Top
Glamour Boutique

Breastforms, Bodyshaping and Affordable Crossdressing

Shopping Bag

Lady Legs Start with the Right Hosiery

Know the difference between Pantyhose, Tights, Stockings, Hold ups and Leggings

 

Our lives are filled with endless choices. Even buying hosiery is difficult for some because of the countless options there are. Well, I am here once again, to make your lives a little easier. I have had problems and questions before about the difference between different hosiery. This is a great discussion because they all look pretty similar and, I feel this is a topic most tgirls would like to be knowledgeable on.

Let’s get right into it. I will start everyone off with leggings because they are the simplest and easiest to distinguish when buying. When looking for a pair of leggings, you want to make sure you find a thicker fabric. Leggings are typically worn under a skirt, dress, or long garment/sweater. Leggings add additional warmth opposed to just tights which is why most people enjoy them. Some people do wear them as actual pants though. If you are looking for more of a pant style, make sure you find a fabric that is thick enough to not be see-through. If you buy a thinner pair of legging you should not wear them as a pant; I think you know what will happen Leggings come in a lot more styles and designs and are known for their comforting fit. Leggings are made typically out of spandex, nylon, cotton, or polyester blend which, make them fitting to one’s figure, but stretchy enough to move freely and do NOT have feet, unlike tights.

Tights are the next hosiery I will talk about that supplies the most warmth. They typically aren’t warmer than leggings but, they are always thicker than pantyhose. Tights always seem to be mistaken as pantyhose a lot of the time. I can see why, they look and feel very similar. They both are made starting at the waist and continue all the way down covering the feet. The biggest and only real difference is defined by the denier. Denier relates to the weight (i.e. thickness) of the yarn from which hosiery is woven. Tights are between 40 to 100+ denier making them opaque and more durable and less prone to runs (rips in the tights).
On the other hand, pantyhose is the opposite of tights when you base it on denier. They are generally 8- 30 denier. When the denier is this small it making the pantyhose very sheer and almost completely see through. Generally people buy Nude pantyhose to get the color of their legs to be the same tone. Nude panty hose like our Sheer & Shiney Support Pantyhose for Crossdressers are great for hiding small blemishes, veins, scars, or any other imperfections on the legs. Giving that perfect flawless complexion. However, colored pantyhose is just as popular. It gives any outfit that perfect finishing touch, or professional clean look.
5Stockings are more distinguishable than tights and pantyhose. They come in opaque and sheer so many denier thickness variations. The only noticeable difference is that they aren’t made to go above the thigh. They are built to be worn with suspenders and garter or a garter belt. To the left is our ‘Sheer Back Seam Stocking’s’. As you can see the suspenders attach to the garter belt on both sides of the body to hold the stockings firmly in place. Some people prefer stockings rather than pantyhose because they don’t ride up the front or the back or bunch up at your waist. However, some people find that the garter belt can be a little uncomfortable. It all depends on personal preference. Some say stockings are old fashioned but others find them extremely sexy. We at Glamour Boutique swear by our stockings but hey, to each his own.
Hold ups, or stay ups, are a type of stocking that does not require suspenders or a garter belt. You can, if you prefer, wear them with suspenders but they typically have a strong support strip at the top. They are not made with suspenders like regular stockings. You can get these in all types of different patterns, textures, and materials. These hold up’s in the picture to the right are, our Stay up Fishnet Stockings. They come in black, red, and white.4
Some other useful tips to know:

  • Opaque and sheer are not the same. They both are equally effective, the only difference is the look. Opaque hosiery is defined as a thicker material that you usually won’t be able to see your real skin tone through so are very popular with crossdressers who are unable to shave. Sheer hosiery, you can see your skin through the material and it is much thinner than an opaque. So, a low denier.
  • Opaque hosiery is great for the winter and sheer is great for the summer. Opaque tights and pantyhose are a great foundation for a transgender girl’s transformation.
  • Layering hosiery hides leg hair. If you are a tgirl but, can’t shave your legs this is a great option for you.
  • We suggest buying an opaque flesh-colored tight like our Opaque Tights which you would put on first to cover your hair. Second, we would suggest buying a sheer pantyhose, stockings or stay-ups of your color and style that can go over your flesh colored tights.

Thanks for reading, I hope this was helpful to everyone. If you have any suggestions or intel about how you wear your tights that you think would be useful, send us a message of comment on our facebook! https://www.facebook.com/GlamourBoutiqueUSA