When I first saw these on the site I thought the side panel was gorgeous. But why, oh why did they have to be waist high stockings?!?! Let me paint the picture that explains my hatred for waist high panty hose. I went to a Catholic school up until the time I was about 8 years old. We had a very strict dress code of plaid jumpers and waist high tights of black or white color. I fucking hated those things. Feels like you are being strangled across the waist all day is not my idea of comfort. So from the time I was about 4 til 8 when I moved to a public school in the suburbs I had to wear those strangling panty hose at least 4 days out of each week. Then add to that the fact that I was a ballerina for 14 years...think I wore tights for that too? I sure did!

Before buying these, it had been a good 6 years since I had willingly worn a pair of these. I was convinced by seeing the first review. I so wanted these and was willing to put aside my adolescent hatred for them. I'm so glad I did because these can look great with a number of practical going out outfits, they fit well, and are durable. Just don't wear them in a warm weather! They can get really hot!

*Overview:

This pair of stockings from Leg Avenue are pantyhose that go up to the waist. They have side plumeria flower panels and solid material elsewhere. They are closed toed and have upper thigh control. They are offered in one color, black and in one size fits all. They are well made and fit a wide variety if sizes. They are not best for women with very slim or short legs because they have a tendency to bunch.

*Material Excellent, durable

These stockings are made of 100% nylon exclusive of decoration, which I can only assume is the lace plumeria panel. The stockings are very well made and are worth of the higher price tag that they have. They are at least twice as thick as most stockings from Leg Avenue and feel more like spandex legging material. They are not as soft, though The lace is also thick and really well made. I'm impressed by the durability of these. The band is also very durable. The more they are stretched the more opaque they become, but the color remains really dark, regardless. Only with flashes of my camera and crossing my legs does my skin color show through a little bit where there is no lace. The lace pattern is really pretty. Down the entire side are plumerias stacked one on top of the other.

*Design/craftsmanship: Great

Again, these are panty hose, that means that they look like waist high britches with complete leg stockings attached in a seamless design. These are most likely going to sit around your natural waist because the distance between the crotch and band is nearly 12". The top band that will probably go around your waist is almost 1 1/2" tall and about as thick as a band would be that would hold up stockings on your thigh. There a few lose ends, but nothing I couldn't safely snip off with scissors. On each side is where the 2" wide panel of lace starts. It literally goes the entire length of the panty hose. From what I can tell, they don't have a specific shape for the foot, calf, and thigh like vintage pantyhose and stockings have. It's hard to find them that way now. They do have an extra band around the thigh that is really hard to see unless they are on. It probably helps to keep the stockings up so you don't look like a droopy drawers.



The feet of these are not reinforced but the toes are closed. The stitching in the feet is strong and won't likely come undone or rip easily. Mine have endured at least a total of 20 hours being in heels. Their length is great as well. I'd say the length is slightly above average (talking about the legs).

*Cleaning/care/storage: Hand wash

The package says to hand wash these in warm water. They did just fine being put in a lingerie bag on a warm short cycle in the washer. Let them hang or lay flat to dry. To store you can tie them up on themselves, loosely. They come in a cardboard sleeve folded over a plastic mini-hanger. All of this is in a plastic sleeve. It's not really reusable. It gets destroyed as you open it.

They are made in Taiwan.

*Sizing/Application: Loose on smaller side of chart, OS

These pantyhose are "one size fits most". On the package they have a suggested weight range of 90-160 pounds. Normally, Leg Avenue runs a bit small for their OS, but these are more forgiving to the higher end of the spectrum than usual.

I'm 5'6", ~142 pounds and my thighs are about 23" at the thickest part around. My waist is about 30" and that is where the band falls on me. These fit so well! Seriously, I anticipated feeling like I did as a kid, strangled at the waist, but I didn't! It doesn't cut in either. I'd say that these will fit even larger. The height is good as well. 5'7" is about perfect is you are not super slim. The crotch came up to where it should. They could totally be stretched more and not have the crotch fall. If you are shorter than about 5'4" you will probably experience bunching no matter how large your legs are. That said, you'll also experience bunching if you are on the smaller end of the weight range. They were tight on me, but appropriately and were not too small anywhere. I did notice that the butt doesn't have all that much room. If you have a lot of booty and are on the high end of the weight range, these might be tight there.

*BEST Fit Chart:

Pounds: 120-170
Waist: 27"-33"
Height: 5'4"-5'10"
Thigh circumference: ~21"-25"

*Application: They are a bit tricky to get on correctly. It's easy enough to put them on, but getting the panel straight the whole way up might take some adjustments. These are not the type of stockings that you'd really use with lingerie, in my opinion. For me, I got them so I can wear all those cute dresses I just got from here and skirts in cooler weather. I can also wear shorter things without fear that I'm going to show too much to someone at a family party. They are very classy and at the same time flirty. Wear them with skirts, shorts, or dresses. They do get really hot, though! If you are going to be someplace warm for a long time, these will probably make you sweat!

I like to wear them with closed toed shoes, or at least not strappy heels. They look super cute with ballerina flats, heels, or ankle boots (I'm still undecided about loving the ankle boot look, though...that's a new one for me!).



*Conclusion:

I'm totally going to go ahead and give these 5 stars (4.5 if I could for not have distinct feet and ankle shapes). For once, it's not best on the smaller side of the spectrum! They are made very well and will fit a lot of women. My only complaint is the fact that they can get really hot! I so want to try other styles like this.

I still love these tights and hope to find more like them. They withstood a holiday party or two and have no holes or runs in them. The feet show minimal wear too!