Posts with tag PantyHose

For whatever reason, it seems appropriate to point out that many of history's "great men" like Napolean have been the tight-wearing types. But now that times have changed -- and men's couture no longer consists of powdered wigs and painted faces. So, staging a comeback for men's hosiery seems just a little bit eccentric and shady.

With the advent of manscara, manties, and now a major campaign to promote the acceptance of men wearing nylon stockings -- we can't tell if this is a genuine fashion trend, OR an attempt to make guys look stupid by convincing them that it's cool to wear pantyhose?

Our world is officially rocked. If men are pulling off pantyhose (or mantyhose) these days, then it's hard to really fault someone for pairing sock with sandals (if you can call them sandals) -- especially when it actually looks good. Not wear it out in public good, mind you, but good in that 'wow that doesn't even really look offensive' kind of way. Actually, we think they look like some sort of couture bowling shoes.

All right, men. Guess what you didn't know you needed? Pantyhose.

Here at right we have a handsome gentleman wearing a lovely dove-gray under his jeans. Pantyhose under pants, you ask? Well, what do you want him to wear, a skirt? What would his mother say?

We have a feeling she's already said it.

From the e-MANcipate website:
"e-MANcipate is a project to accelerate the acceptance of male pantyhose as a regular clothing item."

The website includes helpful resources like manfacturers and mantyhose news, as well as tips like "How to put on your male pantyhose without destroying it??" They claim that wearing pantyhose promotes circulation and even improves athletic performance! Um. . .WTF and As If, respectively.

Unless you're playing Robin Hood or pretending to be Louis XIV (like you do), we think maybe you should pass this trend up in favor of, you know, looking hot. But to each his own, right? Whatever. We don't care what you do on weekends, we're just saying it's not in fashion. Thanks random-good-stuff.com for the tip, or should we say, the warning.

Last year, Gossip Girl star Blake Lively began to emerge as a fashion darling with the help of Valentino handbags (courtesy of Stylist Patricia Field) and Conde Nast covers. Soon after, she started being courted by some today's most highly regard designers. In fact, she got the seal of approval by Karl Lagerfeld -- whom has outfitted her for several public appearances.

Being the gracious recipient of free luxury goods that Blake Lively is, she attended Karl's Chanel Haute couture show back in January wearing the designer, of course, but more curiously: pantyhose.

As far as lingerie goes, your specific "needs" will be dependent upon your lifestyle. And we don't mean just your nightlife. If you wear a a lot of skirts and pants that show your pantylines, you need no-show panties. If your pants tend to be of the low-rise variety, you need some undies that will stay low, too. And, if you're an athlete, you need undergarments that stay in place during strenuous activity (you know, the kind of strenuous activity that requires you to keep your clothes on).

According to Divine Caroline, there are five things every woman needs to have in her lingerie drawer. Check out the gallery to see what they are, and be sure to let us know if you'd add anything to the list!

It's always good start with a solid foundation -- and by "solid foundation," I'm talking about keeping your curvaceous curves from wiggling, jiggling, and bulging all over the place. In the past, we could rely on the control top of pantyhose, but no one, and I mean no one, still wears pantyhose, do they? Do they?!?!

Since we don't get control top, and given that Dr. 90210's appointment book is probably filled up until 2010 (the stitches wouldn't heal by the time you had to go to your event anyway), the best thing we can do to tuck in our tummies is a girdle. Don't be afraid of the word. I know it sounds like some horrible thing that your grandmother used to wear in the '50s, but these days, we can call them "shapers." Spanx is an entire line of underthings that help "shape" us where we might have a little too much shape.

So suck it in, spank it into place, and don't breathe for the rest of the night.

With Halloween just 'round the corner, it's only natural to have costume ideas running through the brain. However, it's not okay for companies to play off costumes as "real" clothes. I'm lookin' at you, American Apparel! How dare you try to sell these jester stockings as pantyhose. Innocent hipsters will walk around with two-toned legs and an unhealthy amount of spandex and it will be all your fault.

As if the sight of people wearing gold lamé pants wasn't bad enough, right? American Apparel's two color pantyhose comes in four exponentially horrifying color combinations: black and crème, teal and asphalt, purple and forest, and -- everyone's favorite -- fluorescent yellow and coral.

Here's a fun fashion tip: if you want to guarantee a punch to the face during a night out on the town, wear some of those aforementioned gold lamé pants over these new two color leggings. Granted, you may suffer from a tacky overload before anyone even makes it close enough to give you a knuckle supper.

I hate pantyhose. In fact, "hate" is probably not strong enough of a term to express how I really feel. They are high maintenance, practically diposable, uncomfortable to wear, and I don't really understand why a totally unnatural "nude" sheen is a preferable look to just plain natural.

However, tights are a different matter entirely. Tights are like, an accessory.

Tights can, yes, be uncomfortable, but so are stiletto heels, so I won't say much there, and when you think about how useful opaque tights are for keeping one's legs warm in the winter when wearing a very necessary little minidress, well, there's just nothing more to be discussed. And what's most important, tights come in so many colors and textures that they're even more exciting than wearing jeans.

I love these luxurious brocade tights from Givenchy. I can imagine these as the "dress up" part of a little black dress enesemble, or the interesting half of a tunic-and-tights outfit. Of course, with tights that are so highly patterned, stick with simple shoes.

There is absolutely no way that the semi-glamorous B-list celeb you happened to spy at the table next to you at lunch today looks that put-together naturally. Sure, she's probably blessed with a speedy metabolism, and maybe her grandmother really does have a porcelain complexion, but when it comes to what she puts on, she's got help. Let's just call them "fashion fake-outs," little hidden secrets that help make you look fabulous.

Shapeshifting - No one, and I mean no one still wears pantyhose, do they? I hope not. However, the one good thing about those ridiculous things was the control top. Since we're free to go bare legged, the best thing we can do to help tuck our tummy in without the help of Dr. 90210 is a girdle. Don't be afraid of the word. I know it sounds like some horrible thing that your grandmother used to wear in the '50s, but these days, we can call them "shapers." Spanx is an entire line of underthings that help "shape" us where we might have a little too much shape.

It's a dilemma that plagues womankind: Is it better to go bare-legged or to wear hose?

The answer unfortunately depends on the circumstances. For instance, if you have a important business meeting to attend, nude hose are probably the way to go. But if it's something a little more casual -- like a cocktail party in the winter or a wedding on a chilly day, you're better off going bare-legged than subjecting other to the shiny-sausage casing abomination we know as nude hose.

Why do I say this? Well, the main reason is that I believe that nude hose look truly awful. Don't believe me? Well, how about:

1. Tess Megill in Working Girl

Good movie, Hunky Harrison Ford, but unforgivably bad 80s business fashions.

2. Jane Fonda's workout videos

Love her or hate her, no one can defend her work-out wear.


3. Sophia Petrillo from The Golden Girls

Don't get me wrong, I love The Golden Girls, but emulating retired-Floridan fashions is not something I can condone.