I recently got a shipment of the Pretty Polly 10 Denier Gloss tights in 2 colors, black and nude. Normally I would just review one color or another and assume said review would apply to all colors. Last weekend I went out in the black tights. I meant to write a review, but I have put it off until now. Last night I wore the nude. To my surprise, there were some marked differences between them.
Black:
When you start getting down into the very low denier counts (below 15), hosiery makers tend to use a type of thread that has some peculiar properties. It can look / feel kind ofabrasive right out of the package, but as they stretch onto your legs, they transform into a silky second layer. It’s kind of bizarre. Such was the case with the black hose. Once on, they fit well and stayed in place well. They are very sheer and give a nice black sheen / outline to the leg. I think that these would play very well in a special occasion setting. If you wear these to the office, just know that you WILL be drawing some eyeballs down to your gams that day. That may or may not be a winning strategy for you at work. They feel very nice to the touch. My friend Mandy was running her hand up and down my leg, and it felt fantastic. She loved touching them. When my legs rub together, they felt nice, too. I’d give it an 8. As for longevity, these are a 1 wear pair. Yeah, I could perhaps get 2 wearings out of them, but that second wear would be precarious. There would be spots where you’d see that a run COULD develop, and you would spend the evening praying that it did not, in fact, run.
That being said, I’ve gone out with all 3 pairs I ordered. All 3 black pairs survived their first night out. Pairs 1 and 2 showed too many signs of imminent failure for me to dare wearing them out for a second time. Pair #3 looked solid, but part way through their second night out, they developed a few small holes. These are 10 denier hosiery, so the threads are thin and far apart (comparatively speaking). There were a few spots where the material just gave way and let a small hole form. Interestingly enough, none of these holes developed into a run. They just became holes, and stayed holes. Probably 2 mm in diameter. Not big, by any means. From 12 feet away, people probably didn’t notice. All things considered, I ‘d say that these pantyhose lived up to their price point very well.
fit: 9
feel: 8
look: 8
longevity: can only be trusted for 1 wearing
cost per wear: $4.50
Now let’s talk about the nude pair.
Oh wow…
Every now and then, you pull on a pair of pantyhose that are just divine from the first inch – and that was the case with these. They looked silky coming out of the package, and as they stretched up my legs, they lived up to that first impression. Sometimes hose will change in character as you stretch the material out (like the aforementioned black). I don’t understand why, but these nude versions were silky in all states of stretch. Once on, they added a nice sheen to my legs. In terms of color, they are just a mild tan shade. If it
weren’t for the shine, I’m guessing many people wouldn’t guess that I was wearing anything. When I rub my legs together, they feel *divine*. My legs are super silky – even slippery – to the touch. In terms of feel, I’d have to say these are a 9.8 . I’ve never worn anything that feels better on my skin. I only hold out on that last .2 because I have this notion that there’s always something a bit better out there. And remember – I only paid $4.50 for these. Just by the logic of price alone, there must be better – though it’s hard to imagine.
Now, I must sadly mention the only 2 downsides to these. As far as fit goes, they are not particularly generous. They run just a tad shorter than the black ones. I’m talking 3/4 of an inch different. Not huge, but enough that I’m always feeling like I need to pull them up. They have a boxer brief, but it has zero control to it. They may as well have made these sheer to waist – which is fine with me, I love sheer to waist hosiery. The last bummer: they developed a hole in them toward the end of the night. I snagged the back of my calf on the sharp edge of a chair, which is what probably caused this. A small 1/8″ ladder / run then developed from that hole and ran all the way down the leg to my foot. Luckily it was dark, and given that these hose are *very* sheer nude, it wasn’t immediately obvious. It was sad though; I absolutely LOVE these pantyhose and was hoping to get 2 wearings out of them. Interestingly, they do not seem to suffer from the same weakness in the weave that caused the black version of these to develop holes spontaneously. I don’t know enough about the manufacture of these hosiery to know if the differences are all in my head, or if there really are some fundamental differences in how they are made. If any of you do know more about this, please drop me a line and share some knowledge.
fit: 7.9
feel: 9.8
look: 9.8
longevity: 1 wearing *
cost per wear: $4.50
Last thoughts: I was smart and bought several pair of these at once. I’m already looking forward to wearing them again. I’d definitely consider these a special occasion hosiery because of how gorgeous they are and how wonderful they feel on my skin. At a cost per wear (CPW) of $4.50, they are also fairly economical. I know of more expensive hosiery that you’ll get more wears out of, that don’t feel as nice, that will cost more per wear. That being said, I think that the Pretty Polly 10 Denier Gloss Tights are an excellent buy.
Update: 2 Dec 2013
I went to order another batch of these, and I was dismayed to find the going price has been raised to $14.00 / pair. At this price, I advise you to avoid them. Given the grade of construction, they were a superb value in the $5.00 range. At $14.00, they are a very poor value for the money.
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