Help me find work-appropriate hose.

October 22, 2006 9:00 AM

Southern New Hampshire and/or Montreal Filter: Where do you get fashionable, thick hose with no wool in them?

I have just moved to southern New Hampshire and it's getting cold. Years ago when I lived in Nova Scotia (I've been in the South the past few years and haven't needed to keep warm), I used to wear thick hose to work under my skirts to keep from getting cold - I would buy them at a locally-owned specialty sock shop so I have no idea what chain stores would sell them. I tried Target and they have some wonderful pantyhose but no hose that's thick enough.

I am also going to be in Montreal in three weeks for a day or two, so suggestions local to there would also be helpful.

I am looking for the kind that's still a solid color when it stretches out on your skin (i.e. it doesn't go nearly transparent like pantyhose), and which feels like it's made from some sort of cotton or something, not silky like pantyhose and not scratchy like wool tights. (Wool irritates my skin.) And no shiny sheen like pantyhose either, I don't want people's attention being drawn to my freakishly shimmering legs at the office.

I don't want to look like a schoolgirl so I don't want to get those kind of tights with the vertical braid pattern, which are the only kind they had at Target that fit my other criteria. I'd like them to look classy. Dark colors (navy, charcoal gray, chocolate brown, black, burgundy, wine red). Typically I'd be wearing them with dark-coloured skirts and flats.

And preferably they'd be relatively inexpensive, not more (or much more) than ten bucks a pair.

Where do I go to get this sort of thing?

posted by joannemerriam to clothing, beauty, & fashion (9 comments total)

If there is in an H&M in Montreal, they'll have it. Also maybe Simons (sp?).
posted by dame at 10:03 AM on October 22, 2006

If you search for "opaque tights" on Amazon you will get a lot of versions of the hose that you describe (which I also used to wear years ago when I lived in Nova Scotia). You should be able to find them at any big department store. I like the Hue brand tights.
posted by sueinnyc at 10:36 AM on October 22, 2006

When in Montreal, go to the Bay. They sell a line of tights called HUE that will fit your criteria. Very high denier count, no wool. About $10 - 15 Canadian per pair, and they last a lifetime if hand-washed.
posted by seawallrunner at 10:45 AM on October 22, 2006

Another vote for HUE tights. They have opaque and super-opaque. It's easy to find the black ones, but few merchants (even on line) stock the whole line. If you look around, you'll be able to choose from at least a dozen colors.
posted by wryly at 11:20 AM on October 22, 2006

I have the same criteria as you for tights - as opaque as possible, as matte as possible, and solid coloured with no woven pattern. I've searched and searched, and finally came across two great options.

First is, surprisingly, H&M. Their tights come in matte and shiny options, and in a range of thicknesses (deniers). I found opaque/matte/60 den to be good, and only $7.50!

Even better was a few pairs of Ralph Lauren tights I bought a few years ago. They were even more matte and more opaque, and were a lovely soft texture against my legs. They were also expensive (regular price was around $30, i think, but they last a really long time), and from an independent store in toronto, so I don't know where you'd get them near where you are. Try high-end department stores (Nordstrom, or Holt Renfrew), as they might have them.
posted by Kololo at 11:23 AM on October 22, 2006

HUE has great tights. I'm not too sure if there are Town Shoes in Montreal, but if you can find one they sometimes have more a wider HUE selection.

There's this magical land of legwear in Toronto called Legs Beautiful that has everything tights-related (including HUE), usually cheaper than Holt's. They have online shopping, but for some reason their site's been down for the past while.
posted by thisjax at 11:35 AM on October 22, 2006

Simons (mentioned above by dame) was were I always bought my tights in Montreal. They always have a great selection of tights, reasonably priced. Also, the store is easy to get to. It's on Ste. Catherine St. W, about two blocks east of Peel St. (I can't remember the exact cross street).
posted by Felicity Rilke at 12:54 PM on October 22, 2006

This is awesome. I knew you guys would solve this for me. Thanks!!
posted by joannemerriam at 1:00 PM on October 22, 2006

The Vermont Country Store carries some.
posted by The corpse in the library at 9:51 AM on October 23, 2006