Okay, so we all know and love We Love Colors for our colored tights needs because they have awesome plus-size tights that actually are plus-size. Their EE fits women that are 5’5″ – 6’0″ and 320 – 375 lbs. BUT a girl cannot live in pumpkin-colored tights alone, which is why I am So. Freakin. PSYCHED about the Avenue releasing a whole slew of patterned tights at an incredible price point for the quality.
Patterned tights are a great way to transition from daywear to datewear (yeah, I hate myself for saying that, but it’s true) and add just enough downtown cool so you look put together and polished, but not stuffy or like you should be behind the counter at Macy’s telling me about my gift with any $25 Estee Lauder purchase.
And I’ve gotta tell you, I’m also kind of psyched because it’ll let me get away without buying a ton of new dresses.
As you know, Miss Plumcake keeps a very tight rein on her wardrobe, but I’ve got several pieces that have seen their seven years of service and are being set out to pasture this fall, making my wardrobe that much smaller.
A fab pair of patterned tights is an excellent way to dress up a relatively conservative dress and create a new look from a capsule wardrobe. Since the visual focus will be on the tights, not the dress, if you find yourself traveling and only being able to take one or two dresses with you, this can save you a world of heartache by creating new looks with a minimum of pieces (also try to find a dress you can wear back-to-front).
Plus, and I’m just putting this out here. I got short legs.
Yep, although I’m tall like giant, I don’t suffer from an overelongation of pins and these vertical stripes? Make my legs go on for MILES (or kilometers, depending on where you’re reading this and where my legs happen to be at the time).
(how cute would these be on a dress that’s just a teensy bit too short to rock without legwear, so the lace peeks out a bit?)
Remember, when wearing patterned tights, ideally you want to go for a closed-toe shoe unless you KNOW you know what you’re doing.
Yay. I picked up a pair of black/grey striped tights in a shop in Penn Station just for a ‘what the heck’ and now wish I’d cleaned out the place.
Comment by Toby Wollin — September 21, 2010 @ 12:47 pm
Love!
Comment by Rebekka — September 21, 2010 @ 1:27 pm
The size chart on the Website doesn’t include Avenue tights sizing. Can you ccheck the back of a package and post the specs?
Comment by Violet — September 21, 2010 @ 2:04 pm
Those all look to me like you have scales or some hideous disease on your legs (except for the gray ones). Blecch.
Comment by Harri P. — September 21, 2010 @ 2:31 pm
Be cute with a LBD
Comment by Klee — September 21, 2010 @ 3:37 pm
I cleaned out an Avenue last year in early February when all of the tights were clearances for $2, and I have to say I was deeply disappointed with the quality. They’re basically disposable: the solid grays run with not so much as an unmanicured fingernail, and the patterned beauties I was so excited about bunch at the knees and practically fall off of me, while being kind of retardedly small in the thighs. I mean I wasn’t expecting Spanx-quality, but still–the cuteness of these are almost sad because I’m done with disposable clothes.
Comment by Lindsay — September 21, 2010 @ 3:42 pm
@Lindsay: I think they’ve reformulated them because I’m pretty hard on tights and they’ve stood up to my abuse pretty well.
Comment by Plumcake — September 21, 2010 @ 5:31 pm
Those last ones are hawt. I’m thinking of something like this with a very ladylike suit, buttoned high with just pearls at the neck, no shirt. Of course, I blog for a living so I wear crap like this:
http://ayyyy.com/2010/09/18/the-undress-code/
Comment by raincoaster — September 21, 2010 @ 5:42 pm
A dress you can wear backwards, Plumcake?
Comment by wildflower — September 21, 2010 @ 6:08 pm
Sure, I’ve got four dresses I wear back-to-front pretty regularly!
Comment by Plumcake — September 21, 2010 @ 6:14 pm
My problem with patterned (non-stripes) tights is that the pattern tends to kind of stretch and deform over my thighs, calling attention to them in a way that isn’t what you’d call super flattering. Is this a common problem, or am I somehow Doing It Wrong?
Comment by daisyj — September 21, 2010 @ 6:56 pm
I just googled backwards dresses and got many hits on a photo of Angelina Jolie in one that I think looks better backwards than forwards. It has a beautiful low back, which in the front would have been way to cleavage-y for my taste!
Comment by wildflower — September 21, 2010 @ 7:11 pm
Daisyj – your mileage may vary, but I usually wear patterned tights with knee length skirts and boots. You get just a flash of the tights that way, so it’s not quite so HI MY LEGS HAVE A PATTERN.
Comment by Evie — September 21, 2010 @ 7:56 pm
looooooooooove!! I need to buy lots of patterned tights, don’t know why i don’t have any since i Love them so much
Comment by vonnie — September 21, 2010 @ 8:50 pm
@Violet- I did see the Avenue sizing chart on the website. If you scroll down on the sizing page, it was between the panties and Jessica London hosery charts.
@Miss Plum- I do like tights with my boots and plain dresses. Thanks for the information as I am always looking for them.
Comment by Miss Louisa — September 21, 2010 @ 10:02 pm
Please explain exactly what it is about a girl working behind an Estee Lauder counter that I should wish to avoid resembling. Sales women in retail don’t seem to be so despicable to me as they do to you, Plummy, and I would like to understand the complaint more clearly.
Comment by ChaChaheels — September 22, 2010 @ 10:53 am
@ChaCha: Makeup sales counter uniforms are usually head-to-toe black opaque (sometimes with lab coats) and purposefully nondescript. I don’t find them despicable, but I don’t want to be nondescript.
Comment by Plumcake — September 22, 2010 @ 10:57 am
Nice tights indeed, but I’m really intrigued by the reversible clothing idea. Could you please do a posting on that, Ms. Plumcake? It would be so useful for business travelling.
Comment by SusanC — September 22, 2010 @ 12:16 pm
Super cute tights! Thanks for bringing them to us.
Comment by Donell — September 22, 2010 @ 1:57 pm
Thank you for explaining, Plumcake, I really didn’t know about the all black shop wear. Here in Canada, that’s not the case! Although I have been in some stores where all the staff have uniforms similar to the ones you describe–not just the cosmetics staff.
Comment by ChaChaheels — September 22, 2010 @ 10:37 pm
My legs tend to the muscular and patterned tights make them more pronounced, as the pattern distorts. How do you I get around that problem? Should I stick to solid colors instead or specific patterns?
Comment by retna — September 22, 2010 @ 11:00 pm
Just a note: for the truly boobacious, reversible dresses are a better idea than reality in my experience. I’d be nice, though.
Comment by raincoaster — September 24, 2010 @ 5:15 pm
I jsut saw these and am super excited. I love a nice patterned tight…I hadn’t worn them for a long long time thinking they were too..young for me (at the ancient age of 31) and last year finally picked upa pair that It otally fell in love with and now..I must have more!
Comment by Gryph — October 1, 2010 @ 1:08 pm
I love patterned tights and colored tights. So much more fun than just wearing normal black tights. I just bought a new pair of pink tights :D
Comment by Jazz — October 18, 2010 @ 8:38 pm