What could be more feminine than a pair of silky smooth pantyhose?
While many women opt for the bare-legged look these days, pantyhose (and tights) give a much more polished appearance.
The secret is to choose hosiery that makes you look sexy and stylish – not like you stepped out of a time warp from the 80s.
Follow these 5 transgender / crossdresser / femboy pantyhose style rules and I guarantee you can’t go wrong!
A Quick Note About Pantyhose vs. Tights vs. Stockings
Before we jump into the rules, let’s quickly discuss terms:
- Pantyhose – This is a term used in the U.S. to describe sheer hosiery with a denier (a measure of thickness in tights) of 8 to 30.
- Tights – Tights are thicker than pantyhose, with a denier of 40 to 100. (That said, most other English-speaking countries use the term “tights” for all hosiery, from sheer to thick.)
- Stockings – Stockings differ from tights in that they only extend to the upper thighs. They stay up with elastic or are secured with a garter belt.
Rule #1: Only Wear Nude Or Black Pantyhose
For the most sophisticated look, I recommend sticking to the basics and only wearing nude or black pantyhose. (Colored tights are a different story. See Rule #5.)
If you wear black hose, make sure that they’re jet black – not gray-black or brown-black.
Rule #2: Go For Sheer Nude Hose That Matches Your Skin Tone
The #1 rule for nude hose is to match your skin tone as closely as possible.
High-end hose brands (like Donna Karan and Calvin Klein) offer lots of nude shades to choose from, so you should be able to find a perfect match.
The #2 rule for nude hose is to buy the sheerest hosiery you can find. Nude pantyhose should be like the foundation you wear on your face: invisible, but enhancing.
Rule #3: Buy The Best Quality Pantyhose You Can Afford
Most trans women, crossdressers, and femboys have great legs, so it pays to show them off with nice pantyhose. There’s a big difference between drug store brands and department store brands.
My favorite high quality hosiery brands include:
- Wolford
- Spanx
- Donna Karan
- Calvin Klein
- Nordstrom
Rule #4: Coordinate Your Pantyhose With Your Shoes
If you wear black pantyhose, wear black shoes for the most streamlined look.
Nude hose gives you the most options: You can pair them with any color of shoes. For the most leg-lengthening look, try wearing nude hose with nude shoes.
Just remember: NO pantyhose with sandals or open toed shoes! (A small peep toe is fine.)
Rule #5: Try Tights
Semi-sheer and opaque tights are a great alternative to transgender / crossdresser pantyhose – especially when it’s cold out.
Tights are less formal, but they tend to look more modern and youthful than pantyhose.
The pantyhose rules DON’T apply to tights, so experiment with different colors, styles, and textures. Funky tights can totally make an outfit!
Let’s continue the conversation…
Do you love to wear pantyhose, tights, and/or stockings? If so, what are your favorite styles and brands?
Please share your comments below!
Love,
Lucille
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I wear Silk Reflections daily-about 8 months of the year. I prefer ‘little color’–used to wear ‘Barely There’ but I agree the ‘suntan’ look is so 1980’s .
I can get up to 2 weeks of daily wear from my pantyhose. I ‘cheat’ and wear a double foot–I save the feet from a pair that has been ruined by runs. As the style I prefer (out of production,alas, ‘waist smoothers’) has only sheer toes–this protects from the dreaded hole in the toe area.Since I wear only slacks, alas, this silly looking double hose isn’t visible. Putting them on requires patient and a little ‘trick’. I moisten my fingers and this helps safely moving the legs up-can’t ‘pull’—shortens the life-I slide them up and with moist fingers draw up the fronts so that they are neatly positioned to put around my midriff. Having dry hairless skin helps the hose slide-brutal to put on hose right after a shower when you skin is still slightly moist.Quality Pantyhose end up being less costly than cheap grocery store varieties. I wear them 16 hours a day and love the entire experience. Viva la pantyhose!
good luck.
It’s reassuring there are still ladies out there who realize what a good pair of pantyhose can do for your legs. I have always worn L’eggs Active Support when working as an international flight attendant and to this day, I do not have varicose veins. Not only are pantyhose instant ‘makeup’ for your legs, they make your legs look fabulous! What I don’t understand is that women will spend hours getting a spray tan, and sometimes with runny, blotched results, but refuse to wear pantyhose, which can hide all kinds of splotches on less than perfect skin on legs. One other benefit is that it will actually visually lift saggy knees!
I always wear pantyhose or rights with my skirts and dresses , bare legs look soooooo awful, c’mon ladies take some pride in your look. Wearing pantyhose will get you more looks and compliments from both men and women.
Morning ladys…
I am a member of a very small minority. I am a natural woman, and pantyhose are very much apart of my everyday outfits. I have always worn tights or pantyhose as a girl having gone to a all girls catholic school. As a teen in college I found Wolford tights. And well I was hooked even more.
So yes we are out here. It’s just a very small number of us natural women that like them. I have turned acouple of my co-workers on to pantyhose. So hope is there:)
KISSES
Debra
I don’t like pantyhose of the tight waist band. Garter belt and stockings are much more comfortable and sexier.
I dislike pantyhose intensely. I always feel as if the waist starts out snug, and continues to get tighter and tighter as the day wear on. By the time I get home from work,I feel a if they are cutting me in half. So I wear what the British refer to as hold-ups” or we Americans call “thigh-highs”. My favorite ones are by Levante, in 50 denier opaque black.
In the winter, I wear black tights, but avoid the waist-cutting problemby cutting the legs off the tights at mid-thigh, and using a suspender/garter belt to hold them up. A suspender belt is more comfortable than the waistband of tights, because it rides lower, being held up by my hips, insead of by my waist. I find that the ones with six straps are much better than those with two or four, and well worth he extra expense.
Lucille ,
I wear Pantyhose quite often , i usually wear Nude or Off Black , those are my favorites , but on occasion , i wear Jet Black
and yes Sun Tan !I usually wear the tan with browns just to match the out fit , and the Jet Black with darker colors like with a Sweater dress and boots as i do also wear Tights , i usually try to go with the pantyhose instead as they feel better being on all day !
The Brand s of Choice are .. Legg’s Sheer Energy , or Hanes Alive they are Supportive in the legs and thigh area for a kinda all day massage feeling .
Any way hope it helped ! hugs and thanks you for all your help,
Stephanni B
It’s amazing how many GG’s don’t wear hose anymore. There is nothing more feminine than a woman wearing hose. If only these ladies could see how “unfinished” most look with bare legs. As for me, I wear them every chance I get, they definitely make a statement when paired with heels and a trendy skirt or dress.