Women's Hosiery

Women's hosiery comes in an attractive range of products, colors and styles. From sheer pantyhose to tights and stockings, hosiery is a subject of individual taste and preference. Well fitting hosiery can do wonders – it can camouflage minor blemishes, emphasize your contours and lend an even skin tone. Be it thick knit hosiery or sheer silk or Lyra, women's hosiery needs to be carefully selected. Find out tips on selecting women's hosiery. Compression hosiery or support hosiery provides relief to those suffering from leg fatigue.

Women's Hosiery

Women's hosiery is designed to fit snug to a woman's foot, thighs and abdomen. While sheer hosiery is ideal for those who want to show their legs to best advantage, opaque hosiery completely covers your legs. Pantyhose offers body covering from the toes to the waist. It can hold in the stomach, buttocks and upper thighs.

Select your pantyhose with care. Opt for toeless sheer hose to wear with your strap sandals. You can go in for shimmering sheer hose for special occasions. Subtle or bright, demure or adventurous, elegant or casual – your hosiery can add to your style statement. Sheer pantyhose in light colors can make your legs appear smoother and longer.

Hosiery is available in many shades ranging from pillar-box red to lime green, black and white. The popular ones are natural skin tone, browns, grays and dark blues and blacks. Choose the pantyhose color to coordinate with your entire outfit. Nude or skin tone pantyhose are all-time favorites. Dark and opaque tights will lend a monochromatic look and minimize the leg size. Fashionable hose in fishnet, crotchet, stripes, plaids and other motifs are a rage with teenagers while neutral shades are chosen for business wear.

The sheerness and durability of women's hosiery depends on the fabric. Ultra sheer stockings and hosiery is made of fine nylon while Lyra has a more silken feel to it.

Sheer hosiery is flattering to your legs and allows the natural skin tone to be seen through. Sheer hose come in different combinations of nylon and spandex. Semi-sheer pantyhose is suited for day wear. Heavier opaque tights are better suited for dance lessons, exercise classes and winter wear. Tights are usually made of cotton or wool. Spandex hosiery is highly elastic and conforms to body contours sans creases.

The sheerness of the hosiery is defined as Denier and is represented on a Denier scale – 10 denier is ultra sheer while 45 is opaque. Ladders are the bane of any stocking and hosiery wearer. The more sheer the fabric, the more likely it is to develop a ladder. Car doors, cupboards, long nails, jewelry, pins or even pet cats can cause your favorite hosiery to develop ladders. A drop of clear nail polish can temporarily keep the ladder run in check.

• Choose the hosiery of the right size. Look up size charts to get the right fit. Err on the larger size if you fall in the borderline size range. A well-fitting hosiery will keep you comfortable and last longer.
  
  
• Choose a suitable suspender belt for your stockings to prevent wrinkling and creases. Pregnant women can opt for thigh high hose.
  
  
• Handmade hosiery is more expensive than machine-made ones. Look for reinforced seams and wider waistbands for comfort.
  
  
• Wear pantyhose on dry legs. Don't pull on it when you are wearing the hose. Ensure that your skin and nails are smooth before handling sheer hosiery.
  
  
• Clean your pantyhose gently with mild detergent. Do not hang up hosiery on the line to dry, as it will stretch. Place it on thick towels.
  
  
• Dark hosiery helps to create a slender silhouette.
  
  
• Roll hosiery into a loose ball when packing it for travel.

Compression hosiery

Compression hosiery is said to relieve those suffering from swelling in the legs. Support hosiery is designed to cling to the legs thereby reducing problems of varicose veins, swollen legs and water retention. It is used extensively for those suffering from chronic venous disease.

Compression hosiery controls the size of the veins beneath thereby preventing them expanding with blood. Support hosiery is designed to lend graduated support to the legs. The pressure is greatest at the ankle and it gradually decreases up the leg.

Women who suffer from tired and aching legs or varicose veins can benefit from compression hosiery. It is also recommended for those who spend considerable time in standing or sitting positions. If you suffer from skin infections or Ischemia of the leg, use of compressed hosiery is not advised. Wearing compression hosiery from the start of the day prevents swelling that normally occurs during the course of the day.

It is best to consult a physician before using compression hosiery to determine the number of hours it can be worn. Do not use bleach or strong detergents on your support hosiery. Hand wash or machine-wash them in a mesh bag.