Every winter, I wait until the very last moment. Not yet, I tell myself. It's not the right time yet. But when California weather went crazy this week, all of my excuses crumbled—it was time for winter tights.
My first memory of nylon tights is from second grade, back in Russia. They were white with little embroidered flowers and I can still remember my mom's nails scratching my legs as she tried to pull them up. You're supposed to roll every "leg" into a little bundle, insert your foot and comfortablly pull the tights up, but my mom never mastered this technique—and neither did I. To this very day, if you want to cause irreparable damage to my image, come paparazzi me while I'm putting my tights on. I look like a one-legged ballerina on drugs.
Tights—it's all in the name. Tight, fragile, restricting, they've always been my biggest can't live-with-them-can't-live-without-them winter nemesis. They only look good on flat-tummied women in '70s flicks. For the average female, the muffin-top effect is inevitable. They press on my midriff when I'm driving, they roll down when I'm sitting, they give way to unexpected runs when you need them most (and the silly nail polish trick never really works in my case). Tights, as I'm sure you'll agree, are the worst.
New products such as Wade&Belle's Not Too Tight Tights help a little bit. The new brand, created by two New York sisters, aims to minimize the discomfort of wearing tight, belly-unfriendly tights, and I couldn't pass the opportunity to try some. After receiving a pretty package, I was relatively pleased with the experience. The idea is far from innovative, but the result is somewhat more enjoyable than the mainstream (or elite—if you're willing to pay over $10 for a pair) brands like Wolford, GAP or H&M. The band hugs curves well and manages to tone without suffocating (it still rolls down when you sit, though). Still, score!
This ray of light, however, is of little comfort—something is deeply wrong with the tights industry. And sadly, silicone-induced thigh-highs are a problematic substitute; they wear off and may look out of place in a professional environment. If you stumble upon more suffer-free tights during what seems to be a long, gruesome winter, let me know—we're in this together.
