three sizes. Medium, Tall and Extra Tall and four colours, black, grey and two natural shades. We tested the paler of the two natural shades, which is called “Enhance” as it is the closest to the tan shade for most ladies in the UK.
Even the largest size does not look overly big. But the sizing was accurate. Although if you are long in the leg, you may find they come up slightly short.
The look and fit on the leg are both perfect. Indeed, Levante has also managed to produce run resisting tights that feel soft to the touch too. As to the price, very competitive in the current market, but we can’t score them well for value for money.
The critical thing about these tights is their resistance to running and not for the first time with ladder resisting tights we had a catastrophic failure. Our model got the tights on OK. When bending and stretching afterwards to see how comfortable the tights would be through an active day, there was a pop around the gusset. The hole extended through the reinforced strip and into the sheer top of the leg.
True there was no actual run but the tights were entirely ruined, after taking them off we measured the horizontal hole where a single line of thread had failed at 8cm.
So 25% of the price of a pair of those gorgeous Wolford tights spent and we never got past putting our tights on. Our tip: forget run resisting tights and buy tights from a manufacturer who uses top quality yarns. If you can’t afford the top brands, buy traditional mid-market like Falke. Also, carry a spare pair for when you do get a run.
For more Levante Tights, click here. For more reviews, click here.